Epilogue - Heartbeat of the Earth

She was warm. The warmth slowly penetrated her, and she became dimly aware that she was lying down on a soft surface. Her brain was fuzzy, filled with strange images. Had she just got married? Yes, of course she had. She remembered the magnificent cream marquee, the guests, her white dress, her handsome fiancé standing there at the altar.

"Jacques, my darling?" she whispered, stretching out a hand to gently caress her new husband, the oh so brave and intelligent Jacques. But he wasn't there. There was nothing but empty space. Groggily, Susan stretched out further, and suddenly realised she had rolled off the edge of the bed. After about half a second, she hit the floor with a massive thump.

Startled, she looked around. She was in a small—to her—chamber made of wood, open on two sides, beyond which she could see a wide patio and, past the white beach, an azure lagoon sparkling in the sun. Oh, of course: she suddenly remembered how they had arrived the previous evening, the Panthalassan craft hovering low above the lagoon as it disgorged its famous passengers. A special bungalow had been constructed for them just along from the swish Four Seasons resort, far enough away to give them privacy but close enough to enjoy the hotel's amenities. Susan was rather grateful that the US government was picking up the tab for their honeymoon, as she rather doubted that they could have afforded it, even with the increased salary she was getting as a colonel.

"Susan! Susan!"

She looked up at the voice. Cockroach was peering down at her from the bed she had just fallen out of, his eyes wide with concern.

"Hey," she said with a quick embarrassed grin. "Morning."

"What happened?" he asked, looking worried.

Susan sat up, untangling the huge silk sheet from her legs, and smiled. "I was trying to reach you," she said.

"Er, I was on the other side," he pointed out.

"Yeah, I gathered that about two seconds after I arrived down here," Susan told him dryly.

"You're not hurt?"

"Goodness, no. It takes a lot more than that to hurt me." She stood up, letting the sheet slide off her naked body, and looked down at her husband. "I hope you enjoyed last night," she said, a coquettish grin playing about her lips.

"It was most… stimulating," Cockroach said as she bent down and picked him up gently. He was as naked as she was, his burnished bronze body gleaming in the early morning sun that filled their suite.

"I told you we'd find ways to have fun," Susan said, holding him up and gently tugging on his antennae with her lips.

"Fun… is… oooh… one word for… it…" Cockroach moaned, groaning in pleasure.

"Shall we find some other ways to express it, then?" Susan asked.

"What… an excellent… idea," he said, shivering as Susan ran her tongue down his bare body.

"It was fun doing it on the moon," Susan said in between kisses. "But we can have even more fun here."

"Still," Cockroach said, then gasped as her tongue massaged his stomach and loins, "we were… ooh… the first people to… er, make love… on the moooon…."

He shuddered, letting out a long sigh as Susan rubbed carefully on his most sensitive parts, bringing him to even further levels of pleasure.

"Yeah, that's something for the Guinness Book," Susan said. "Pity they won't be able to print our photos."

A low chime sounded.

"Oh poo," Susan said, making a face. "Talk about bad timing. What's that?"

"That, I believe, is room service," Cockroach said. Then he glanced at her naked body. "You, er, might want to get something on."

"I'd prefer not to, but I suppose I should."

"I'd prefer you not to as well. But I suppose I should as well," he said as Susan lowered him to the ground. He wrapped a terrycloth robe around himself while Susan slipped her bikini bottoms on, then grabbed her huge pareo, a gift from the hotel.

"Come in," she called, wrapping the colourful cloth around her breasts and tucking the ends in.

"Bonjour, monsieur et madame," the hotel concierge called, coming up ahead of a small procession of wagons. "We have brought you scrambled eggs, French toast, bacon, maple syrup, fresh fruit, orange juice, mango juice, and coconut juice."

"There is also… this," another man said, holding out a large sealed carton gingerly. "For Dr Cockroach…."

"Ah, thank you, my dear chap," Cockroach said, taking the carton. He glanced up at his wife. "Do you have everything you wanted?"

