Rachel's behavior toward him that day was completely uncalled for! Why the need to be afraid of him, he is her husband, and he even saved their only daughter from the fall. Who is she to condemn him for his condition and squander his own emotions, as if they meant nothing?

If only he wasn't so considerate and understanding, he'd let her have it, just as she deserves.

He's only asking to be with his family and to spend quality time with them as much as possible. It's practically driving him insane after going nearly two months without being with them! He has cried himself to sleep nearly every night because he yearned to be with them. And when he thought, he could talk to his own 'caring' wife about his struggles, even for just a second, Rachel just gives him the cold shoulder and had to audacity to take their daughter and run away from him.

As if he asked to be that big in the first place! It's so infuriating that she refuses to give him a chance and refused to act more supportive in his time of need.

How can he remain collected with how he's being poorly treated? He has limits and the longer he's treated like he's some experiment, the more he will resent everyone beneath him.

And he should resent them, especially his neglectful wife and even his so-called friend, Keith.

There's nothing stopping him from taking matters into his own hands. Who would be dumb enough to even challenge him at his height and strength?

Keith?

That's why he's a so-called friend! Keith likes to hide things from him and thinks by concealing the truth that would be in his best interest. Rather than outright tell him the entire truth about his condition, Keith tells him half-truths or outright lies to his face! Why was Keith behaving that way? Could he be masking fear of his own and withholding information from him just to keep him under control? Of course, it is! He wants nothing more than to restrain him, cage him like an animal abomination, and do nothing but experiment on him until the day he dies. Some friend!

What about the other scientists? They're equally afraid of him as well. They just follow Keith like mindless sheep and help him fulfill all the experiments he's orchestrating behind the scenes, almost like a puppet master keeping all the control for himself.

How about Rachel?

Ha! Now she was laughable. Imagine the moment he displays even an ounce of retaliation, she would be the first one to run away and onto the next flight out of the state, taking the most precious thing away from him. His daughter.

What a terrific mother.

He has yet to acknowledge that he is now a god with a newfound power but in time he will come to accept it; a power that's now become part of his identity. He's been endowed with strength beyond inane human understanding; he was given the ability to heal even the deepest wounds, and what's more, it seems his abilities are only making him stronger.

He's destined for so much more.

And that's a fact.

Why he chooses to remain a faithful husband and father with this power, only God knows. It's only a matter of time until their technology won't be enough to restrain him. The truth is, he is still growing and there's only so much they can do to confine him. One thing is for certain: this maltreatment, this power play from those smaller than him will eventually warp his mind, and he will realize that he should answer only to himself.

All he must do is wait. It won't be long until then. Just imagine what he could do when they eventually push him over the edge. Even more so, just envisioning their horrified expressions, when he retaliates and has them in his grasp. It's truly a sight to behold. Keith in one hand: pounding against his hand, begging him to reconsider, arguing that all he was trying to do is help him. And Rachel, on the other, screaming her prayers to the heavens, abandoning all logic to try and fight with him, which of course, would never help her anyway. The damage she alone caused was already done.

How would it sound when their pleas and cries are silenced in his hands once he crushed them? It would be a relief to hear their voices go still in an instant. Everything else follows that, would be easy. Then he could really set out and use his newfound power to do with as he pleases.

He would surely revel in that and feel instantaneously free that no one could stop him.

That just leaves Isabel.

Now, what should he do about her?

******

Micah woke up with a start, and sat up suddenly, trying to catch his breath. His heart raced and pounded deeply in his chest as if he'd sprinted for miles without stopping. His dwelling was still blanketed by darkness, patiently awaiting to be relieved by the warm rays of the morning sun. Shakely, he reached up for his cup of water and took several sips to cool himself off, which, after a moment, helped.

There goes another night in the books, he mused, wiping the beads of sweat from his forehead; it was practically a habit at this point to lose a few hours of sleep nearly every night. Micah let out a yawn that was immediately cut short after feeling stiff and soreness throughout his body as if he spent countless hours exercising. Seeing that he was now fully awake, he tried stretching out and groaned a curse under his breath knowing exactly what this feeling was.

He grew a few feet more overnight.

