Size matters

Ah, the dreaded double-sided stairs. Barry and Adam had reached what would hopefully be the hardest part of their trip.

"We can go around and save some time, but that will take us over the grass."

"No."

Adam sighed, "fine. It's going to take a lot more time to climb up all of these though."

"Then we'd better get started."

Adam walked over to the first step and pulled himself up over it with some difficulty. Barry followed behind, but when he tried to climb up as well he had no success.

"Grr...I'm too short. I can't reach."

"Here!" Adam said and extended a paw down to his friend.

"Don't patronize me fox."

"What! I'm trying to help you. And I'm sorry about earlier. I just thought it was better to face this with humor. I didn't mean anything by it. Honest. And yes, I seriously just avoided not one but two excellent opportunities to make a size reference JUST for your benefit."

"Really?"

"Really. Now take the paw so we can get you back to normal already. I hate seeing you like this."

Barry reached up and grabbed hold. Adam then lifted him over up onto the step. It was actually easy because of how light Barry was at the moment, but he wasn't about to mention that. Adam really was sorry for earlier. He had been acting way out of character today.

They continued on like that until they reached the last step. Adam pulled his friend over the lip and up there to sit beside him, even manufacturing a totally phony grunt in the process. Maybe if Barry though he was heavy enough that Adam was having a hard time lifting him then he'd feel a bit better.

"I will never complain about those stairs again," Adam huffed.

Barry took one look at the door to Carter Hall and his mood seemed to brighten. "We're almost there. Race?"

"Sure!" Came the quick reply and the two took off. Adam held back, running slower than he could have, but even still poor Barry was really giving it all he had to stay ahead of him. He had his head down in a full bull charge and wasn't even watching where he was going, which turned out to be a really a good thing because what Adam saw ahead of them would have probably given him a heart attack had he seen it himself.

Adam sped up and grabbed his friend, turning him to the side just in time to avoid the door as it opened. Adam pressed Barry against the wall beside it and held him firmly in place.

"Hey! What are you doing fox. Lemme go!"

"SHH, don't move. And whatever you do, don't look behind us.

"Why not?"

His question was answered by a loud THUMP, and then another closer than the first.

"Adam, please tell me what is happening."

"You REALLY do not want to know. Just look at the wall. It's much better that way. Think happy thoughts Barry. Everything is going to be fine."

Adam clasped his paws over Barry's ears. It was then he heard his nemesis speak. He was whispering, which was very strange behavior for Rufus, but Adam understood enough thanks to how close he was. Too close.

"Destroyed my pad....I'm not sure what happened but I want more. Find that fox for me too. He has to know something."

Adam had no choice but to look up because this conversation was about him and he had to know what was going on. If there was an expression beyond a cringe he was sure it was on his face right now.

Towering over him and Barry were Rufus and another grey-furred wolf. One of Rufus' footpaws was close enough that Adam would not have had to reach very far to touch it. One wrong step and Rufus was going to end both Barry and him and probably not even realize he had done it.

"Adam, I can't see or hear anything. Please let me go. I'm really getting scared here." Barry pleaded with him.

"It'll just be a few more seconds. Hang in there. It's going to be ok," Adam told him, briefly lifting the paws from Barry's ears just long enough for him to hear.

The second wolf spoke then, "sure thing boss. I'll check out his dorm first. This fox can't be that hard to find. He's the only one on campus."

"Just steer clear of that damned bear roommate of his. I'll deal with him later. Trust me."

"Got it," the other wolf said before walking off. The footsteps were like miniature earthquakes and Barry felt them. He strained violently to break free of Adam's grip. He wasn't strong enough though at the moment, which was a good thing for the both of them.

Rufus stood there for a second longer before he too strode away. It was only then that Adam relaxed his grip on Barry and allowed him to turn around and face him.

"Barry, I'm really sorry about that, but I had no choice. I had to keep you from doing something crazy and getting us both killed."