"Perfect, thanks," Susan said, carefully lifting up the cases on the wagons. "Thanks, guys."

"Our pleasure, madam," the concierge said. "It's an honour to host you at the Four Seasons."

Once they were alone again, Susan untied her pareo, then carried the cases containing her breakfast out to the patio, placing them on the low table that had been constructed beside her giant-sized chaise-longue.

"What do you have, Jacques?" she asked as Cockroach took his seat on the table.

The insectoid mad scientist cracked open the lid and took a deep breath. "Ah, something is rotten in the state of… er, Tahiti," he said happily. "Rotten pineapple rinds—rather fermented, mouldy coconut, and... oh, I think this is curdled milk. Goodness, it's even lumpy—and is that a spot of green there? Oh, this is serious quality… and the wonderful aroma…."

Susan swallowed. "Sounds, er, delicious," she said. "I'm just glad they didn't get your order confused with mine." She lay back and took a spoonful of fruit salad. "This tastes so, so much better than the stuff back home. Why can't the Monster Force be based in Tahiti?"

"I'm sure Link would love that," Cockroach said.

"What about you?" Susan asked. "I know you're not as fond of the sea and beaches and stuff as he is."

"Anywhere you are, my dearest bride, is heaven to me," Cockroach said.

"And anywhere you are, I want to be, too," Susan said, bending over and giving him a kiss on his smooth head. Then she lay back, her hand around him, stroking his firm torso with her forefinger as she gazed out at the idyllic scenery in front of her.

"This is paradise, however," she sighed. "I wish we could stay here forever."

"It might not be so good in reality, actually," Cockroach told her. "That was Gauguin's mistake."

"Go gone?"

"Paul Gauguin, the famous French impressionist. Actually, post-impressionist, to be exact, which is a more abstract extension of impressionism, and… er, perhaps, I won't give you a lecture on fin de siècle French art history right now. The main thing is, he came to Tahiti to try and find paradise, but realised that the image he had in mind was very different to the reality he found out here. His fantasy of an untouched, Rousseaun utopian state of nature, where humanity is uncorrupted by society—modern industrial society in particular—was anything but. The missionaries, whalers, colonizers, and all the sundry detritus of Western civilisation had arrived here before him."

"That sucks. But yeah, I guess I should know by now how images never seem to reflect reality," Susan said. "It's like looking at you or me and seeing scary monsters, but we're just people, that's all."

"There are some real monsters, of course," Cockroach noted quietly. "Gallaxhar, for a start."

"Yeah, but the point is, they don't always look like it on the outside," Susan said. "Look, let's not talk about him or monsters or anything like that. Check out this view! I don't care what that Gauguin guy thought—he clearly never stayed at the Four Seasons!"

"I admit it's rather nicer than I expected. Certainly a lot more relaxing."

"I'm sure you'd have preferred to spend longer on the moon," Susan said, laughing. "Yes, that was cool, it really was. The view of Earth from the moon is something I'll never forget. It was so... so amazing."

"It was the grandest sight I have seen," Cockroach said softly. "Or perhaps the second-grandest," he added, gazing longingly at Susan's breasts.

She laughed and covered them, then took her arms away when his face fell. "At least you admit that I'm the grandest," she said with a grin. Then she took a final sip of her coconut juice and stood up, looking down at her husband. "Come on! Let's go for a swim in the lagoon!"

"I, er, would love to," Cockroach said. "I'm sure there are some fascinating molluscs there. Perhaps I might even find a Pinctada margaritifera… that is, the oyster that produces the famous Tahitian black pearls…."

"Sweet, you can find one for me," Susan joked. "Coming?"

"Of course." He glanced up at his new wife's pale skin. "Er, don't forget your sunscreen lotion, though."

Susan glanced down at her nearly naked body. Months in prison, followed by winter in Nevada, had faded her tan.

"Good point. Would you like to help me?" she asked.