Sluggishly, he threw the covers off, swung his legs out, and prepared to rest his feet on the cold floor beneath him only to quickly retreat them. Another curse flew out from his lips when he forgot to check the floor under him before getting out of bed. The staff should know by now to steer clear of his bed while he was laying there but he still needed to be careful.

After all, he was the dangerous one living there.

It wasn't that the scientists needed to avoid him whenever he was nearby, he just needed to be mindful that any 'normal' movement should be handled carefully around others especially since everyone is smaller than him. At first, it was frustrating adjusting to each growth spurt, tweaking his normal habits, minding how loud he spoke, how he walked or just doing anything in general. It was trial and error, and thankfully he had gotten a lot of help from Keith.

Since he awoke just before his daily schedule started, he figured he might start getting ready for the day rather than fight with himself to try to recover some lost sleep. From the start of the week to the next, his day started at six o'clock in the morning with a thirty-minute check-up that may go on longer depending on his answers to their questions and the time it took to get the equipment in. The check-up came complete with a temperature check, blood test – which always hurt – and blinding him with bright light in his face that was suspended from a telescopic crane brought in from a construction site nearby.

If he finished on time, just around seven-thirty or later, his breakfast was brought in, and was allowed forty-five minutes to eat before going into the 'compound two' dwelling to conduct more experiments. He was usually done eating in about a half hour and with the remaining fifteen minutes, he grabbed the headset hanging next to his bed and tried calling Rachel. Since it's been about a week, he figured that he could give her a call, noting that he might catch her before going to work this Monday morning.

The ringing tone continuously rang in his ear, until the voicemail chimed into the receiver.

'You have reached the mailbox of Rachel Solís. Please leave a message at the sound of the beep.'

BEEP!

"Hi Rachel, it's um, me," Micah greeted, trying to stay cheery, "I was hoping to catch you before going to work and maybe, y'know, just talk a little? Maybe while you're getting ready, I-I can talk to Isabel for a little bit. I know she'd be happy to hear from me..."

He took a second to collect his thoughts, wondering if he sounded desperate as he left the message.

"...Oh, before I forget, Keith says there's a phone number that you could use to call back when you get this. That way, y'know, you can reach me at any time—when you can, of course. It's 555-0131. I-I hope to talk to you later..." he let out a small huff and finished tenderly, "...I love you...okay? Bye."

He ended the call, threw the headset on the bed, and ran cool hands down his face. He took a lazy look around his 'room', musing how the next visit would go and how long until he saw his family again. Perhaps when Rachel calls back, they could discuss a plan before they came back out there. It would have to come down to meet her demands if he wanted to see them again. True to what he said, thinking about his family, particularly his daughter, was the only thing on his mind, more so than going back to normal. His expression became tense, as he stared off into the distance trying not to dwell on the thoughts that always plagued his mind when he was alone.

"M-Mr. Solís...?!" Micah was startled by a small voice beside the exit door. It was Maggie's new assistant Charlotte. "Dr. Beason's requesting to see you as soon as you're done with your breakfast, sir." She announced, almost quickly.

A chill in the air splashed against his bare skin and a blush came to his cheeks when he realized he was only in his boxers, exposing a massive bare chest for her to see. Hastily, he reached for the blanket on his bed to cover himself.

"Ah, I'm sorry I did announce myself before coming in...! I thought it was loud enough." Charlotte declared bashfully and turned around to allow him privacy.

"I-it's okay!" He replied and hastily turned to look around the room for his coveralls, "T-tell him I'm coming...just um, give me a few minutes!"

"Y-yes, sir! Of course!" She winced at the volume of his voice, retreating her steps slowly, "I'll let him know. I-I'm so sorry again for barging in on you unannounced, s-sir!" Then she turned and dashed out of the room without saying another word.

"Wait, no—!" Micah abandoned the search, and called out at her, "I'm sorry I didn't mean to—" But by the time he looked back at the ground, she had already left.

"...scare you." He finished dejectedly, shaking his head at himself.

You'd think I'd get used to this reaction by now, he mused as he began dressing himself to get ready to meet with Keith.

Later that afternoon...

True to Keith's word, the contracting team went to work rebuilding the wall and part of the landing where the destruction occurred into. Micah, who stood by, offered any help with either moving larger heavy objects. He thought maybe helping as much as possible that it would speed up the construction process.