"You're the crazy one fox. You had no right to do that. I would have been fine..."

Adam stepped to the side, allowing Barry to see Rufus striding away behind him.

"Oh...my...NO! This is too much. Why did it have to be him!"

"He's looking for me, and he's none to happy with you either. I'd prefer to meet him at our normal sizes. At least then we can fight back."

Barry looked down and buried his face in his paws "if we survive this I'm probably going to need therapy."

**********

It wasn't much longer before the two of them found themselves inside Adam's Advanced Physics class. They were staring at the door to the professor's secret lab, but Adam had no idea how to get inside, even had he been at his full size. There were no gaps at all to slip through. The seal was perfect.

"Now what?" Barry asked.

"We have to wait for him to open it."

"Oh really? That's your plan? Just sit here?"

"If you have a better one then I'm all ears," Adam said, actually raising his ears.

"Whatever. He better show up soon."

Luckily for the both of them he did. Adam caught sight of him as he unlocked the classroom door and acted quickly.

"Now, we have to move fast the second he opens it if we want to get in. Stand right next to the door and move as soon as you see an opening. As long as we hug the wall we should be fine. He won't drag his foot right into the side of the frame after all...unless he trips or something."

"Next time just leave the last part off of your plan. I never seem to like those as they usually involve ways we end up dead."

"Agreed. Now get ready!"

The professor opened the door and both of them followed the plan perfectly. They made it through and inside without being stepped on. But as the professor closed the door and stepped inside himself he lost control of the briefcase he had been carrying, spilling papers everywhere, including right on top of the two of them.

Everything went dark and Adam couldn't see a thing. "Barry! Are you ok!"

He heard a muffled voice answer back. The paper wasn't exactly crushing him, but it did make any kind of movement difficult. It seemed like the two of them would just have to wait for the professor to clean this mess up, and hopefully not them with it.

"Damn," the professor cursed. He began rifling through the spilled papers. Adam was sure he was probably not being nearly as rough as it seemed, but he still got tossed a round quite a bit. Thankfully it didn't take the professor long to have them all sorted back into his briefcase. He stood then and walked deeper in the lab.

"Well that's a relief. At least he didn't get us too, right Barry?" Adam said, looking over.

"Uhm, Barry? BARRY! Where are you!" Adam looked around in a panic before his eyes settled on the briefcase...."Oh no."

_I have to get him out of there! But how? There has to be some way to get the professor's attention. I just need to think this through. _

Adam began by following behind the professor. He wasn't walking very fast so he managed to get as close as he dared. The professor hoisted the briefcase up and slammed it down on the desk. Well ok, it probably wasn't a slam but it sure felt like one hearing it at this size. Barry would not be having a good time in there, that's for sure.

_Ok, so what do I do next? He's running experiments right? So first he'll sort his notes, then he would need... _

Adam saw it then, a massive whiteboard with incomplete equations. He understood many of them, but a few didn't make any sense. He filed those away to study later.

If I can get up there I can write an S.O.S. and get his attention that way, but I can't climb straight up to the board because the legs are made of slick looking metal. So how...?

He cleared his mind and took stock of the entire room. There was another table close enough to jump from and reach the board, but no way up that one. Then he saw it. Another lab station close by had a lamp on the edge of the table with a power cord that reached all the way down to the floor which he could use to climb up.

Adam hurried over and latched onto the cord. Depending on the thickness it should be impossible for him to penetrate into the copper and fry himself, but just in case he climbed as cautiously as possible. He reached the top and slung himself off of the cord and onto the table. Once up there he took in his new surroundings.

He had made a mistake. The second table was too far for him to reach from here.

There has to be some way to get more distance with my jump. I can't just wait around and hope the professor eventually sees me. I don't know if that briefcase is airtight. Barry might not have a lot of time. I have to hurry.

Adam looked again, then really concentrated. He saw a possible solution, but he did NOT like it one bit.