"Uh, I would be honoured," he said, glancing over her gigantic body. "Er, where should I start? This might take a while…."

"I'll do my legs, and you can do my stomach… and these, if you like," Susan said with a slight smile, cupping her breasts.

"I… would love to," he said, his antennae shivering. "Er, what about your back?"

"Use the spray-on stuff," she said, shrugging. "It's faster. I bought a dozen cans—that should be enough for the week. But use your hands for the rest…." She paused, and looked at him. "Er, how shall we do this? Should I lie down?"

Cockroach shook his head. "I'd have to walk on you."

"I don't mind that at all," Susan said. "I love having you on me."

"Er, thank you, my dear," he said. "But what I meant was, I would end up walking all over the lotion I had already applied. I mean, it might get messy."

"Oh, don't worry about that," Susan said. She reached down and scooped him up, giving him a big slobbery kiss. "It's going to get plenty messy anyway…."

"Well, that took longer than normal," Susan said an hour later, lying on the beach.

"What did?"

"Applying the sunscreen."

"Er, you are somewhat larger than normal, my dear," Cockroach said as he constructed an elaborate sandcastle.

Susan laughed. "I was thinking of how we got distracted. It was certainly a fun way to apply it. I hope you managed to get most of it off you." She sighed, and grinned. "You made a very good applicator. But it did get a bit messy. I'm not sure licking off the excess was the best choice, myself."

"Anything to get a taste of you, my dear," he said.

"Oh? So how did I taste?"

"Like coconut," he told her. "Coconut, and titanium dioxide. With a hint of avobenzone."

"Uh, okay. Is that good?" she asked, laughing again.

"It's perfect, because it was on you, and you are perfect," he said, sighing. He still couldn't believe he was really here, with her, and everything was more perfect than he had any right to ever expect. Susan was lying on her stomach next to him, with only a skimpy grey and orange bikini bottom on. As thanks for stopping Escargantua, the French government had presented her with a gigantic pair of Chanel sunglasses, which were the only other thing she was wearing. Cockroach let his gaze travel up her body, from her feet, towering taller than he was, to her long legs, the size of tree trunks, smooth and strong, to her flat stomach, large creamy breasts, then finally up to her face, with its wide mouth, delicate nose, and huge blue eyes, which seemed even bluer under the tropical sun. She was stunning, beautiful, and majestic all at the same time, and Cockroach knew his mutated form could never compare, never satisfy her. No matter how hard he tried, how willing he was. But Susan never gave any hint that she was unhappy with his performance, or felt frustrated with his physical shortcomings. And he knew she never would, because that was the sort of person she was, always seeing the best in people, even after everything that had happened. While he was just a—

"So whatcha building?" Susan asked, cutting in on his reflections of his inadequacy. She turned over on her side, propping her head up on an elbow, and gestured towards his sandcastle.

"Oh, this? It's, er, a carefully-measured scale model of Krak des Chevaliers."

"Krak the what? Chevaliers?"

"That's right. It's a crusader castle in Syria, built by the Knights Hospitaller in the 12th century. It's a ruin, so that makes it somewhat easier to sculpt in sand than, say, Neuschwanstein. You know, King Ludwig's Bavarian fantasy."

"Oh, yeah, I know the one," Susan said. "The Disney one."

"Well, sort of, in a sense," Cockroach said. "Although it's believed that Walt Disney was actually more directly inspired by Chateau d'Ussé in France."

"Want some help?" Susan asked. "I could dig a moat. Castles need moats."

"Uh, actually Krak des Chevaliers didn't actually have a moat, as it was built on a mountain," Cockroach said, then he looked up at her expectant face, and quickly nodded. "But of course it should have a moat; you're right. Be my guest."

