Madison
Prologue
by D.X. Machina
Men rarely (if ever) manage to dream up a god superior to themselves.
Most gods have the manners and morals of a spoiled child.
--Lazarus Long
The dreams still came. They always came. Though he was long past
grieving, though he had long since moved on, still they came.
Sometimes, they would sneak up quietly, a glimpse out of the corner
of an eye in that dream where Betty White serves guacamole to
everyone but you. Other times, they were intense, and so palpably
real that he woke up, gasping for air and disoriented until he looked
around, and saw he was still in his apartment, still lying next to
his wife, still alive.
He cursed, silently, every time the dreams came.
He had killed her; he had long since come to terms with it. Her death
had saved thousands, even millions. And it was hard to argue with
results. Those battles were done for, forever. There was peace now.
And if he hadn't killed her--well, she wasn't listening to reason.
She'd been insane. And he had done what he had to do, slaughtering
her along with the best part of his soul.
He had done the right thing. He knew it.
Still came the dreams.
* * *
He was back there, back in Madison. Shrunk to two inches high. She
kept him this height most of the time, though he was in her complete
control. Sometimes he was larger, the size of a Ken doll. Sometimes
he was so small that he was barely visable to the naked eye. But he
was hers, utterly. The escape attempts had failed; besides, he wasn't
sure he wanted to escape. When she was sane....
The rumble came. The box lid was removed, and he instinctively put
his hand up against the blinding light. She was standing over him,
backlit, her long curly red hair swaying like a crimson forest. She
looked at him as one might look at a favorite pet. He relaxed. She
was more sane than usual.
"LITTLE ONE," she said, her face betraying no emotion.
"HOW ARE YOU?"
"I'm fine, Liz," he said, reflexively, ignoring the little
voice in the back of his head that said this isn't real, this is a
dream, you're lying in your bed next to Teri. She isn't here, you
aren't here. It's a mirage....
"AND TERI?"
This puzzled him, briefly. The dream-him knew no Teri, save for a
girl he had known in high school. The now-him paused long enough to
mutter an intemperate Ah. Something about now. Maybe now the dream
will change scenes....
"She's wonderful," he said, and meant it.
"I AM GLAD. I NEED NOT WORRY ABOUT YOU WHEN I DO WHAT I MUST DO
NEXT."
"What are you talking about, Liz?"
She smiled, that brilliant white, dazzling smile he had come to love
and fear. "YOU DON'T HONESTLY THINK I'M DEAD, DO YOU?"
Both sountracks in his mind went quiet. Finally, he started to say,
"Well yes, Liz, I killed you."
He started to, but her laughter drowned him out.
"SILLY. WHAT SPELL DID YOU USE? YOU DIDN'T KILL ME. YOU JUST
DELAYED ME BY A FEW YEARS."
What spell did he use? Wait--he remembered. Shrink her to 1/5000th of
an inch, and bind it for ten years. No, she couldn't have survived
it. No chance.
"I'M TOUGHER THAN YOU GIVE ME CREDIT FOR, JAKE. I ALWAYS HAVE
BEEN. BUT I WISH YOU NO ILL. I JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU THIS MESSAGE:
STAY CLEAR OF MADISON. THE TOWN IS MINE."
"Liz--no. You know I'd have to defend Madison. I'm sworn to
it."
"DO YOU WANT TO KILL ME AGAIN?"
The words hung in the air. He tried to respond, but before he could,
a loud buzzing filled the air, and suddenly, the dream world
vanished.
* * *
He showered and shaved, trying to put last night's dream behind him.
It had been so real. Like he was back in Madison all over again, with
her.
Liz--oh God, it had been so hard. He envied Scott. Scott had come to
his crossroads, and he had gambled everything and everyone for love.
And he'd rolled boxcars.
But Liz, well, she was insane.
He'd done the right thing.
The drive to work was simple enough, listening to Tom Barnard bitch
about immigrants while stuck in traffic on Cedar. He needed to give
more thought to moving into the office--God knows he could make room
for a mansion, if need be. Teri had broached the subject, but he'd
demurred. There was something about the drive that settled him,
connected him to the real world. It would be easy to just get sucked
up into this, to become nothing but the GTS Purveyor. It was good to
go home at the end of the night and watch American Idol and snuggle
with Teri. It made him more or less human.
He entered the office, and grabbed his morning coffee. Kari was in
already, and Scott was settled in. Sarah's office was empty, of
course--she rarely came in, what with her job as a law clerk for the
Hennepin County Public Defender.
Jake smiled inwardly. Good for her, going off and doing something
else. It would've been easy for her just to pal around with her
husband, go Godding around. With the power they had, they could rule
the world. But she simply went to law school and studied hard and did
her best. He had tremendous respect for her.
He knocked on Scott's door. "How's it going?" he asked.
"Just fine, boss," said Scott, looking up from his
computer. "Just going over the billing statements. Money's a
little bit tighter since we hired on our star client."
"Make money, lose money, point is to have fun," said Jake,
thinking idly he'd heard that somewhere before. "Besides, that's
just on the GTS Enterprises side of things. Our stipend from the GTS
Society ensures we'll never be living paycheck to paycheck--even if
we shut 'er down now."
"Yeah, well, it would be nice if we could show a consistent
profit."
"Say, did you get the crystal out to Almovodar?"
"Of course, boss. But isn't he...."
