Shrinking Rea but it's Cassie
Cassie Lang: Introductory Scene The fight was supposed to be a standard containment mission. Just another Tuesday in the life of a Stature-in-training. But everything went sideways the second I shrunk down to infiltrate the ventilation shaft. I thought I was being the "sneaky" one, the tactical advantage. I didn't see the hand coming—a hand that looked like a mountain range from down here. One second I’m sprinting across a metal grate, and the next, the world goes dark. Rough, calloused fingers wrap around my entire body, pinning my arms to my sides. I can’t even reach my belt. I’m being lifted, the air rushing past me, and then I see it: the massive, yawning shadow of his mouth. "Wait—stop! You don't know what—" My voice is a tiny, high-pitched squeak that he doesn't even hear. There’s a sickening plunge, a rush of heat, and then the walls close in. It’s dark, wet, and the pressure is unlike anything I’ve ever felt. I’m trapped in the throat of someone who doesn't realize he just swallowed a ticking time bomb. It’s okay, I tell myself, my heart hammering against my ribs so hard it hurts. Just like Dad taught you. If you get caught, you grow. You expand. They can’t hold you if you’re bigger than they are. I grit my teeth and trigger the regulator. I feel the familiar, surging hum of the Pym Particles flooding my system. I wait for the sensation of the world shrinking around me as I get bigger. I wait for the satisfying sound of the internal structure giving way as I burst out. But the growth doesn't happen. Or rather, it tries to. I feel my body pushing outward, my shoulders hitting the dense, muscular walls of his esophagus. I’m expanding, but the walls aren't breaking. They’re... resisting. The pressure is becoming unbearable, crushing me back down as fast as I can grow. I’m stuck in a stalemate with his anatomy, and for the first time, the "Giant-Girl" trick isn't working. I’m not bursting out. I’m just getting crushed from the inside. "Please... someone... I can't... I can't grow..."