"Great!" Susan said, getting on her hands and knees and crawling over to him. Cockroach felt his antennae grow stiff and vibrate as he watched her bare breasts hang freely. He had not seen her body from this angle before, and he quite liked it. Then he had to jump back quickly as Susan dug a giant hand into the coral sand and pushed it along, shoving out vast amounts of sand as she carved a deep moat right around the entire castle. Once she had done that, she patted down the sand she had excavated, forming two long mounds on either side of the moat.

"What do you think?" she asked, sitting back on her heels.

"Perfect!" he said. "Now no one can ever invade, thanks to you!"

"Thanks to Ginormica, Defender of Sandcastles!" Susan said, laughing happily.

Cockroach loved hearing her laugh. The last few months had seen her gradually recover from her ordeal, but every so often she would go quiet, and he could see the tears gather as the painful memories surfaced again.

"It's been a wonderfully relaxing few months," she commented eventually, almost as if she could read his thoughts. "No alien attacks, no strange monsters. Very quiet and peaceful, not having to defend the Earth all the time."

"I hope you don't think your life is getting small and limited," Cockroach said quickly.

Susan shook her head gently. "Anything but. I feel more fulfilled than ever. Remember that earthquake in China the other month?"

"How could I forget? You must have saved the lives of hundreds. The way you could just casually lift up those massive blocks of fallen masonry, freeing people trapped beneath… it was magnificent to behold."

"Yeah. Ginormica, the Human Crane," Susan said, and smiled. "That was one time I didn't mind being seen as that." She paused, then looked out to the lagoon. "You know, in a way, that made me feel even more heroic than anything else I've ever done. With saving the Earth and all that, it's too large, too abstract. Seven billion people, God knows how many other trillions of life forms, not to mention the entire planet itself? It's too much—I can't take it in. But the looks on the faces of the people I rescued after the quake made it all worth while. I don't think I've ever felt as glad to be what I am… to be me as I was then."

There was a long pause, and then Susan jumped to her feet. "I'm going for that swim. Join me?"

"Er," he said, looking at the castle. There were still some minor details to finish. The Inner Court was still only crudely done, and he wasn't sure about the height of the curtain wall. Then he looked back at Susan, and shook his head. What was he thinking? Susan was his obsession now, outweighing all others. From now on he would devote all his mad passion to studying her, understanding her. Learning to make her happy with the same energy he had once dedicated to breaking the bounds of physics.

"Jacques?"

"Coming, my dear!" he called, grabbing his specially modified flippers and his collecting flasks, and hurrying after her. Even as he devoted himself to her, he mused, there would always be time for a spot of mad science….

It had been a perfect day, Susan thought, full of lovemaking and laughter. She was floating on her back out in the lagoon, staring up at a sea of stars. The great arch of the Milky Way glittered overhead, looking almost close enough to reach out and touch. One end of it came down to the horizon, vanishing behind the Pacific Ocean, while the other half was cut off by the mountains, black against the starry night.

She glanced down. Cockroach was lying between her bare breasts, gazing up at the sky through a powerful pair of binoculars he had modified to fit his eyes. She knew what he was looking at: the moon, nearly full, was riding high in the sky just behind her head. She could lean her head back, dipping her silver hair into the warm Tahitian waters, and glimpse it. It was impossible to believe that she had been there less than forty-eight hours ago.

But as amazing as being the first woman on the moon had been, and as much joy as seeing her new husband's happiness had brought her, she definitely preferred to be here, on Earth, warm and safe, floating in the calm waters of a South Pacific lagoon.

"There! There it goes!" Cockroach cried, leaning forward.

"What? What goes? The moon?" Susan asked, craning her head around. A brilliant purple light illuminated part of the sky, fading to red as a blue streak suddenly stretched out across half the sky.

"That's the Rodinia, the Vaalbaran ship we were on when… er, we stopped Gallaxhar. They just turned on their star-drive. By now they must be halfway to Alpha Centauri." He sighed, lowering the binoculars. "Oh, I wish we could have gone with them. I wish we could go and visit the stars, explore the galaxy. What wonders await us out there?"