"Gay? Well, yes. But he's also obviously interested in GTS. What
he does with the crystal is up to him. The community owes him
big."
"No pun intended, I'm sure," said Scott, grinning.
"Of course not. Now back to work."
He wandered into the office and slumped into his chair, and opened up
his email. The date struck him. March 13. It had been almost ten
years. He'd defeated her on the Ides of March, he remembered, in
1993. Idly, he flipped through the inbox. Spam...Spam..."Thank
You" from a gentleman at Northwestern University...Spam....
He cleared out the inbox and turned to the readings. Ingenious,
really, the "listening" network that Scott had come up
with. It measured GTS energies across the globe. Well, in theory.
Really, outside of the U.S., Canada, and Western Europe, most of the
globe was a cipher. But coverage here was good.
He looked it over, noting briefly that there appeared to be slightly
elevated readings in the upper midwest. Well, stick two adepts in St.
Paul and you'll get that from time to time, he thought.
He turned away from the readings, and back to the mounting paperwork
in front of him. Well, time to get back to work, he thought.
* * *
The day ended, and Jake Thiessen closed up shop. Teri was out of
town, visiting Victoria at Society Headquarters in Chicago.
He didn't want to go home alone, not tonight. He'd called her,
midday, and related the dream.
"I'm never quite sure how to feel when you're dreaming about
her," Teri had said, simply.
"Oh, Christ, I'd never want to be with her. She was insane,
Teri. I just--it rattles me, you know? I wish I could get past this,
get it out of my system. I hoped telling you...."
He had trailed off. The conversation went away from the dream, and on
to the more mundane and happy pieces of life.
The day ended, and Jake didn't want to be alone.
"Scott! Hey, are you busy tonight?"
"Nah. Sarah has class, and then she has to do research for about
thirty hours on her law review article. God bless WestLaw, I don't
know how she'd do the research if she had to go through the
books."
"You want to grab a drink? I'm kinda on my own 'til Teri gets
back."
"Sure," grinned Scott. He'd never admit it, but he loved
getting to hang out with Jake alone. Not that he didn't love Sarah,
but he was in such an intensively female-centric job that it was nice
to get away from women once in a while. "Let me give the wife a
call and clear it."
* * *
Sweeney's is a little neighborhood bar not too far from the
Cathedral--and not too far from what used to be a bad part of St.
Paul. It has everything a good local needs to have--good drink
selection, reasonable prices, an appreciation for the regulars.
Jake had been a regular here, briefly, a long time ago. He still
homed in on the place when he needed a comfortable place to pass the
time. He ordered the scotch, drank it neat as he'd learned to, and
sighed.
"I've gotta say, I've seen you happier," said Scott.
"You missing Teri?"
"No. I mean, yeah. But that's not it." Jake sipped a little
more scotch, chased with water. What had he told Scott once? The
price to achieve what we want is awfully fucking high.
"What then?"
"Madison."
"Madison." Scott rolled the word around, trying to load it
with as much love and fury and anguish as Jake gave it. "You've
never told me exactly what happened in Madison. I've read the basic
reports, but--"
"The basic reports are woefully inaccurate."
Scott stopped short. "But haven't you--"
"I gave them what information was needed, that's all. I wouldn't
give her up. That's the one decent thing I could do for her."
The air was thick for a while. And then, slowly, Jake said the words.
"Scott, I think it's time I told you about what happened to me
in Madison. All of it."
Scott swallowed. Jake's exploits in Madison were legendary. They'd
popped up once or twice in odd comments, or brief mentions of this or
that.
"Okay, Jake, I'm listening," he said, taking a swig of his
beer.
 
 
PART ONE
"What’s gone and what’s past help/Should be past grief."
William Shakespeare
The Winter's Tale, Act III, Scene 2
 
 

Chapter One

It was a crisp fall day in Madison, the kind you get in the upper
midwest in early September. The air was full of energy, and the world
seemed somehow more real than it normally would've. It was a
Saturday. The Badgers were playing an away game at Washington, so the
campus was placid. I walked down Bascom hill toward Library Mall,
drinking in the aura of my new home.
I was two weeks removed from Minnesota, and I was feeling pretty good
about life. Today I planned to go down to State Street and kick
around for a while, maybe grab a Gyro at the Parthenon, maybe try to
sneak in and grab a beer at one of the myriad bars. I expected it
would be a good day.
I walked through the mall, half-listening to the street preachers
telling folks that the end of the world was near. I passed by the
fountain, and I saw her.
She was beautiful--long red hair, green eyes, a flawless, athletic
physique. She was short--no more than 5'2"--but somehow she
seemed bigger. I was instantly aroused the way you can only be when
you're eighteen.
I passed by without talking to her. She was older than me, I could
tell, and she was out of my league. But her image was burned in my
brain. I didn't know at the time, but that was the first time I ever
laid eyes on Liz Anderson.
* * *
Liz was a junior. She'd been at Madison long enough to know the
ropes, long enough to fall in love with the city. On days when she
was a little more giddy than usual, she'd tell her friends it was her
city, that she owned it.
She was healing; her friends knew it, she knew it. She was healing
from that day in March when her date had taken her further than she'd
wanted to go. No point pressing charges; it was her word against his,
and there just wasn't enough other evidence to support her claim.
