With everyone FINALLY back to normal (don't ask how Scarlett gave Grace's mass back), Team Red Head moved on to the next room. Inside was a suspiciously vertical shaft with lots of updrafts. There was a large metal basket sitting in the middle of the room with some ropes, but Jesse didn't see anything to use with it.

Jesse was scanning the area above them when broke the group's silence. "Who the hell makes a room like this? It's like one of your insane obstacle courses or something! There's a room that's a dead end with a giant basket with no-"

"BALLOOOOOOOOOON!!!"

Jesse stared at Scarlett and Grace shouting in unison. She looked at Ally for support, but the scientist just shrugged. "What can I say. They're encourageable."

Both ladies ran up to the basket, looking for something. Grace saw the pile of supplies across the room first and emphatically pointed at it. "OVER THERE!"

She and Scarlett sprinted to the pile of junk, sifting long through leather straps and half filled sandbags, until Grace hefted her prize above the mess. A rather large metal air tank, with the letters "He" Printed on the side for everyone's favorite noble gas.

"Got it!"

Scarlett looked at her, almost crying. "Aaaaw! I wanted to fly today!"

"Scarlett dear, you just got to be a great big pile of Jello. I need to have a little fun too ya know."

Scarlett's expression switched to a smile immediately and she shrugged. "You make a convincing argument. Here, let me help you out with that."

*THOOOMP*

"Oooo!" Grace did NOT object to Scarlett slamming an air hose up her skirt.

Somewhere in the distance she could hear Jesse screaming "What the hell are they doing?!" Ally replied with something along the lines of "They know what they're doing. Let's make sure we don't miss our ride."

Grace didn't really care. She wanted what she signed up for. And right now, that was a full tank of helium.

*HIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS*

"Mmmmmm YES!"

Grace's body showed signs of helium immediately. Her hips filled wide, pressing against her suit and expanding to very generous size. Seconds later the helium spread, bloating her thighs and stomach as well.

Her eyes rolled back, taking in the sheer joy of growing larger. Air filled every part of her, forcing her body larger to its full potential. A loud hiss of air here, a rubber creak there, and the rest of her legs expanded to join the party. Her butt never stopped getting bigger, rubbery flesh rippling fuller and surpassing couch cushion sizes. She was at least three times her normal size and the tank was still pumping her at full power.

"Mmmm...Scarlett, be a dear and start setting up the basket before your become a puddle again?"

Scarlett nodded, clearly sweating her many colors. "Y-yeah, okay."

Her nodding slowed and her dripping accelerated until she splashed into a puddle, and slithered away towards her task. It wasn't the first time Grace had seen Scarlett act more like living water than a woman, and it made her a little jealous every time.

*HIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS*

"Ooooohhhhh....YEEEEEEEEEEEAH!"

*THOOOOOOOOOOMP*THOOMP*

Another rubber squeak was followed by Grace's chest doubling in size again. She reached out to hug her inflated breasts, pressing against them to feel the pressure, but the tank wasn't through with her yet. Her arms felt stiff, and she felt her shoulders filling with air. Grace's biceps filled slowly like a thermometer, filling and bloating until they were forced straight out. She was almost spread eagle as a doofy looking Grace balloon, feeling the air pushing at every corner of her body. Even her hands and hair poofed out, stretching and inflating into shiny balloons.

"Oh this feels awesome. Are you all sure you don't want to try this or...oooooh!"

*HIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS*

*FWWwWWwwwWWWwWWWOOOOOMP*

*BOP*BOP*

"Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaah..."

Grace lost contact with the ground while she was talking. She bounced once on her growing belly, waving her now stubby arms as they were drawn into her growing orb of a body.

"Um, ladies, you might want to tie me down if I'm going to fly us up. Hurry before-EEP!"

Grace felt something pinching her toe. Then she heard Jesse's voice. "I've got you. You're insane you know."

Grace smiled, though she was breathing heavy now, way too excited by her predicament. "Thank you. I'll take that as a compliment."

* * *

A minute later, Grace's ballooned body was tied to the big metal gondola basket, and they floated up the shaft. Ally and a debatably solid Scarlett were checking their equipment, leaving Jesse alone with her thoughts.