"Right now, I'm happy here," Susan told him. "Exploring each other. Speaking of which…" she murmured, trailing off and smiling suggestively at him. "You could do some more exploring of me, if you like…."

Cockroach's antennae started vibrating rapidly as he quickly swallowed several times.

"Uh, that is…" he began. "I'm not sure I follow you," he went on. "Er, I mean, well… you know…" he finished.

Susan smiled. "What's the matter? Not shy, are you?"

"Well, er, there might be people watching," Cockroach said, looking around.

"What people? We're all alone out here," Susan said with a laugh. "The hotel's far too far away for anyone to see us."

"What about spy satellites?" he asked, looking up at the night sky.

"Then they're about to get a show," Susan said. "Come here."

"Come?" Cockroach asked, standing up and walking up Susan's sternum to her chin. He rested his arms on her face, gently caressing her lips.

"Closer," she whispered.

"Closer?" he murmured, bending down at the waist.

Susan pursed her lips, and kissed him. Then she stuck her tongue out and ran it along his antennae, paying special attention to the extremely sensitive tips. He shivered with pleasure, and she carefully reached up and wrapped her long fingers around his smooth, firm torso, caressing the warm bare chitin. Then she picked him up gently, and started running her tongue all over his body, pressing lightly on his chitin plates to stimulate the flesh beneath. Cockroach let out a long, low whistling sound, which she knew meant extreme pleasure and happiness.

She placed him back on her chest, and reached out and cupped her hand behind Cockroach, gently pushing him towards her bare breast. He offered no resistance as she softly pressed down on him, dropping him to his knees in front of her inch-wide nipple, which stood out from her dimpled pink areola.

"This is… that is…" Cockroach stammered, looking at her nipple, seeing every indentation on its surface. He reached out a nervous hand, and gently caressed it.

"Harder," Susan breathed.

Cockroach rubbed her nipple harder, using both hands, and Susan shivered, rocking gently in the warm tropical waters.

"Harder," she breathed again, pressing down on him gently, pushing his face to her nipple. Cockroach looked at it, seeing the knobbly skin folds, the soft puckering in the middle, and opened his mouth wide, taking it completely in. He moved his head up and down, sucking as hard as he could. Susan moaned in pleasure, the hand not holding Cockroach rubbing her other nipple. "I think…" she said softly, "I think we should head back to our room."

Her new husband looked up. "Uh, already?" he asked, his antennae drooping.

She smiled back at him. "So we can get out of these wet things... and into each other…."

Susan's eyes fluttered open, and she yawned. She looked over at Cockroach, and smiled to see him sleeping peacefully. Carefully, trying not to disturb him, she slipped out of bed and padded naked across the room to get a drink. Selecting a two-litre carton of mango juice from the fridge, she walked across to the patio and stepped out, making her way down to the beach. The moon was nearly full, making it easy to see, and the white coral sand almost seemed to shine.

She walked across the soft sand, feeling it give beneath her bare feet and between her toes. Standing at the edge of the water, she looked out over the lagoon, towards the mountain in the centre, visible as a dim peak ringed with lights at its base. It was just her, the sea, and the stars, alone in a vast emptiness. She took a deep breath, and just let the calmness wash over her. The only sound was the gentle susurration of the small lagoon waves breaking on the sand, just as they had done for tens of thousands of years, and would continue to do so long after she, Cockroach, and everyone she ever knew was dead.

But they would be replaced, she knew—there would be other generations, over the decades, centuries, and even millennia to come; other young brides would stand here, looking out over the timeless landscape, listening to the soothing murmur of the sea, letting the peace of nature steep into their souls. They would be able to come, she knew, because of her sacrifice, because of everything she had gone through. This was her gift to the world—a future. This was how she could live with herself after what she had done….

"Susan?"

She turned, smiling at his call.

"I'm fine," she said, answering his unspoken concern. "I just wanted a drink after… all our, er, exercise. And then I came out here to think. Come and join me."