Near the end of the table was a rack of test tubes and a bunsen burner. A crazy plan formed in his mind, but did he dare? He looked around frantically trying to find another alternative, but there wasn't one. He had no choice. He had to save his friend and this was the only way.

Adam ran to the end of the table and took a deep breath. He stepped up to the bunsen burner and placed his paw on the convenient auto ignition switch. It didn't move.

_Of course it would take more effort than that at my current size. _

He pressed harder, then used both forepaws but still got nowhere. Finally he took a step back and kicked for all he was worth. Success, the flame lit. But now he had to hurry.

Adam ran to the test tube rack and climbed up. This put him on an even level as the top of the flame. Fortunately for him the angle of the rack was more or less facing the burner.

"Hmm, that shouldn't be on..." The professor chided himself as he walked over to the table Adam was on.

_Gotta move fast! _

Adam took off running down the line of test tubes. His balance was usually perfect, but the professor's footsteps were shaking everything and made it very difficult to avoid falling. He lost his balance just as he reached the end. Adam jumped towards the flame anyway, stiffened his tail and hoped against hoped he didn't go out in a blaze of glory.

He sailed over the burner and the updraft gave him the height he needed to reach the other table, even though he was slightly off-center. An instant later the professor extinguished the flame.

Adam didn't have any time to celebrate his small victory as the smell of burnt fur filled his nostrils immediately. He landed sideways on the very edge of the table and rolled down the length of it a few times. He finally stopped facedown with his head dangling off the side, which gave him a good view of how far he had almost fallen.

He pushed himself up immediately patted his clothing to put out any remaining flames which hadn't already been extinguished with his roll. Although he did cough a few times, he inspected his fur and found the damage wasn't too severe.

Good, now I just have to reach the whiteboard. Shouldn't be too hard.

And then the professor walked over, grabbed the board and slid it halfway across the room as he began writing on it.

"No way..." Adam sighed.

Need a new plan.

He looked around again, and quickly found a solution. A small pen light sat on the very same table as him. If he could just turn it on and point it at the board he should be able to get the professor's attention that way.

Adam jogged over to it and pressed the on button, using a proper amount of force this time. It lit up obediently. Then he stepped around and pushed on the tip of it to angle it at the whiteboard. He could see it's reflection easily, but it was much too low since the professor was working at the top of the board. He'd have to lift it.

"Hmm...calculate weight of pen... estimate physical strength...factor in the Earth's rotation and magnetic field...calculate needed angle based on average human peripheral vision adjusted for age...it's no good. I'm too weak damn it."

Adam almost never got mad, but this time he made an exception. "Screw the calculations. I'm doing it anyway. I can't just sit here and do nothing while my friend might be in danger."

He grabbed a hold of the front of the pen light with both paws and heaved. It didn't budge. He tried harder, and it shook a little. Then he gave it all he had and it slowly rose from the table. There was no way he could hold this for long, but looking at the board made it clear that he wasn't even close to the professor's eye level.

_I won't give up. I can't give up. Barry is depending on me. _

He struggled even harder, but it didn't matter. No matter how much he tried he couldn't lift it any higher. Now his strength was failing. He threw everything he had left into it.

Then he heard his father's words repeated again in his mind. The world needs me. I have to protect it no matter how much it hurts me. I can't watch people suffer anymore knowing there is something I can do about it. I hope one day you understand.

"I do father. I always have."

Then Adam concentrated on that part of himself he had felt before, a strange tingling at the center of his chest and pushed on it even harder than the pen light. It felt like an explosion from inside of him, and then a flash. He found himself laying on the table face up, looking at the pen light lodged firmly into the ceiling.

Great, now I'll never get his atten...

Adam! How did you get in here!" The professor exclaimed.

Adam sat up and nearly fell off the table in the process. He didn't think he was that close to the edge. He spun to face the professor, "You can see me? How!?"