She'd vowed revenge at the time, but now she knew that there was no
point in that, either; if she killed him, she'd go to jail. She could
try to beat him up, but he was much bigger than her. So she worked it
out as best she could, with friends and the folks at the counseling
center, and as time went by the wound scabbed over. It still came out
when she was a little more manic than usual, or a little more down.
She was in the library, poking around the back shelves. She was doing
research on the Holocaust for her history class; a 20-page term paper
loomed, and she wanted to get a start on things. She was flipping
through a series of books, including one by a holocaust survivor.
The book was old and worn--the publish date was 1952--and it seemed
to call out to Liz. She opened it up and flipped through the pages.
The smell of must told her that this book had probably not been
opened in thirty years. All the better to quote it, she thought, as
she flipped.
Out of nowhere, a piece of paper dropped from the book. She bent down
to retrieve it, looking at the folded piece of paper carefully.
Curious, she unfolded it, the yellow parchment almost falling apart
from age. It was a hand-written note, in ancient black ink. What she
saw would change her forever.
Die Grundregeln des Wachsens und des Werdens kleiner
The principles of growing and shrinking? she thought, as she looked
at the German text. She'd studied German for five years, had taken
the AP test on it. She spoke it well enough to read the document in
front of her.
It was a series of seven principles, seven incantations.
Straightforward. And a simple notation: "Wenn eine Person diese
Grundregeln mit malace in ihrem Herzen hervorruft, dann wird sie
sicher verdorben, und ihr Verstand wird bewölkt. Diese Warnung, dann.
Verwenden Sie diese Grundregeln nur für Ihre Verteidigung gegen
Männer."
Use these rules only for your defense against men, she mused. She
would.
She carefully folded the paper and placed it in her breast pocket.
She quietly slipped out of the library, and back to the dorms.
* * *
She couldn't say why she thought the paper was real. It read like bad
science fiction. But in her heart, she knew. They were there, the
main spells of GTS, the ones you've practiced and used: grow, shrink,
parry, age reduction, claris, morpheus, and transport. Each one
detailed, with rules and information. The way shrinking makes you
stronger, the way claris gives you eyes in someone else's head.
Liz didn't know it, but she'd stumbled upon an original copy of the
secret of GTS. The copy she held was written out in Bergen-Belsen by
a Catholic Priest, who happened to be a Keeper of the Secret--a part
of the organization that predated the Cadre. He was so disgusted by
the Nazis and the havoc they had created that he gave the secret to a
woman and her family, convinced that women could not fail but run the
world better than men. This betrayal of the secret--no betrayal in my
mind--led to the formation of the League. And of course, we all know
how that played out.
The woman had made three copies of the Principles. One found its way
to the League. One has been lost to history. And one showed up in
that book at the University of Wisconsin--Madison. And eventually, in
the hands of Liz.
* * *
"Do you think it was coincidence?" asked Scott, sipping a
Summit Maibock. "Or do you think someone planted it there for
Liz?"
"I don't know," allowed Jake. "I've long since learned
that there is a destiny that shapes our ends. For whatever reason,
though, she found it."
* * *
Liz studied the document well into the night, well after her roommate
had gone to bed. This was it. This was the key to it. This was her
revenge.
She decided to test it out. Holding the paper, she incanted the
shrinking spell. Seconds later, she was two inches tall--the height
she had hoped for.
She let out a whoop! and fell to the ground, laughing. After a few
moments, she restored herself, and went to bed. Tomorrow. Tomorrow,
she'd have her requital.
* * *
Greg Vanderhague was a cocky, arrogant bastard, or so I'm told. He
was a Fiji, the kind of guy who was on the football team in high
school (but not the star quarterback), who is in the frat in college
(but not an officer), who thinks he's God's gift to women (but treats
them like shit). He was a bit of a pretty boy, but that was more than
trumped by the depths of his stupidity. If not for his ineffable
charisma, he would have been a loser.
But ah, that ineffable charisma. He could be described by a line from
My Fair Lady: "Oozing charm from every pore/he oiled his way
across the floor." As such, he did get his share of women--for a
while, anyhow, until they realized what a dunderhead he was. And he
got his share of sex--sometimes, by putting a toe--or other body
part--over the line.
He was meandering down Langon, heading for class, or maybe not--he
thought maybe a brewski would be good, it being the late hour of
eleven A.M. Or maybe he'd stop and see that one girl--what's her
name? Julie? She gave good head, or had last week. Yeah, maybe he'd
see if she was up for a little hide the banana. Out of the corner of
his eye, he saw her approaching. He admired the body for half a
second before he realized who it was. Oh, shit, that crazy bitch who
cried rape on him. Well, yeah, technically she'd said no, but come
on, she wanted it. They all wanted it, really, even if they said they
didn't. He could see it in her eyes.
He started to turn when she called out to him. "Greg!" she
said, smiling a winning smile.
"Uh, hi, uh--"
"Liz. Liz Anderson. You probably don't remember me," she
said, tossing her hair.
"Uh--sure I do. Liz. Right. Um...so, how have you been?"
"Look, I know it's a little awkward," she said seductively,
leaning in and dropping her voice a half-octave. "I know I said
some things I shouldn't before, but, well, I was scared. But you were
so good...I mean, I just wanted to thank you."
Greg's mind was reeling. This was not an unusual development. The
wheels went round until they finally stopped on
"SHE--WANTS--ME."
It's hell being that stupid.
"Um, well, yeah, well I knew you wanted it. You were just
nervous."