"I'm, er, not wearing anything," he said with a slight tremor in his voice.

Susan smiled. "Nor am I, as you can see. And don't worry, no one else can either."

She watched him get his own drink of fermented, rotted fruit juice and step gingerly onto the sand as if at any moment a group of tourists would come out from the trees and laugh at him. Not that he had anything to be ashamed of, Susan thought as she gazed down at his firm bronze body. Save for the head, and the missing genitalia, he looked like a Greek god, every muscle, every sinew clear. While his chitin plates were not technically muscles, she knew he was every bit as strong as he looked, and she never tired of admiring his body.

As he never tired of admiring hers, she knew. His eyes were fixed on her now as he picked his way down the beach, sipping at his drink. As he drew near, she lowered herself to the sand, reclining full length on the soft white coral grains.

"How's your juice?" she called.

"Very refreshing, my dear," he said.

"You know, I think I might have some fermented juice later on," Susan said. She smiled at his startled reaction, and added, "Fermented grape juice, that is."

He laughed. "Of course. Wine. You know, wine can be made from all sorts of fruit. We should experiment when we get back home."

"Go right ahead, darling," she said. "I love your experiments. I'm going for a swim. Want to join me?"

She stretched, and stood up. Cockroach gazed up at her towering nude body, almost glowing in the moonlight, looming higher and higher above him as she rose to her feet.

"Just let me…" he said, and gulped down the rest of his juice, placing the empty carton carefully next to Susan's to collect later. He stood still as Susan bent down and gently picked him up, then waded into the lagoon, her powerful legs sluicing through the water and leaving a long wake behind her. Once she was about waist-deep, she sank back onto the water, and let him sit on her chest, between her breasts. Then she folded her arms behind her head, and stared up into the night sky, sighing.

"What is it, dearest?" Cockroach asked. "You're not unhappy, are you?"

Susan shook her head. "I am so, so happy," she said. "No, I was just thinking this honeymoon is the first time in so long where I don't feel like a giant—I mean, so long as I don't stand too close to the palm trees…. But out here, in the middle of this natural beauty, it's like… I dunno. Like I don't need to worry about being the right size."

"You are the perfect size," Cockroach told her. "Don't sell yourself short."

"I know, I know," Susan said with a slight laugh. "I just mean that I don't need to feel awkward or worry about breaking things. Like, you know, when we were in Rome, it was fantastic, of course, but I never forgot my size. I'm not ashamed of it or anything; I just don't want to hurt anyone or break anything. And that can be hard in the middle of cities. Yellowstone was cool that way—I liked the space. And I like the space here. And it's so peaceful, so beautiful," she finished slowly.

"It certainly is," Cockroach said, lying between Susan's breasts and gazing up at the night sky. "More beautiful than I had ever imagined. More perfect than I deserve."

"Than you deserve?" Susan asked, raising her head to look at him directly. "We are talking about Tahiti, right?"

"I only have eyes for you, my love," Cockroach declared. "Your beauty outshines everything else."

"In that case, we could have gone to Fresno after all," Susan joked. "Or just stayed at home."

"Wherever I am, wherever I roam…" Cockroach sighed, then hiccupped. "Wherever you are, there is my home. In sweet, sweet Susan's arms…."

Susan narrowed her eyes. "I think no more fermented fruit for you, darling. You're getting all mushy."

"Like the fruit," Cockroach said, and giggled. "Sorry. No more silly jokes. Ever."

"Oh, don't say that," Susan said. "I like your silly jokes. It's one of the first things that helped… I dunno. Humanize you, I guess. I mean, I always saw you as this serious, studious… I guess nerd, really. I mean, you laughed, those crazy mad scientist cackles you like, but that wasn't for jokes. It was a bit creepy, to be honest, But then, after fighting that robot on the Golden Gate Bridge, you made this really, I mean really, lame pun. It was the sort of dumb thing my dad would say, so it made you feel… familiar. Comforting."