"Of course I can see you. But why are you sitting on the table like that?"

Adam looked down and realized he was occupying nearly the entire thing.

"I'm big again! YES!" He exclaimed, pushing himself off of the table with one paw.

"Uhm, you're the smallest student I have. Big is hardly the word I'd use to describe you. Just what is the matter with you anyway? You're acting very strange."

"Professor, you wouldn't believe the morning I've had. No, I'm serious, you won't believe it....wait Barry!"

"Who is Barry?"

"He's my roommate, and I kinda shrunk him this morning by mistake. Myself too actually.....yeah that look says it all. I knew you wouldn't believe me. He's in your briefcase."

"Actually I've seen this sort of thing before. We better get your friend out of there quickly. It's hermetically sealed."

Hearing this, Adam rushed over and opened the top of the briefcase as slowly as possible. He found Barry alright, even though his friend was doing his best to hide from him. Poor bear must be terrified out of his wits staring into the face of a giant fox.

"It's ok Barry. I'm big again! I can fix you too I think. Just step out of there onto the table and I'll see what I can do."

Barry wasn't having any of it. He hunkered down as if to stay right where he was.

"What's wrong with your friend?"

"He's not taking it well being so small. You should have seen him on the way over here. Now he's lost the one friend he had down there. I'm really worried about him."

"I see. This isn't uncommon behavior. Not everyone can tolerate being that small. I know I didn't like it at all myself."

"Wait, you've been shrunk too? When? how?"

"It's a long story. I'll explain more when we have time. You better take care of Barry."

"Yeah, I'm on it," Adam said before turning his attention back to the briefcase. "Barry, I'm going to get you fixed up, but you have to step out of there and onto the table. Please don't make me pick you up and do it myself, it would be a lot easier for both of us if you just did it on your own."

Barry was clearly unhappy. It looked like he tried to shout something but Adam couldn't understand a word of it. Eventually he did make his way slowly to the edge of the briefcase, but it was obvious to Adam there was no way he could climb out on his own. He was once again too short.

Adam extended his paw and held it above Barry, but he waited patiently, looking for a sign from his friend. At first Barry sat down and faced the paw, pulling away from it by sliding backwards on his behind before he stopped. He looked at Adam, then to his paw several times before he slowly nodded.

"You might not believe this Barry, but this will hurt me just as much as you," and then he picked his friend up as softly as he had ever grabbed anything in his entire life. He moved him just far enough to get him over the edge of the briefcase and set him right back down.

"Ok, I'll let you take it from here buddy. You'll be just fine in no time."

Barry strolled over to the middle of the table and sat down, then promptly buried his face in his paws. Was he crying? Best not to ask.

"Ok professor, got any pointers? Do I have to be touching him? I'd rather not. It's really going to bother him if I do."

"No you don't. You should be able to use a finger and point at him from some distance away if you want. As he's going to grow quite a bit if you do it right, it's best to not be near him. The resulting displacement can be rather explosive."

"Alright I think I understand," then Adam looked over at his friend, "Ok Barry, I'm going to step over here for a second. You should be all fixed up in just another minute or two tops. Just sit tight."

Adam took up a position in the center of the room and aimed his finger right at Barry sitting there on the table. It was kinda hard to keep it steady, but he managed. Then he tried focusing in just as he had before when he'd made himself big. It was odd. He couldn't feel that part of himself just then.

"It may take a moment to recover. There is a sort of recharge time needed after making something bigger if I am remembering correctly, and you just used it on yourself."

"Oh, well how long is it exactly? Because I'm really not sure I can keep pushing this hard..."

"What! No, you never use your full strength for growth! You have to stop before..."

It was too late. Everything happened at once. Adam felt the power return to him. He visualized it as a spark of blue light just like the exotic matter he had seen the day before. It sat in otherwise complete blackness. Just as quickly as it had appeared, it rushed out of him and into Barry.