"Well, duh! I mean, you're so much man, and I'm just me. I mean,
I just wanted to pay you back what I owe you," she said, running
her finger down his chest. "That's all."
* * *
Five minutes later, they were back at the house. They bounded up the
back stairs and into Greg's private room. He had asked her for a
blowjob, and she'd assented. Well, there you go, proof in Greg's
prowess. He was stripped naked before she even removed a stitch of
clothing. Liz turned to him and smiled.
"Oh Greg? Time for me to pay you back what you're owed."
He smiled, and leaned back, his tumescent cock ready for her lips to
pleasure him.
"Shrink," he heard, "1/24th scale."
What a funny think for her to say, he thought, as he waited. After a
few seconds, he opened his eyes and started to sit up. What are you
waiting for? he was going to ask. He didn't have all day...well he
did, but that was beside the point....
He didn't say any of that. He sat up, and his mind went blank.
This was not an unusual development.
But what had happened was. He was still on his bed, but it was
enormous. And that girl--she was approaching him--oh Christ, she was
enormous. She was a hundred feet tall. Oh, fuck oh fuck oh fuck....
"Well, Greg, I'm paying you back. You know, it's funny. You look
so pathetic down there that I almost feel sorry for you.
"Almost." She grinned down at the tiny man, now scooting
backwards away from her, a look of terror on his face.
"Where are you going? I didn't say you could leave." She
reached down and grabbed him firmly, lifting him up into the air with
a jerk.
Greg's stomach did flips as she held him in front of her enormous
face. He was still trying to figure out what had happened. I mean,
she had come on to him, but now...his brain hurt. "I thought you
wanted me!" he called out. He could see immediately it was the
wrong thing to say, though he didn't know why.
"Greg, you're an idiot. And unless I stop you, you'll do to
other women what you did to me." She grinned. She had been
unsure about this last part, but now she knew it was perfect. Poetic
justice. "You know, you like pussy so much, I think I'll give
you a close-up view." She pulled her panties down a bit and put
him up her skirt, enclosing him between her thighs.
Greg was staring up at the enormous twat, trying to figure out what
she was going to do to him. He thought about reaching out to touch
it, but he didn't dare.
Then, suddenly, the pressure came. The thighs swung shut tightly,
pushing him into the pussy, forcing the air from his lungs. He gasped
as Liz crushed him slowly, his brain trying to understand what was
happening. But in the end, it failed him. His last thought,
incongruously, was of Coors Light beer. Or so I like to think. He was
too dumb to ever realize why Liz had marked him for destruction.
She reached into her panties after five minutes of squeezing and
removed Greg's lifeless body. She laughed at it, and then shrank it
away to dust size. She walked out of the house free as a bird, and
lighter than air.
She thought as she walked down Langdon of how many women had gone
through what she had. How many women faced rapists and sexual
predators, with no hope for recourse. She could avenge them. She
could give them justice. She had the power.
This city was hers. She owned it.
* * *
"So where do you come into the story?" asked Scott, as he
dug into the pasta. They were on their third round--time to start
eating, or it would be a very drunk night.
"Soon enough. But you'll miss a lot of background if we just
skip to my part of the story. This is all important, Scott. It's
important you know that Liz started with the best of
intentions."
Jake sipped his scotch, and said, sadly. "But it got away from
her. It always does."
 
Chapter Two

"So how do you know all the stuff that happened before you got
into the picture?" asked Scott. It was a good yarn, but he was
starting to wonder if he should call Sarah. This could take all
night, at the rate D.X. was telling it.
"Eh? She told me. Told me everything she ever did. Sometimes she
was proud of it. Sometimes less so."
"Then maybe she made it up. I mean, maybe her rapist didn't
deserve--"
"Are you calling her a liar?"
Jake's countenance was cold, his eyes blazing.
"No, I just mean, maybe she misremembered."
Jake pulled back, and sighed. "I investigated pretty thoroughly
after--after. By all accounts Greg Vanderhague was as big a jerk as
she told me. I won't waste two tears over the guy; other than his
parents, I don't think anyone did. But are you gonna let me tell the
story, or are we going to debate all night?"
"You're right, Dix. So she'd just decided to become Madison's
avenging angel, right?"
Jake smiled a thin smile. "Right."
* * *
The next few days were a blur for Liz. She couldn't believe that
she'd actually killed Greg. Crushed him to death between her thighs,
next to the thing he'd taken from her by force. Part of her was
sickened by what she'd done. He'd deserved it; she truly believed a
rapist deserves death. But that didn't mean she didn't feel some
guilt about being the judge, jury, and executioner.
Whatever qualms she felt about killing Greg, however, were more than
trumped by the feeling of peace it had given her. Her friends had
mentioned it to her. So had her roommate, Sue.
Sue Nguyen was the daughter of Hmong immigrants, the first in her
family to go to college. She was bright, witty, and insightful. She
was also drop-dead gorgeous; I mention this only in passing. She had
broached the topic with Liz two days after the incident.
"I don't know what it is about you, but you seem happier than
I've seen you since...."
"Since March?" asked Liz, who was presently painting her
toenails a deep blood red.
"Well...yeah. Now that you mention it."
"Maybe I'm finally over it," said Liz, carefully buffing
the nails to a mirror shine. "It's been seven months. I don't
know, I just feel more...in control." With that, she laughed in
such a way that Sue was put off a bit--it seemed, well, evil.