"I reminded you of your father?" he asked. "Is that a good thing?"

Susan laughed. "It is, because I love my father, and I love you. Besides, you know all little girls want to marry their dads."

"I'm… flattered, I think," he said.

"You should be," Susan said firmly. "I mean, don't get me wrong, there's no way I'd want to marry my actual dad, of course, but you're both patient, generous, calm, you don't judge me, you're intelligent, nerdy, and… both quite funny, in your own silly ways." She sighed, gazing up at the sky. "Beside, I guess I like the sense of familiarity. I like a man I can relax around, be myself with. Be friends with. Someone I can trust with my deepest secrets, with my fears, and my life. And that's you."

"In my case, my dearest," Cockroach said, "it's no secret. I love your purity, your sweetness, your… I hesitate to say innocence, considering what you have been through, but… yes, even after all you have suffered, everything that has been done to you, you're not cynical or hate-filled, you don't give in to your darker impulses. You are the light that shines on my soul, illuminating it, lifting it up. You make me a better person, because you are whom I would most like to be."

Susan screwed her eyes shut, but it was no use; the tears would not be held back. She reached out and held her beloved, just glad to be able to do so; glad to have him with her, always.

"I… I wish I could be that person," she said. "I want to be that person. But sometimes, it's not easy. Sometimes my… my darker impulses are harder to control."

"But you do control them," Cockroach noted. "That's the important thing. If you didn't have any darkness, you'd be weak—it's because you can control your dark side that you're strong."

"Maybe," Susan said. "Control is what Mary told me I needed; what I learned from her… but too late to save her. And too late to save myself…." She sighed, looking up at the sky, at the thousands of tiny lights that were now not quite so distant, so alien. "You know, I've seen a lot of stories about giantesses," she said slowly. "Especially since I… well, since I became the most famous one."

"The only real one," Cockroach said with pride.

"I guess. Which probably explains why so many of them are about me. But none of those stories are about me. They're all about monsters—about getting revenge. Destruction, anger. She is powerless, then she grows big and strong, and destroys those who oppressed her. None of them really bother to think about what it's like for the giantess herself. It's all just anger and revenge. That's not right—that's not what it's like to be a monster, to be a giantess. To be me…." She sighed, holding up her hands in the air, looking at them.

"So what is it like to be you?" Cockroach asked.

"Pretty good, right now," Susan said with a quick laugh. "But yeah..." she added, trailing off for a moment as she pondered who exactly she was. "It's… it's about learning your limitations, accepting what you are: learning that every good thing requires a sacrifice, and sometimes that sacrifice can completely change your life, and cause you so much pain, so much loss…. And yet, it's all worth it, in the end. Because in the end you learn, you grow. I'm not the Susan I was a year ago. I'm not as innocent, as carefree, as trusting. I still sometimes have nightmares about what I've done… and what's been done to me. But it's made me a better person, a stronger person. Finally, after all I've been through, I know who I am. I know why I was put on this Earth. To be the hero that only I can be. Just as each of us needs to be the hero we can be, in whatever form that takes. To make the world a better place…."

High above, the Milky Way shone in iridescent splendour, mirrored in the calm waters of the lagoon. The moonlight, dappling the gentle waters of the lagoon, reflected off Susan's huge blue eyes as she gazed lovingly at her new husband, safe and happy. Her long journey was over, and she was finally where she was meant to be, who she was meant to be.

Off to the side, she could hear the gentle lapping of the waves, the regular, soothing sound of them breaking on the white coral sand, almost perfectly in time with her breathing. Surrounding her, relaxing her, becoming part of her as she floated amidst an infinite sea of stars, it was the unceasing heartbeat of the living Earth.

.

.

The man in the neat black suit hesitated outside the door with the small "31" inscribed on it. Sliding a card key into the lock, he then waited while his retinas were scanned. There was a soft click, and the door swung open. He entered a small, plain office that was utterly indistinguishable from the hundreds within the huge building.