Jesse was trying to look up and around Grace's inflated form, checking for anything dangerous up above. Which was...difficult.

Especially with Grace prattling on about enjoying it. "I'm so full! I'm gonna get us up there and boooom!"

Jesse's patience was wearing thin. She slammed her fist against the basket. "Can you shut your mouth for five seconds you dumb overgrown balloon?! You're really starting to get on my nerves and I do NOT want to fall from this height."

Grace's head was barely discernible from the rest of her nearly spherical body, but it was grinning. Her eyes rolled up and her smile grew as the gondola rocked from Jesse's punch, making loud rubber creaks in the shaft. "Aaaw! But this feels soooooo good!"

Jesse smacked her forehead. "Your face looks painted on! How big can you get anyway? I don't want you 'going boom' until I'm safe at the top."

Grace spun her arms to look down at Jesse. "Only a little bigger than this actually, but I'm practicing."

Jesse sighed. " 'Only,' she says. I shouldn't have asked. I'll try to make sure nothing bad happens until-"

*FWOOOOOOOSH*

All four ladies perked up at the sound of fire. Jesse leaned further over the edge to look around Graces big red rubbery hair.

"I see it! Fire jets turning on and off. I think if we time it right, we can float through it!"

Grace's happy face was suddenly sobbing. "Are you sure?! I can't have this end with fire, that's a messy way to blow!"

Jesse's face was turning red. She could tell her blood pressure was rising but she didn't care any more.

Fortunately, Ally put a hand on her shoulder. "Good work spotting that. I think we can handle this. Tell me when to throw open the valve on Grace's air tank, we can speed her up on cue."

Scarlett scratched her head. "Does it work like that???"

Ally nodded. "About as well as anything in this universe. Just give us a-"

Jesse waved her arm. "NOW!"

Ally threw open the valve. *HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS*

And Grace moaned as bubbles of helium bubbled through the hose into her. "OOOOOOH YEEEEEEEES!!!"

*CRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAK*

*FOOOOOOOOOOOOOMP*

Jesse heard the cries of joy from Grace as her body expanded further. She was stretched large enough now that she was turning transparent. Whatever was left of her form was sucked into the balloon shape now, actually turning her into a giant rubber sphere with features painted on.

Fortunately, they were moving past the jets of fire.

*FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH*

*PSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSTTTT*

Jesse blinked. "What was that sound?"

Ally held Grace's hose in her hand, no longer attached to the baker. "Our girl Is out of gas. Literally."

Scarlett and Jesse both stared blankly at Ally. They spoke in unison, "Sooo...?"

Ally sighed. "So we better be okay moving at this speed, because Grace is stuck for now."

"Oh! Oh! I know!" Grace's drawn on face shouted with excitement. "You could give me a pin prick and make me jet higher faster!"

Scarlett jumped in agreement. "Yeah! That'd be awesome!"

Ally sighed. "No way! I don't want to be squished on the floor next to a puddle of you and trapped under a Grace blanket."

Jesse rolled her eyes, realizing what Ally meant. They couldn't change speeds the next time fire approached. Which from the look of things, was soon.

She ducked behind the metal walls of the gondola. "DUCK!"

Ally and Scarlett were too distracted by their argument to realize what Jesse meant. They both looked over, confused. Ally said, "No, I don't have any ducks to help us fly faster up this shaft to-"

*FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH*

Jesse saw the flames shoot over her head to engulf Ally and Scarlett. Fortunately, Grace had floated high enough to escape any damage to herself. Unlike her other two allies, now charred to a crisp, completely blacked to soot with only blinking eyes left intact.

Ally blinked and gave a slow nod of understanding. The simple act of moving made a loud cracking noise as her body began collapsing into a pile of colorful ashes. "Oh...that duck..."

Scarlett and Ally's bodies continued crumbling to the floor like sand in an hourglass, leaving their eyes hovering in the air staring at Jesse until *PLOP* they fell onto their remains.

Jesse scoffed before looking back to their balloon. "Pleeeeeeeeeease tell me I can dig that ray gun out of you. Are you okay up there? Feels like we're moving up faster again, you're getting higher."

Grace's puffed up eyes rolled down at her. "I'm good, but I'm not moving faster. You look nice and warm though."