"That's...that's good, Liz. I'm glad." Sue went back to her
reading, trying to put the odd laugh out of her mind. Well, heck, Liz
had been raped. She was allowed a little weirdness once in a while.
And she did seem happy. That was a good thing.
As for Liz, she was getting ready to go out alone. It was a Saturday
night, and she was going to try out her new found powers. She'd go
down to Langdon and see what was going on--and see what she could do
to help.
* * *
The Claris spell still disoriented her briefly, but it was a quick
way of figuring out what was going on--who was safe, who wasn't. The
Sigma Chi party seemed clean, she noted happily as she leaned against
the wall. Nobody seemed to be getting groped beyond reason, and while
there was plenty of fornication going on, it all seemed pleasantly
consensual. She didn't mind consensual sex. She was after the
nonconsensual kind.
I'm going to have to get a costume, she mused to herself. Micro-Girl,
or Giganta, or something like that. She laughed a little as she
turned the corner and walked by the Langdon.
Casually, she reached out to try a few minds. A boy and a girl were
engaged in hot and heavy action. She tarried just a moment in the
mind of the woman as her boyfriend licked her clitoris softly,
achingly slow. Liz pulled out of the moment feeling happy and calm.
Perhaps she'd go home.
She found her way to the Lakeshore Path, and walked along the
darkened path back to the dorm. She was relieved. She was starting to
think that she didn't want to be an avenging angel. Maybe it was
better just to be a coed again, graduate, and move on with life.
A chill wind blew off of Lake Mendota. Liz shivered involuntarily.
And then she heard it.
It was muffled, coming from up the hill a bit. She turned, trying to
hear what was being said. After a few moments, she gave up.
"Claris," she whispered, putting her consciousness in the
mind of a girl.
She was on the ground, a rough hand covering her mouth. She struggled
to scream, but he had her pinned well. The glove was thick and
leather, resisting her teeth. He was trying to spread her open with
the other hand, causing her intense pain, but he didn't care. He was
going to take her, she could see it in the eyes that peered out from
the mask.
Liz pulled herself out of the woman's mind and started sprinting up
the hill. "Back off! I know you're up here, and I know what
you're doing. Get off of her now!"
She saw them now, shilouettes in the moonlight. He stood up to face
her, and pulled out the knife. "Fuck you, what'cha gonna do,
bitch? Tell you what, you get on the ground, and I'll do you after I
do her."
She slowed now. He was backing away. He was just looking for an exit
strategy--he didn't want to kill the women, at least not both of
them.
But Liz was undeterred, and more than a little angry at the
arrogance. "What am I gonna do? This," she said, raising
her right hand.
* * *
When he woke up, the man found himself unable to move. He struggled
to look around, and saw himself in a field of brown grasses, about
the same height as he was. He looked down, and screamed, or would
have if he had lips.
He was one of the blades of grass.
But that wasn't right. It wasn't grass at all. It was...hair.
He saw a slight clearing off in the distance. A yawning chasm. A
familiar scent wafted from it.
My God, it was a giant pussy.
He tried to scream, to run, but he couldn't. He was no longer human.
He was just a hair in the bush of a nineteen-year-old sophomore.
His life from that point on was grim routine. Watch her pee, watch
her masturbate, watch helplessly as she and her boyfriend had sex.
Watch as the years went by, and babies emerged from the great chasm
in the distance. As far as I know, he's still watching today.
* * *
She helped the girl to her feet, helped her pull her panties back up
and get back to a state of dress.
"Thank you," said the girl. "What did you do? Where
did he go?"
"He won't bother you any more," said Liz, simply.
"He's gone."
The girl nodded. She didn't know what had just happened, but she was
grateful. "I...I need to get back to my dorm."
"Where are you?"
"Bradley."
Liz smiled. "Okay, I'll walk you back."
They walked in silence along the Lakeshore Path, until they reached
the Lakeshore dorms. "Thank you again," said the young
woman, turning to look at Liz. "I never even got your
name."
"I never mentioned it," said Liz. "Just think of me as
another coed who knows what you've been through."
The girl nodded. "My name is Angie. You saved my life. If you
need anything, ask and I'll do it."
Liz smiled. "Just remember, it wasn't your fault. You need feel
no shame. He was an animal, and that's all."
With that, Liz turned, and headed back towards Elizabeth Waters Hall.
She felt a lightness in her step. She'd helped Angie. Saved her from
rape, for sure; probably indeed saved her life.
It was her destiny, she thought, to end this evil that men could do.
It was her destiny to fight for women on this campus. She would have
to keep up her patrols.
And she had to work on that costume--or at least the mask.
* * *
Liz didn't catch another rapist for two weeks. Despite what some
feminist literature asserts, rapists are not common; they're nearly
as rare as murderers.
But they do exist. And it was only a matter of time before Liz had
the opportunity to exact revenge on behalf of her sisters.
She was at a party at the Theta Chi house. Her friends had drug her
along after noticing that she wasn't exactly doing a lot of
socializing. It was a good time, she thought, though she demurred on
a few passes her way; she wasn't really interested in men right now.
Instead, she danced and watched as the party unfolded, ready to do
what she had to do.
She saw him early on. He was grabbing women's asses, and getting shot
down regularly. Liz' eyes narrowed; it wasn't rape, not quite, but it
was close. She kept a vigilant watch on him as he groped his way
around the dance floor. After he cupped a fresman girl's breast, Liz
wanted to scream. The girl did scream, and threw a drink in his face.
