Bucky's

Chapter 42: Aftermath

As gruesome as the sight of a man with his torso blown open from the inside was, Ronny felt compelled to snap photographs with his phone. If they were going to take down Big Corp Inc. and Bucky's, people needed to see with graphic clarity how horrible and dangerous the pills really were, so they would be opposed to their widespread circulation. The display sickened Tanya and Ronny, but they stayed with the survivors until the paramedics arrived.

Tanya checked on Little Debbie, to gauge her injuries. Apparently, when Leon expanded in size, she had been smashed up against the stomach wall before Mr. Wolfe ripped open. She had a broken arm and leg, and probably at least one broken rib as well. She was in so much agony that she had lost consciousness. With no way to help her, Tanya asked Ronny to return her to the desk so she could finish sending out the emails.

When the paramedics showed up, they were astonished by the brutal display but quickly got to work tending to the wounds and loading up the unconscious people into stretchers. Tanya was surprised to see they came prepared with human-sized equipment for Little Debbie. She reasoned that human injuries must happen in a disproportionate amount to the quantity of humans inhabiting the large side of the city, simply by virtue of the inherent dangers of sharing space with Giants. The thought saddened her as she snuck a glance up at Ronny.

The media weren't far behind. Martin had diligently sent everything straight to the TV stations, radios, and newspapers, and all the nosy reporters wanted an exclusive scoop on the big scandal. Once the outlandish story of what happened upstairs came to light, the mob of reporters rushed to capture the moment, cataloguing every second as the blood-soaked victims were carted away by paramedics to an ambulance waiting downstairs. Ronny and Tanya found themselves swarmed by cameras and noise. Ronny, concerned for Tanya's safety, tried his best to keep her hidden in his hands, but his reaction was delayed: The little blood-smeared human had been sniffed out, and the sharks were circling, hungry for a meal.

Initially, Ronny tried his best to take the reins and explain, but he wasn't the most articulate or interesting, and his patience wore thin quickly, making him gruff and snippy. The Giant reporters wanted to interview the human instead. Tanya realized how critical this moment was to take down Bucky, so she pushed open his fingers so she could be seen. She knew she was taking a huge risk, being a fugitive from the law and a target for Bucky, but she needed to tell her story. She was deeply intimidated when she witnessed the swarm of energetic, humongous strangers around her, with all their attention on her, but she didn't back down. As titanic microphones were shoved in her face, and camera flashes blinded her, she related the salient portions of her story and answered questions shouted out to her.

Her head was spinning by the time the mob of Giants finally left her alone. Ronny flopped down on one of the couches with a heavy sigh and ran a hand through his hair. "Are you sure that was wise, Tanya, to allow yourself to be seen like that? I hope you don't get targeted now."

She shrugged and looked down at her hands. "It needed to be done," she mumbled. She gazed up at Ronny, her eyes overflowing with emotion. "I needed to do this. I couldn't just cower and hide when I knew there were still humans in danger whom I had the power to help."

Ronny smiled down at his teeny girlfriend, tucked securely in the folds of his curving hand. "Wow, Tanya... I truly admire you. I don't think I'd have the courage to do what you did, if I were in your position. You're an incredible woman." Tanya beamed with his praise, and his heart melted. He raised her up to his lips, gave her a sweet kiss, and held her against his chest.

Eventually, Ronny got up and headed downstairs to rejoin Martin and Candy. They congratulated Tanya on her valiant success, relieved to see she was safe and unharmed. Tanya gave Candy back her phone, which miraculously escaped any damage. With all the excitement, the office was a flurry of activity. Their direct supervisor Leon was gone, and the CEO was dead, so work didn't seem important anymore. Everybody was gossiping about the email leaks and poring over all the scandalous findings.