Just before lunch, he went back to his room, he picked up the receiver again and decided to call Rachel, this time hoping to catch her on her lunch break. But just like this morning, he was sent to voicemail again.

"Hey Rachel, it's me again. Uh, just trying you this time and leaving you the number if I said it too fast or it didn't come in clear. It's 555-0131. Again, it's...555...0131. You can call me at any time. If I don't catch you right away, I'm probably away for a minute, but the staff knows to send out an overhead page..."

Micah paused and leaned against the wall adjacent to his bed.

Why isn't she answering my calls? I hope she's okay. He slumped further to the floor as if gravity suddenly dropped more weight onto him.

"...just...just call me when you can, honey."

He hoped deep in his heart that she wasn't avoiding him as if he doesn't already feel monstrous enough. It marked another day where he'd just sit in silence and allow his mind to run wild, inventing scenarios about his family's whereabouts. He couldn't help it no matter how he tried to distract himself with something else. Could something have happened and that's why Rachel hasn't called? What if something did happen to his family and he had no idea? He immediately shook his head, further blocking those thoughts from invading his consciousness especially now that he was feeling lonely again.

The little light that crept into his dwelling encouraged him to dip into its rays as much as possible, sending warm sensations up his arms and offering a small sense of peace even as he remained alone surrounded by hazy gray walls. It's funny, he pondered turning his hand under the sunlight, to him, just this small gesture still seemed normal. Without anyone near him, he felt the same as if he never grew in the first place.

He sighed. It might just be asking too much at this point, but he hopes that Rachel will call him back and let him know that everything is okay. Especially when it came to Isabel. She could've at least called back to tell him how his daughter was doing.

"How's my big bright, ray of sunshine feeling today?!"

Micah turned to the voice that was masked by footsteps shortly after. Dressed in his signature white lab coat, Keith waved at his massive best friend and suddenly stopped to tilt his head at him.

"Someone's brooding today." The doctor beckoned at him to come closer.

Micah rolled his eyes and sighed, not appreciating the banter while he was feeling glum. Deep down he knew Keith meant well, but his timing could've improved or at the very least, read the dang room! After a moment, he obliged and taking careful steps, strolled toward the much smaller man.

"I have a right to brood." The giant man approached, took a knee, and replied sourly, "if you haven't already noticed, I grew last night..."

"Yeah, I know. The team informed me this morning. I saw your blood work and the results of your strength test. Boy, you can bench press like two six-story buildings. Color me impressed."

That report wasn't something new to Micah, and honestly, it wasn't what he wanted to hear. At first, sure he was amazed at himself that he was getting bigger and stronger, even his newly sculpted body was a feat he thought he couldn't achieve without making several trips to the gym.

"Does any of that show that I'm actually shrinking?" Micah asked aloofly, impatience lacing his voice.

Keith winced at his tone and quickly cleared his throat to mask his discomfort but it only confirmed the giant's suspicions.

"Great... he scoffed, shaking his head, "what else is new."

"I get that you're starting to feel frustrated but look this takes time," Keith explained carefully, dropping the comic persona completely. "The researchers are doing all they can to figure out a solution—a cure really..."

"Well, those researchers aren't working fast enough." Micah retorted, causing Keith to flinch from the volume.

All Keith could do was frown. There was nothing else that could be said at that moment and the lingering silence inside Micah's room enhanced just how tense his giant friend was already feeling. Recently, Keith observed from the shadows and was making observations of his own,  noticing something questionable that compelled him to consult with his longtime colleague, Dr. Renée Katsumi, who was in Japan at the moment attending a seminar.

At the end of each week, the scientist would return home and often would spend countless hours to re-review Micah's chart, lab work, and surveillance footage. Evidently, he concluded that his friend's behavior had altered significantly but there was no way to tell if it resulted from a brain injury when Micah went unconscious when he grew. They simply didn't have equipment that large to perform a CT scan or MRI on him. To date, he hadn't snapped at anyone else but has lashed out at him which forced the scientist to reach out to Dr. Katsumi as his massive outbursts had increased in recent weeks.

He reminisced about a conversation the two doctors had two weeks ago.

"Renée, could his mood be altering drastically the more he continues to grow?"