He just laughed and walked away.
It was at this moment Liz made a fateful decision.
She raised her hand and murmured, "Shrink, 1:576 scale."
This done, she went back to dancing.
She didn't realize she'd turned a corner; not at that instant. The
guy was a lout, but he didn't deserve to be shrunk; he wasn't a
rapist, just a cad. Of course, Liz told herself that she hadn't
killed him; she'd just shrunk him to 1/8". But we know
different.
* * *
"How do we know different? He could've survived," said
Scott. "I did."
"You were a bit bigger than 1/8 inch tall. But your point is
well taken. He could've survived. People have. But he didn't. He died
about two weeks later, alone and scared.
* * *
Liz would check up on him from time to time, to see what he was
doing. He had bravely survived being shrunk on the dance floor--not
easy when half-mile tall people are moving all around you.
Fortunately, he'd been over by the doorway when Liz struck. He was
able to escape into a corner, where he tried to figure out a way to
get in touch with somebody.
He had an opportunity almost immediately. A rather inebriated Chi
Omega stumbled over to the corner and plopped down on the ground,
pulling her knees up to her chin and burying her face in her hands.
She was wearing a short skirt, which the man quickly entered. He
crawled up the crotch of her panties without hesitating a second; he
was able to turn off the lothario act when survival was on the line.
But of course, she got up eventually, and went back to her sorority.
She peeled off the panties, which he had clung to somehow, and tossed
them in the laundry. To make a long story short, he spent the next
two weeks trying to get in touch with one of the girls in the house.
He came close a couple times--once he even got into the ear of one of
the girls, and if she hadn't been half stoned, she may have realized
that she wasn't hearing voices. But in the end, he finally met his
maker by falling onto a bed while that stoned girl made love to an
equally stoned freshman girl; he was crushed under the breast of the
freshman, a breast he'd cupped at a party two weeks before.
* * *
"That's a helluva story," said Scott, pensively.
"It's hardly the only one," said Jake. "Once Liz
decided that low-grade lotharios were worthy of death, well, let's
just say things picked up a little. Over the next three weeks, three
more guys disappeared. Well, when five people disappear from a
college campus in a seven week period, it's bound to come out. And
when there are rumors that a possibly mythic vigilante calling
herself 'The Coed' is involved, well, that's when things start to get
interesting.
"It's also when I enter the story," said Jake, sipping his
Macallan. "And when I enter the world of GTS."
 
Chapter Three

Meanwhile, in New York, an intriguing report was coming in from a
field operative.
Veronica Ceres listened as the woman on the phone detailed the
goings-on in Madison. Nothing concrete--men disappearing, rumors of
someone calling herself "The Coed," one rumor that the men
seemed to just disappear.
Ceres gnawed on her pencil. She'd risen a fair ways in the hierarchy
of the Athena League, but she'd failed to deliver the Big One.
Not that this was unusual; nobody had delivered the Big One. The
Cadre had pretty much foiled the League at all turns.
This thing in Madison. It wasn't necessarily GTS-related. But it
might be. Could she afford not to gamble on it?
She hung up the phone, and called her travel agent. She'd get in
position. Just in case.
* * *
Liz sat and watched TV, trying to shake the odd buzzing in her mind.
It was always there, ever since she started to exact her revenge.
Like the soundtrack of a movie turned down almost to nothing, barely
perceptable, except for that occasional blip where you'd hear a car
crash, or a scream, or a stray word.
She knew what the buzzing was telling her to do: go out, get
vengeance. There were bad people out there, and she could do
something about it.
She wished Sue was in. She needed someone to talk to. But Sue was off
studying.
Liz got up and turned off the TV.
* * *
It was late in the evening on a Sunday--Saint Crispin's day, as I
recall. Liz walked through the cool streets of Madison, the chill
breeze of early winter whipping through her bones.
She was heading for the southeast dorms, a likely location of illicit
activity. She shook involuntarily as the wind buffetted her,
wondering why she was out that night. She just knew she had to be. It
was a duty. It was something more.
Mentally, she started flipping through the rolodex of minds in Ogg
Hall, trying to get a fix on any negative behavior. She had gained a
great deal of control in the past few weeks. She could see the minds
like a picture-in-picture, flipping back and forth while still
utterly aware of what was going on.
She stopped on one. A man was pressuring a woman. No, it was more
than pressure. It was eerily similar to something she'd been through.
She turned, and entered the building.
* * *
I entered the elevator and headed to my dorm room. I had been goofing
around, playing on a MUD that my friend had showed me--MUDdog, as I
recall. It was entertaining enough--a text version of D&D. I was kind
of addicted to it, I thought, and I was probably going to have to get
un-addicted, if I was going to do well in class this week.
I flipped through my copy of The Badger Herald, and chuckled at the
anti-Perot editorial. The guy writing it had some skills, I thought,
as the elevator stopped. I exited, and headed to my room.
I put the key into the door, and opened it.
My roommate jumped up off his bed. "Christ, don't you
knock?" he said, as a farly attractive young woman quickly rose
and exited past me. "Shit, Julie...aw, Hell."
Tom Neiderman was a hard-drinkin' guy from Milwaukee, who seemed out
of place in Madison. I disliked him intensely, but we were roommates,
at least through the end of the year.