The effect was immediate. Barry grew, and not just to normal size but much much bigger than that. By the time he stopped growing his head was nearly touching the ceiling. The table he had been sitting on buckled and collapsed under his weight. His friend was easily fifteen feet tall now. Adam didn't even want to calculate his new weight.

"Uh oh. Barry, are you ok? I'll be able to fix this in a few minutes no problem. I think I've got a handle on it now."

Barry just sat there for a second, then slowly smiled more and more until he was practically grinning from ear to ear. His eyes went wide as he looked around the room.

"Fix it? It's not broken you silly fox! Adam this is great! You're amazing! I take it all back now, everything I said on the way over here. You're not crazy. You're a genius! You're the best friend ever!"

"Uhm, thanks. But you do know you can't stay that big, right? I mean you can't even fit out the door."

"I'll just make a new one! Just think of it Adam. I'm so big now I can take care of all those wolves with one sweep of my arm. They'll never bother you again! And I can finally eat that ten pound cheeseburger I've been eyeing all in one sitting! And best of all it will be free once I do! This is going to be so much fun!"

"Barry, you need to take it down a notch. Under no circumstances are you staying this size. Do you hear me? It is not happening!"

"Sure I am Adam. I heard what the professor said. I'm going to break this wall down and be out of here long before you can shrink me again. Don't worry, after I've had that cheeseburger we can both go to the beach and have the best party ever!"

"Professor, he's lost his mind. Got any ideas?"

"There's a couple of horse tranquilizers in a cabinet behind him. Distract him for a second and I'll sneak around and go grab them."

"On it."

Barry was already in the process of pummeling the wall of the lab. He didn't seem to be having much luck with his paws alone, though he had managed to put some pretty nasty looking gashes in it. Deciding to change tactics, he walked over to a solid looking table and tore it from the floor, then made to use that to finish bashing down the wall.

Adam looked right at him and yelled, "hey short stuff!"

Barry paused for a second. "What? I'm huge now. I don't care about your stupid size jokes anymore. I'm leaving!"

Adam knew that if his friend made it out of the lab he wouldn't be getting a cheeseburger, he'd be getting the national guard and maybe a few tanks. It wouldn't matter how big he was then. They'd stop him, and they'd probably kill him in the process. So he did what he had to do to make sure that didn't happen.

"Maybe you're big now, but I've seen the real you. You're a coward Barry. No matter how big you get I'll always see you as that scared little bear I practically had to carry over here!"

"Don't you dare talk about that. That was your fault fox!"

"Yeah, it was. And you know what? I'm going to find you no matter where you run off to. You're so big after all it's not like you can hide from me. And when I do I'm going to make you so small they'll need an electron microscope to find you!"

"You wouldn't..."

"Oh I really, really, would. I only need another minute to get started. I can't wait to turn you into the smallest bear ever!"

"I can't let you do that fox. Even if it means I have to kill you," and with that Barry dropped the table he had been holding with a loud crash and lunged at Adam, gripping him with an enormous paw before he even had time to react.

"Barry, stop. You're... hurting... me..." Adam muttered weakly. He couldn't breath.

Barry relaxed his grip slightly, but not nearly enough. "I can't go back to that. I won't. You don't know what it was like for me. Why won't you just leave me alone now?"

"Because... I can't turn... my back on a friend."

Adam saw the indecision in his eyes. The conflict. It was a conflict he never had a chance to resolve, because just then the professor injected him full of tranquilizer.

Barry lost his grip and fell asleep almost instantly.

Adam sighed, "what do we do with him professor?"

"Nothing. He'll be much better when he wakes up."

"What? He just tried to kill me!"

"He wasn't really in control of his actions. I'm truly surprised he didn't go through with it right away. I've seen this before with bears. They have a biological imperative to be as large as possible, something to do with hibernation instinct. What you did to him was like the completion of an entire lifetime worth of goals in a single instant.