"What are you-"

*PLOP*

Jesse startled to attention at the wet plop next to her, only to realize stretching up was harder than she thought. She looked down, noticing for the first time the steel gondola was literally red hot from the flames. Hot enough her legs were already melted into layers of jet black goop, and her hips were spreading across the top. Peach blobs that used to be hands were nearby, the source of the most recent sound.

"...OH COME ON!!!" Jess yelled, watching her body drip and collapse faster, as if noticing it sped up the process. "Why do I have to *blub*blub*

*SPLASH!*

Jesse's frown sent ripples through her face, floating atop her liquefied body. She tried to scream with rage, but only succeeded in making her remains bubble and spread out further. She was pretty sure she could feel Ally's ashes now too. *Oh great, now what?! I hope these idiots don't spill me all over the wall, I don't want to rely on someone to notice a new paint job for them to find me.*

*Hello? You there rookie? This doesn't happen often but we are in a pinch.*

Jesse's eyes blinked at hearing Ally's voice in her head. *Huh? How did you...*

Ally kept talking. *Sorry but you're the easiest way to fix being a pile of dust right now. Hang tight.*

Jesse felt a rush when her puddle absorbed Ally's ashes. Her gooey body twisted and turned before stretching up to her normal height on its own. Her eyes went wide, feeling bits of herself mold back into place and shlurp all around, but her proportions were bigger than usual.

*Sorry we have to fuse like this. I'll fix this as soon as I can.*

Jesse blinked. *What do you mean fuse? WAIT YOU'RE ACTUALLY IN MY HEAD?!*

Jesse quickly felt around, realizing her hips and other assets were much bigger than usual. Her hair style felt off too, a little shorter to match Allison's. "AAAAAAAAARG I don't know if I'm happy to be standing or PISSED you're hijacking me or-"

Jesse stopped screaming suddenly when Ally reached down their cleavage for a water bottle. *Come on, let's just fix Scarlett up.*

"WHY ARE WE KEEPING ANYTHING IN THERE?!"

* * *

Grace watched the show unfold beneath her. Ally+Jesse watering Scarlett's ashes. Ally unzipping her shared body to step out of Jesse before closing her up. Jesse pacing angrily around after that, practically breathing fire....

Before she knew it, they were at the top. Her team mates all got off the balloon then looked at her. She wanted to be happy, but she felt...empty inside.

Scarlett waved to break the silence. "Grace? You can come down now! Let's go!"

Grace knew she meant well, but that just made her sadder. "I don't wanna! I can't believe they would do this to me!"

Jesse put a hand on Scarlett's shoulder. "It's okay Grace. What you did was...unorthodox...but that was pretty brave. At least you're not an oversexed advertisement for some sleezy mechanic who-"

Grace tried to clench her fist, making the rubbery flesh of her spherical self creak. "No that would be fun! They didn't make the air tank big enough! I can't get this big and NOT pop!"

Jesse blinked. "Wait, what?!"

Grace tried to flail, making her balloon body bounce off the walls. "It's not fair! I can't get this huge and not-"

She felt something like a pin poking her side. She looked down and got a glimpse of Ally jabbing a screwdriver into her.

*POP*

*WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH*

"WHEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!"

With that tiny prick, Grace zoomed around the landing area. She bounced off walls, ripples going through her form, giggling and deflating wildly. "WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Allison I knew you cared about mEEEE-"

She didn't finish before flying back into Ally and her screwdriver while she was still big enough to get what she wanted most.

*KABOOOOOOOOM*

Grace popped, exploding into a flurry of red confetti. And, as she was close to the epicenter, sending Ally flying into a wall.

*SPLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT*

Jesse had raised their arms against the huge gust of wind. When it passed she sighed, looking between what was left of Grace fluttering around, and the ten by ten foot wide, one inch thick splat of Ally plastered against the wall.

"Wait...did she say she wanted to?..."

Scarlett snapped her out of her thoughts by grabbing her arm, tugging Jesse towards the wall. "Yup! Come on, we need to peel Ally off the wall to get the beam. I wanna hear all about it from Grace!"

Jesse sighed again. "Why are you so damn weird?!"

Scarlett shrugged. "Go Red Heads For Life?"