"Tom, it's my room too. If you want privacy, you've got to give
me some fucking warning," I said, as I tossed my jacket onto my
bed. I was thinking I should turn around and head to the lounge--do
some reading, and maybe watch some TV. I grabbed my text of Plato's
Republic and turned around.
* * *
She stood in the doorway, a picture of beauty. She was taller than
she'd been before, by a couple inches. But I recognized her
immediately.
She didn't look happy.
"So, a little date rape, eh? Boy, you picked a bad night to try
that. Shrink, 1:24 scale."
Suddenly, I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach, and the world
seemed to slow. I saw the walls start to rush away from me, all at
once. But that wasn't possible. I looked at the girl, and she was
taller. Six feet. Eight feet. Twenty feet. But this wasn't possible.
When the ride stopped, she appeared to be a hundred feet tall. I
gasped as she took steps into the room, the floor shaking with each
vast footfall.
"BOTH OF YOU NEED TO COME OUT WHERE I CAN SEE YOU," she
thundered. I knew she wasn't referring to me--I was already in the
middle of the room, and she could certainly see me. Nevertheless, I
walked towards her, looking up her massive denim-clad leg to her
face, ten stories above me.
Tom came out too, shaking like a leaf. I'm not sure why it never
occurred to either of us to hide; maybe we both instincively knew
that someone who could shrink us to three inches tall wouldn't be
dissuaded by our merely hiding.
The building-sized woman in front of us crouched down, and I gasped.
So much mass dropping so quickly--and then freezing perfectly. It was
unreal. I looked at the girl, and found myself getting aroused in
spite of myself. So much power....
I was broken from my reverie by her booming voice. "YOU TRIED TO
RAPE A GIRL, DIDN'T YOU?" This was aimed at Tom. I turned
towards him. He was trembling, and the look on his face gave him
away.
"You tried to rape her?" I said, advancing on him.
"You cocksucker. You fucking son of a bitch." I was
onrushing him now, and without thinking, I tackled him.
* * *
It had been four years before that she'd been raped.
My sister. Mindy. She was attending Rice on an engineering
scholarship. This was before my dad died, but after my mom. Mindy had
come back from class, and was studying in her room when the bastard
struck. Broad fucking daylight. The police said she struggled, but
there's not much defense against a knife when you're bound and
gagged. Happily, they found the rapist. And happily, he lived in
Texas, so he went to the chair.
But not before my dad passed on. Not before he had to travel to Texas
to identify his daughter's broken body.
* * *
I caught him with a roundhouse across the jaw, not even conscious of
the bizarre circumstances that surrounded me. Suddenly, I found
myself lifted off of him--and then up--and up--and up.
The fingers were vise-like. I struggled, but there was little point
in that. They turned me to face her.
Her red hair flowed like a raging torrent around her face. Her
massive maw could easily surround me now. It was drawn tight. Her
face was the size of a billboard, a huge one. I tried to gather it
all in, but it was like trying to take in a forest while your face
was plastered against tree bark. Her green eyes fixed me like a fly
in amber. There was something odd behind them, some kind of internal
debate I could barely recognize. "YOU," she said.
"WHAT PUNISHMENT WOULD YOU GIVE THIS MAN FOR ATTEMPTING
RAPE?"
I thought not a second. "I'd kill him," I said.
"DOES HE DESERVE DEATH?"
"All rapists do." I wasn't lying, or trying to impress her.
I believed it--still believe it.
"WELL THEN," she said, turning to look at Tom, who lay
prone forty feet below. "DEATH IT IS. SHRINK, 1:100 SCALE."
With that, Tom dwindled to nothing. Then she stood, and with
tremendous force, brought her tennis shoe down on the spot on the
linoleum he had occupied. Then, for good measure, drug the foot.
"CLARIS," she intoned, cocked her head, and smiled.
I was trembling. She turned back to me, and my stomach flipped. I'd
witnessed a vigilante killing. A just one, but still. "NOW, WHAT
AM I TO DO WITH YOU?" she asked. It was a rhetorical question.
"YOU ARE BLAMELESS. YOU EVEN AGREED WITH ME ABOUT THE FATE A
RAPIST DESERVES. I COULD JUST LET YOU GO, RETURN YOU TO YOUR NORMAL
SIZE."
For a second, my heart leapt. But it sank moments later.
"NO, I CAN'T DO THAT. YOU'VE SEEN ME, YOU KNOW WHO I AM. IF I
LET YOU GO, YOU COULD LEAD THE AUTHORITIES TO ME."
"They'd never believe me," I said, trying to persuade her.
"Besides, I know if I told anyone I'd risk Tom's fate. You can
trust me."
She looked at me, and I could see she was torn. But she shook her
head, sadly. "NO, I'M SORRY, BUT I CAN'T TAKE THAT RISK. I'LL
HAVE TO DISPOSE OF YOU."
She started to set me on the floor. I was crying, but I knew I had no
choice. I thought I might try to run as soon as I hit the floor. I'd
have to try to live, even if only mouse-sized. It was a long shot,
but the only chance I had.
But before we reached the floor, the hand stopped.
"I CAN'T DO IT. I CAN'T KILL YOU," she said, one tear
running down her cheek. "YOU DIDN'T DO ANYTHING. BUT I CAN'T LET
YOU GO, EITHER." With that, she rose back up to her full height,
and opened her purse.
