Critical Regression

Nov 18, 2004

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Emily ("Milly" or "Emmy" to her friends) Price leaned against the counter, sipping her espresso. She should be in class, but Professor Michaelson was such a crashing bore she'd decided to skip for once. It would mean more work later, but it was too nice of a day, and besides, she needed a rest. The past few weeks had been hectic, and Alison's surprise break-up had just been the icing on the cake.

Emmy had been curious about intimacy with other girls for a long time, but she'd never acted on that impulse, at least, not until her second year of College. Even then, it surprised her how much she came to prefer relations with her own gender. It's not that she stopped liking guys, they just became a lower priority. A much lower priority.

Alison had been great. She was smaller than Emmy, a 5' 2" blonde whirlwind of activity. They'd become very close, and Emmy was starting to wonder if they would be together forever. Then Alison came back from her trip home, to tell her that she had become engaged to her high school boyfriend. Jason had just come back from overseas, and Alison didn't realize how much she'd missed him since he went into the Army after school.

Emmy sighed. She hadn't handled it as well as she'd have liked. Without meaning to, she'd become very attached to Alison, and they both ended up saying some hurtful things. "If only I could have another chance", she thought.

It was at that moment the strange girl entered the 3X Shot.

Emmy didn't even notice her at first, although, to her credit, she had a lot on her mind. For that matter, most of the patrons seemed oblivious to her presence. It wasn't until she reached the counter that Emmy realized there was someone next to her. She was pretty small, her arm barely able to rest on the counter as she ordered a double mocha latte. The pretty young clerk blinked a few times, but took the child's money.

The girl was young, there was no doubt about that, but Emmy had a hard time guessing her age. Great pains had been taken to make her look more mature; her hair had been carefully styled in an adult fashion, and her outfit looked for all the world like a scaled-down version of something a female executive would wear. She even wore makeup, although the effect was somewhat disturbing on a girl that young. Dark glasses hid her eyes as she reached for her drink.

Emmy noticed then that the girl was carrying a large woman's purse, and, looking down, high heels so tall they seemed stilt-like. "Who makes shoes like that for children?" she mused to herself. There was something about this girl though, something Emmy couldn't put her finger on, but it was wrong...out of place.

Turning towards the girl, Emmy looked down and smiled warmly. "Hey there hon, what brings you here all by yourself? Are you lost? Is your mommy around?" In an instant, Emmy knew she'd just made a big mistake. The girl whipped off her sunglasses, and glared up at Emmy, her face slightly flushed...and in those eyes, she saw a pain and maturity far beyond the girl's apparent age.

Selena's temper flared. "I am not lost, and I do not need my 'mommy', thank you very much." Her tone was frosty, and despite it's youthfulness, was the same one that once instilled fear and respect in her employees. She felt her face flush, and quickly chided herself inwardly for snapping at the girl. She had only been trying to help, after all.

Forcing herself to remain calm, Emmy kept the smile on her face. "Easy there, hon! You just looked like you could use a friend. If I was wrong, I'll leave you alone.

Selena sighed, the anger gone as fast as it had appeared. "I..I do. Really. You just can't understand how hard this has been for me." Her "game face", the emotionless mask that had made her the terror of the business world, dropped, and Emmy was able to see the inner conflict that tormented the girl. And then, suddendly, it dawned on the young woman.

"Oh...wait...I saw you on TV. You're that executive who was exposed to all that radiation, aren't you? Selena Adler, wasn't it?" Emmy couldn't keep the amazement from her voice. It was one thing to hear such a strange story...quite another to actually see such a marvel in the flesh.

Selena bit her lower lip, an act that made her look guileless and very very young. "I..I am Selena Adler. Could we sit down? These heels are killing me...and I'd like to tell you the whole story, if you have the time."

Emmy's heart melted, seeing the girl...Selena, take such a big risk with a total stranger. Quickly, she took Selena's hand and nodded to a table in the corner. Nodding simply, Selena followed her. Impulsively, Emmy pulled a chair out for Selena, who smiled at her. "Thank you, Miss...?"

"Oh! I'm Emily Price. But you can call me Emmy...or Milly, either one. That's what my friends call me." Selena sized up the young college girl. Emily looked 21 or so, about 5' 9", with short, light brown hair. She was wearing a yellow top, a denim skirt, and hikers. She seemed fairly outgoing and athletic, but there was something behind her mask as well...

