Rick hurried upstairs. He could hardly handle his excitement. The compound was a success! He couldn't wait to begin examining Josephine. Yet, he still had some reservations. Josephine still acted like his faithful pet, but he detected a little resentment and defiance just below the surface. It was almost like she was developing a new personality, one that he definitely did not like. And her new size was very intimidating. He hesitated just long enough to lock the door to the basement door behind him. Well, he thought, I do have a compound that should reverse the effects ... in theory. Maybe that should be the next test, after a little blood work, of course. Even if he couldn't reverse the effects, he still had other ways of making sure she obeyed her master. Rick opened the fridge, and found that it was empty. Damn Brendon, does he do nothing but consume my food, thought Rick . He looked in the cabinet. Where were the three large bottles of distilled water that he had just purchased for his experiments?
Brendon walked down the stairs from his bedroom and saw his stepdad in the kitchen. "Hey Rick, what's with all the noise downstairs?" , said Brendon said. "None of your business!" snapped Rick angrily. "Just one of my experiments that your shenanigans almost messed up. Where is all the water I bought?" Brendon was still a little dazed from his recreational activities upstairs. "Hmmm .... oh, the guys came over. We were thirsty, and there was nothing to drink, "said Brendon sluggishly.
"Why didn't you just drink tap water!" said Rick. Rick looked at the sink; multiple dirty dishes with rotten food were pilled on top of each other in stacks that spread onto the surrounding countertop, making it almost impossible to reach the faucet. "Jesus Christ! You are disgusting! You need to start pulling your own weight around here, and you can begin by washing the damn dishes!" said Rick. He reached under the counter and grabbed a large bucket. He started to walk outside, deciding to fill the bucket from the water hose outside. She's just an animal, thought Rick, she won't know the difference. Just before he left, Rick turned to Brendon, and said "And stay out of my lab! I mean it!"
Meanwhile Josephine had finished scanning Rick's notebook. According to what he had written, Rick kept several vials of the compound in a cabinet in the basement. She also read that the compound was meant to be ingested or injected. Apparently, airborne exposure was just as effective. She searched the lab and found the cabinet she was looking for. It was locked, of course. She knew using her new strength she could easily rip the cabinet apart, but she was afraid that she might damage the compound in some way. Maybe she could somehow trick Rick into opening the cabinet. She was weighing her options, when she heard the basement door unlock and open. Too late, she thought sadly.
She looked up at the basement stairs and was surprised to see that the figure that had entered was not Rick, but rather his stepson Brendon. Josephine smiled. Well now, this new interesting development offers all kinds of opportunities, she thought. She had seen Brendon sporadically downstairs, but not often enough to know him well. He was not the scientific type, but he would sometimes come visit his stepfather in the basement for one reason or another. More often he would sneak into the lab with his friends when Rick was away to try new drugs. She knew he had seen her on these occasions, but he was usually so high she was not sure if he would remember her. However, even with her limited interactions with him, Josephine knew he was not very smart - and that meant he might be even easier to manipulate than his stepfather.
She was still considering how she might approach Brendon when he stopped midway down the stairs and saw her new body in all its glory.
"What the hell are you? " said Brendon, with a look of shock and awe.