"The euphoria was beyond anything you have or likely ever will experience. But then you threatened to take it all away from him just as quickly, and even worse, put him back into a state he obviously finds quite traumatic. Do his actions make more sense now?"

"You mean he's genetically compelled to grow? And that he can't help himself?"

"Precisely. Your power is dangerous Adam. It doesn't just alter size, but perception as well. The psychological changes are just as extreme as the physical ones in many cases. Please try to forgive him. When he wakes up I know he's going to feel terrible about all of this. He'll need your support to get over everything."

"I'll try. But I'm definitely shrinking him. Like right now. He's hard enough to deal with as it is at his normal size."

"I understand. But first we should discuss more important matters. Let him stay big for a bit. Even though he's not really aware of it on a conscious level, his body probably is. He's having some really nice dreams right about now I should think. Those extra endorphins will help him cope when you finally do have to shrink him again."

"Yeah, apparently he used to have nightmares about being small, then I went and made them come true. I suppose it's the least I can do for him."

"That's a good fox. Now, where was I? Oh yes, let me cut right to the chase. Adam Fenex, by the powers vested in me by...well ok, by my self appointed authority as V Prime, I hereby make you an official member of G-force."

"Not happening."

"Excuse me?"

"I said no. I want nothing to do with it."

"But you have a duty to use these powers of yours for good! To protect people! You can't just walk away from all of that."

"Protect people? Look at what I've done to Barry. Does this look like protection to you?" Adam gestured to Barry's overgrown form for emphasis. "I practically tortured him, and he was a friend. What will I do to my enemies? What difference is there between me and the villains at this point? I don't deserve these powers. If only I could get rid of them and go back to being myself I would do it without a second thought."

The professor said nothing as Adam walked away. But before he left he first stopped to shrink Barry back to normal. This time he got it right.

After he had finished he knelt down and told him, "I let you keep a few extra pounds big guy. When you wake up I hope everything is ok. At least one of us will be then."

And with that he stood and marched out of the lab, hoping against hope he never had to see it again.

The professor watched him leave, and when he was sure Adam was out of earshot he dug his phone out of his pocket. He dialed.

"Hello?" Came a familiar voice from the other end of the line.

"Your son is as stubborn as his old man. He refused me."

"So did I at first. He'll come around. Did you get that uniform resized for him?"

"Yeah, I've got it all sorted. Probably would have been easier to let him adjust it himself for practice though. Anyway, are you sure you don't want to meet him?"

"Of course I do, but he's going to have a hard time adjusting to his new powers as it is. I know I did. A part of me is still glad I don't have them anymore. You have no idea how hard it was to resist the temptation to use them to their full potential. My son could destroy the world and the only thing keeping him from doing it is himself."

"Really? You never bothered to mention that part..."

"I did tell you there didn't seem to be a limit on how big I could make something given enough time. It's not like I actually tested that theory V."

"Regardless this was your idea. If your kid decides to outgrow the planet, or have something else do it then I'm holding you personally responsible...if we survive."

"Don't remind me whose idea this was. You know we had no choice. But I'm curious, which way did he go? I didn't see anything about a giant fox in the news, so I'm guessing..."

"Yup. He was so small I almost didn't spot him trying to get into the lab. I packed his friend into my briefcase. You should have seen what he went through to save him. You'd have been proud."

"Oh, he's made a friend already? Who?"

"A bear..."

"Oh no...oh HELL no. You separate the two of them this instant. You know what happened the last time."

"It's too late for that I'm afraid. If it's any consolation I think we may have found the only bear in existence who might be able to handle...."

"Don't you even think about it."

"I'm not sure we have a choice. Your son doesn't seem to have any interest in being larger than he is now. And you know full well what it can do to someone to be forced to the wrong size. We're going to need somebody..."

"Not a bear. Please, find someone else. ANYONE else."

"The two of them have formed a bond now. I don't think it can be anyone else."

"I'm hanging up now."

And the line went dead.