"It's possible, Keith" she shrugged her shoulders as she answered over the phone, "but we just don't know. Not without seeing his brain scans and undergoing continuous testing. I mean you know him best; do you feel that his mood has changed drastically? Is he easily aggravated?"

Keith took a sip of his whiskey neat, taking a glance at a live feed of Micah sleeping, not really giving it much thought.

"Are you kidding? There is not one bad bone in this guy's body. But that's what I'm trying to figure out. The physical tests we have him doing have shown that he is getting physically stronger, which is incredible at the rate he was going..." He trailed off, biting his lower lip as he was distracted by another thought.

"But...?"

"My staff, more so me, noticed that at times, he's becoming more demanding, sometimes unreasonable, and, rarely, destructive. If I had to guess, it's because he's homesick. Most of his demands are to see his family."

"Have you told his wife about his change in behavior?"

"No, she'd never come back knowing that." Keith paused to let out a sigh, "I don't know what else would help him."

"Long periods of isolation have shown to alter behavior. It doesn't take a psychologist to tell you that. I think in his case, he's experiencing cabin fever. He needs to be outside more often and not treated like a lab rat. Micah's still a person. I would say, as your friend, bring his family but keep them under surveillance. Their presence alone could help keep him calm and collected."

Since that conversation, Keith had taken extra precautions and even instructed the crew to be mindful when encountering his giant friend. If they ever find that any of them needed to be alone with him, always keep their walkie-talkies close by and remind others that they will be attending to their massive patient. He had to make sure that Micah spoke to a mental health professional at least three times a week just to get a sense of his behavioral patterns.

Today Micah seemed fine, just annoyed that he grew last night which will fuel his anxiety even more.

Keith gazed back up at his friend who looked more depressed now.

"I called Rachel a few times when I could and left two voicemails and she hasn't called back." He slumped his massive shoulders, "I just wanna hear back from her and hopefully Isabel too...I miss them so much."

Keith shook his head after hearing Micah's confession, swearing to himself that Rachel needed to get her act together and be more sympathetic—or at least try to.

"Do...you think something bad could've happened?"

"You and I would've heard something by now." The doctor reassured him, "You know I could send one of my guys over to watch your house if you want?"

Micah pursed his lips together, pensively looking at Keith as if considering his suggestion. Honestly, it wouldn't sound like a bad idea since he has no other way of knowing what's going on. Perhaps a few times a week wouldn't hurt. Suddenly he furrowed his brows and frowned back at the smaller man.

"On second thought, maybe that isn't such a good idea." He rubbed the back of his head, "I know we mean well, but if I know Rachel, the moment she catches on that we've been 'spying' on her, I will never hear the end of it and shoot down any chance of her coming back...oh, I'm gonna move in just a sec."

The scientist took several steps back and watched Micah's mass slowly readjust from crouching so long and rocked into a seating position. Cautiously, he brought his crossed ankles and placed his elbows to rest atop bent knees. Normally he wouldn't switch positions in front of anyone else as most would shriek and back away from fear but at this point, Keith was pretty used to it.

"...Plus," the giant added, "that would just give her a reason to stay away."

"C'mon Micah, you gotta draw the line somewhere with her," Keith stated as he drew an imaginary line in front of him to emphasize, "she has no business keeping any information from you, especially if it's dealing with Isabel."

"Yeah, but I don't wanna push her too much either..." He frowned and looked away, clearly conflicted with the situation. Perhaps this is what was keeping him from sleeping through the night. The anxiety that he may never see his family again. He was trying to be understanding that his condition took time to adapt, but Rachel is just outright avoiding him.

Keith's own patience had practically hit its limit the moment he stepped into Micah's compound with the knowledge that he had called Rachel twice just today after not hearing from her in a week and every time, for whatever reason or another, she wasn't returning his calls.

"Dude, as your best friend, something's gotta give here. I get that adjustment takes time but shit man, what else do you – or we – need to do to make her feel comfortable? Honestly, how long until she gets over being terrified of you—"

"My wife isn't terrified of me..." Keith nearly missed how Micah's left eye twitched, "...it's just my size and that's completely understandable. Everyone adjusts differently and she's no exception to that."

"C'mon man, she's had plenty of time. How's that fair to you—!?"