"Emmy it is, then." She paused, unstrapping the ridiculous heels, and stepped out of them before sitting in the chair as gracefully as possible for someone so small. She was no bigger than a girl of 7 or so, and if both girls had stood next to her, Selena's head wouldn't even reach Emmy's breasts. Emmy could sense that, in removing the heels, Selena had removed another piece of her armor...she resolved to do her best not to make the girl suffer for it. Looking to the girl's feet, she noticed how red and raw they looked; Selena had not been kidding, those heels had chafed her badly.

Without a word, Emmy crouched next to Selena, and expertly massaged her feet. "You poor thing, I'm surprised you don't have blisters already!"

Selena just bit her lip again. It felt nice to have someone help her...and even nicer to be treated even remotely like an adult. "I...I don't get blisters. Not anymore...but I don't get calluses either, so it hurts a lot, but there's no permanent damage done..." she paused. "It is stupid of me to wear these shoes, I know...but I hate being so small..."

Emmy shook her head. "Hey, it's ok. Really. You're just trying to take back what you lost, right?"

Selena was surprised at the girl's insight. "Yes...that's it exactly. Not doing a great job, am I?"

Emmy sat in a chair next to the girl, giving Selena her absolute attention. "I don't know if I could do better. If you want to talk about it, I'm free for hours, and I'm a great listener."

Selena nodded. "I'm grateful, Emmy. Thank you so much...I haven't really told anyone all of it..." she paused, and licked her lips. "It all started when the FusiTech deal started to go south..."

Selena Adler had been born into money. Her family was quite rich, and her father made certain his "girls", Selena and her mother, were well taken care of. Selena never wanted for anything, but Kenneth Price made sure his daughter would learn the value of money at an early age; he was determined not to raise a spoiled brat!

So, Selena had to earn whatever she desired, and grew up unafraid of work, knowing that the payoff was well worth the cost. She excelled in school, and despite having a reputation for being 'too serious', she graduated in the top 10% of her class at business school. Having carefully saved up money for years, she invested, and wisely, and by the time she was 28, had built her own business, Adler International, from the ground up, and become a millionaire in her own right. A year later, both of her parents died, and she was left with everything.

Devastated by the personal loss, she became even more serious, hiding the hurt behind an icy mask. She quickly alienated most of her friends and lovers, and by 30, had resigned herself to being alone. Her company became the sole purpose of her life, and to her, it was the daughter she would likely never have. Adler International became a multibillion-dollar corporation, with her firmly in control.

Selena was 33 when she first heard of FusiTech. They were a small firm, with a solid chance of achieving 'cold fusion', a technology that would allow for a clean, efficient power source, as opposed to the existing nuclear fission reactors. It was a gamble, but Selena had the money to gamble at this point. For the first six months, everything was going well, when FusiTech's top scientist, Mendo Irisaki, was found dead, an apparent suicide. The next four months saw all kinds of problems arise from FusiTech. Scandals, theft, mismanagement; the list was endless.

So Selena took personal control of FusiTech, and by her 34th birthday, Reactor One was ready for it's first test. Whether there was some flaw in Mendo's work, or sabotage, is not known, and likely never will be. The fusion process began, and 17 minutes later, Reactor One was literally vaporized in a flash of light. Despite the intense radiation involved, things forty feet beyond the outer fence of the facility were left untouched, and only minor levels of radiation could be detected.

112 people lost their lives that day. And yet, one survived.

She was found wandering in the desert, naked, yet strangely unharmed by exposure. At first, they had no idea who she was, and Selena spent a week in a hospital, delirious, while the doctors tried to make heads or tails out of her...condition. Her return to lucidity only made the situation even more chaotic, and in the midst of it, the major shareholders attempted to wrest control of Adler International.

It took a Supreme Court decision, combined with the best lawyers in the country, and an insane amount of medical data before Selena Adler could rightly claim her own identity, and retain her legal status as an adult. It could have went either way, and the media had been in a frenzy over the idea of a child billionaire.

People all over the world desired to perform tests on her, to solve the riddle of her mutation, her inexplicable survival and regression...if regression is the right term. For Selena Adler was no longer exactly human. Her body healed damage at an incredible rate, and her immune system simply destroyed anything foreign it came across. Her slight form was suprisingly strong and tough, and her balance and agility had also increased dramatically. Although physically very similar to a girl of seven, she retained her adult mind and faculties. She was going to live a very long time...and she was also going to remain a child for the rest of her life.

Being rich and powerful helps, of course, but more and more, Selena had become a recluse, hiding from everyone who wanted to exploit her. She disassembled much of her company, and slowly, the media forgot about the "miracle child". Only recently had Selena dared to appear in public again, desperately clinging to what little remained of her adult status.

And feeling desperately alone.

END CHAPTER ONE