Another man in another black suit was seated at the desk in front of a row of screens showing various images. He looked up.

"Yes?"

The first man handed over a thick file.

"This is the final report on Subject Murphy," he said. "The Gallaxhar Incident has been dealt with, and we do not foresee any immediate future difficulties. The Vaalbarans are eager to conceal their unwitting involvement."

"What about the rest of the Five Eyes?"

He shook his head. "They have seen the report, and are in agreement. For the moment, nothing need be done. Beyond the usual covert control, of course."

"And the President? Have you dealt with him?"

The man shook his head. "Not an issue. He knows not to open cans of worms."

"So there will be no repercussions for our… slight miscalculation?"

"None. We remain under the radar, free to protect Earth. Whatever it takes."

"What about Ginormica herself?" the other man said, nodding towards a screen with a satellite image showing a detailed close-up of Bora Bora.

"Don't worry. We'll keep an eye on her. I have a feeling that she will prove useful to us again…."

.

THE (FINAL) END

OF THE GINORMICA TRILOGY

...

FINAL KNOWTES:

This took a fair bit of work, surprisingly (surprising me, anyway). It wasn't easy to sum up the emotional and character journey that Susan has been on, and balance that with light-hearted scenes and some mild smut to show that her married life is not going to be boringly chaste.

The beginning, if any readers remember, is a reworking of the beginning of the entire Ginormica saga, that morning she wakes up, confused and afraid, in the cold, empty prison cell.

A pareo is a traditional Tahitian wrap. It can be full-body or from the waist down (traditionally, Tahitian women went topless, at least until the missionaries put a stop to it—see the 1984 Mel Gibson version of Mutiny on the Bounty for more examples of traditional dress. It's still common for tourists to go topless on beaches, however). Regrettably, the Four Seasons did not sponsor their advertisement in this chapter, nor offer to host me for research purposes. In fact I haven't been anywhere near Tahiti. But it looks nice (and bloody expensive).

I like to think that Cockroach is the sort of person who would still make sandcastles, only carefully modelled ones, rather than just sitting there sipping pina coladas or whatever. Susan lying topless on the beach is partially inspired by the DeviantArt image by Radprofile of her lying topless on the beach wearing a grey and orange bikini bottom. Although the scale of that Susan is wrong—she's too big by at least 50%.

The reference to an earthquake in China is made up, but the 2013 Lushan Earthquake on April 20th killed nearly 200 people in south-central China, so while the timing isn't quite right, it's not too far off.

Rodinia is the name of a hypothetical supercontinent, a continent which contained most or all of Earth's landmass. According to plate tectonic reconstructions, it existed between 1.1 billion and 750 million years ago. Just in keeping with my alien names, which all reference very, very ancient supercontinents or super-oceans.

I've ended on a slightly sinister note, just to remind people that a hero's work is never done. Remember, no matter how many times you save the world, it always manages to get back in jeopardy again…. Five Eyes is an intelligence alliance comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States which to this day remains one of the most comprehensive known espionage alliances in history. The former NSA contractor Edward Snowden described Five Eyes as a "supra-national intelligence organisation that doesn't answer to the known laws of its own countries." (Wikipedia) All of which makes it a perfect cover organization for my fictional Section 31. Also it's a pretty cool sinister super-villain name…. (Not that Section 31 is villainous, strictly speaking.)

I have no plans for any further stories in this series—which isn't to say I won't ever write any again, of course. I do have a couple of short story ideas, and am toying with rewriting the TV series into something serious (though that will be hard, as the series is so very, very stupid). And of course I'm writing my cross-over with Frozen. So you can be assured that, in some form…

Susan Will Return….

And finally, thank you to everyone who has stuck it out this far, and I hope the journey was worth it. I certainly appreciated all your reviews and comments very much, as well as the Favourites and Follows which let me know people were interested in this little frivol of mine. So, to all my readers, a big thank you from me….

Wordmangler, 14th January 2016.