"—I know all that!" Micah snapped; his deep voice delivered a blow that shock the foundation under Keith's feet. The impact was so sudden that he steadfastly kept himself from shifting his stance, startled by the thud that shook his core. He quickly reminded himself that the frustration wasn't aimed at him. Although his friend had a right to rant, he couldn't keep his right arm from trembling. It was a good thing that he was wearing a white lab coat a size larger than normal.

With Micah regaining his sense, he then took a deep breath to collect himself further and his thoughts before responding.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you. That wasn't right...I just can't see why I can't be with my wife and daughter, and I hate that. If she's avoiding me because of my condition ..."

Micah dipped his head low to rest it on his arms, adding lowly, "I'd never hurt them, Keith...I love my family too much. I'll do anything to hear from them...to see them."

In times like this Keith felt that he had exhausted all his excuses and that it would just be better to just listen to his friend and update him accordingly.

"Speaking of seeing you." He stuck his hands into his pockets, "Your folks are back in the states. They should be back in town by tomorrow night. I could let them know what's going on and arrange for them to be brought here. Your call, Micah."

"I'd...like that actually. It's been a while since we last saw each other. Plus, they should know what happened."

Keith allowed a small smile to dress his face once he saw his friend lighten up once his parents were mentioned. At least he knew they would come at the drop of a hat. After chatting with Micah to finalize the details, Keith promptly took his leave allowing his massive friend to prepare for the next set of examinations.

*****

The evening finally arrived and basked the entire compound in a nightly shadow. Micah, already situated in his bed, stared up at the ceiling above lost in his thoughts like he does most nights before falling asleep. He thought about Isabel a lot and reminisced when she looked up at him after catching her from the fall. He was nearly heartbroken to see her react to him like that, but that could've been due to the shock from the fall. Even now, he still wanted to make things right with her whatever it took.

Just as it hit ten thirty, lights went out and the entire dwelling became still. Suddenly, the buzzing sound from his doors rang and a moment later in walked Maggie, one of the scientists that Keith appointed to oversee Micah's treatments. With his permission, she approached his bed and briefly needed to discuss a therapy that he needed to start tomorrow, in the afternoon.

"What time exactly?" Micah asked when she finished, looking down at the floor.

"I'd say a little before lunch, like around 11:30 in the morning," Maggie replied, with a small smile. Thank goodness she shared the same sentiment as Keith, where she wasn't too afraid of him.

"Okay, yeah tomorrow should be a busy day like today since it will be Tuesday."

"Oh, tomorrow is Monday, sir," she corrected.

"What?!" He sat up quickly, gazing at her in disbelief. "No, i-it's—today is Monday I'm sure of it."

Then that meant...

Rachel didn't have work today. Today was actually Sunday.

Why didn't she pick up the phone in the first place or call back at all? She had an entire week and an additional weekend and never called back to check-in. It seemed that Maggie picked up his anger and readied herself to leave if need be, but she didn't catch that he was clenching his fists under the sheets.

Micah furrowed his brows at her, his tone becoming strained, "Is there a holiday today or something that I didn't know about?"

Maggie winced and tilted her head in thought, "n-not that I'm aware of, I'd have to check the calendar again but as far as I know, it's back to work Monday here—"

"Can I please have a moment alone?" He let out a deep, tense breath and kept his glare fixated on the wall in front of him.

"Now, now Mr. Solís...you seem angry," She tried to calm him, "let me just get Dr. Beason on the phone and—"

That angry glare was then turned on her and she felt her breath hitch in her throat as she watched the muscles of his torso flex and tear the fibers of his shirt. Hardened fists tensed and released as beads of sweat formed on his hairline. Maggie swore that she could've heard his teeth grin from the ire building up within him. If Dr. Beason's theory was correct, it meant that any growth spurts are tied with Micah's emotions and she was currently witnessing it now, as his mass forced his bed to groan from the newly felt weight.

A chime from his headset rang out coercing Micah to shoot his ice-blue eyes at it. With the headset nearby, a fully veined arm darted from the bed, seizing the gadget in his massive hand.

Maggie took several steps away from his bed, nervously observing him as he answered the call.

"What is it?!" He bellowed into the receiver, not minding his tone at all, his anger in total control, "What the fuck do you want!?"

"..." a small gasp was heard then silence until...

"Daddy...is that you?"