"I'M AFRAID YOU'LL HAVE TO STAY WITH ME. I CAN'T RISK ANYONE
FINDING OUT ABOUT MY SECRET."
With that, she unceremoniously dumped me into her handbag, and
zippered it shut.
* * *
As the handbag swayed and I tried to avoid motion sickness, I tried
to wrap my head around this bizarre turn of events.
This afternoon I'd been a normal guy. Now, I was smaller than a
smurf, prisoner of a probable serial killer. Because this woman was
almost certainly The Coed, the vigilante who'd been kidnapping guys.
Now I knew why they were disappearing.
Were they all rapists? If so, I sure felt okay about her killing the
bastards. Heck, I might even offer my assistance. If she'd unshrink
me, I could talk to guys--hey, guys talk. Maybe I could offer her
that....
No. I had to face reality. I was probably going to be stuck at three
inches for the rest of my life.
I tried to think of what this meant, and struggled to. Images of
Gulliver's Travels swam in my mind, and The Borrowers. But they were
all wrong, I knew immediately. The world was a big, scary place, and
one lone person was going to have trouble surviving in it without
help.
Somewhere in this, the image of my captress pushed its way into my
mind. So big, so powerful, so beautiful. Out of my league. But she
was going to take care of me. I was going to stay with her.
There was a bright side to this.
It was pretty dim, but it was brighter than the other side.
* * *
It had been a few hours. I'd been set down--the purse had, anyhow,
and I heard talking between my captress and another woman. I had
tried to sleep a little, but my sleep was fitful. Well, I shouldn't
have been surprised--I was trying to sleep in a purse. Finally, the
purse began to move again, before it was set down. The sky
parted--well, the zipper, anyhow--and the face of the woman looked
down on me with concern.
"I'M SORRY TO LEAVE YOU IN THERE SO LONG. I DIDN'T WANT MY
ROOMMATE TO SEE YOU. I FINALLY GAVE UP AND HEADED TO THE
LOUNGE." She reached in and gently hoisted me out, and set me on
the table in front of her.
I was just below breast level, which afforded me a spectacular view.
Still, I forced my head northwards--I did not want to be caught
ogling her. "I'M LIZ," she said, simply.
"Jake," I replied. "Jake Thiessen."
"WELL, JAKE, WHAT THE HELL AM I GOING TO DO WITH YOU?" She
had a different countenance than before. Her face was softer, and her
eyes were clear. "I WISH I HADN'T SHRUNK YOU."
"I wish I hadn't been in the room. If I would have hung out in
the lab half an hour more...." I paused. "No, if I'd have
waited, I wouldn't have interrupted Tom. And that girl would have
been raped, not just assaulted."
She looked surprised. "YOU'D TRADE THIS FOR HER SAFETY?"
"Yes," I said. "Yes, I think I would."
Liz looked down at me, stunned. She'd later tell me that at that
moment, she started to have feelings for me. But she simply said,
"YOU'RE A GOOD PERSON, JAKE. I'M SORRY TO DO THIS TO YOU. ARE
YOU HUNGRY?"
"No, I'm not. Thanks, though."
"WELL," she said, "YOU'RE PROBABLY TIRED. HERE, COME
WITH ME, I'LL FIND YOU A PLACE IN THE ROOM TO SLEEP."
She picked me up in her hand, and cupped the hand around me. The
flesh was soft and yielding, and I felt utterly safe. She carried me
gingerly back to the room, and suddenly, opened the hand, dropping me
into a drawer.
The cliche in Giantess fiction is that the man is made to sleep in
the Giantess' underwear drawer. I had no such luck. She put me into
her desk drawer, and dropped in a handkerchief. She mouthed
"Good night" to me, and seemed to wait just a second, as if
she had something more to say, before she shook her head and walked
away.
The lights were doused a few moments later, and I was left in
darkness to wonder what fate had in store for me.
* * *
There was silence between Scott and Jake for a moment or two.
Finally, Scott said, "I never knew how your sister died. I'm so
sorry, Jake."
Jake sipped his scotch, and looked at his watch. "I'm really
tired, Scott. What say we continue this tomorrow. We'll clear the
decks right away, and I'll continue regaling you with stories of my
youth. Hell, bring Sarah. She probably could stand to hear the story,
too."
"Okay, boss. You want to settle up?"
"'Son me," Jake said, as he dropped a hundred dollar bill
on the table. He rose, and headed out to his car. Time to head home,
give Teri a call, and see how she was doing.
And hope the dreams didn't come.
 
Chapter Four

"Jesus," said Sarah, as she listened to the story Scott
relayed to her.
"No doubt." Scott felt like he'd been run over by a truck.
And not just because of the four beers. He'd never seen Jake
so...well, so down. D.X. was the sort of guy who was generally
upbeat, the sort of guy who could take a six irregulars into the
heart of the League, and make everyone believe that they could win.
"Good thing I don't have class tomorrow morning. I think I
probably need to be there. It sounds like he needs some people to
talk to."
Scott sat down next to her. And then quickly embraced her. Jake's
story was also bringing up some old wounds. Scott had been orphaned,
too. And shrunk against his will. At least he'd found Sarah.
Thank God he'd found Sarah.
* * *
"So do you feel better for telling him?"
"A little. I just want to get free of it. There's a piece of me
stuck there, Teri. And I've been trying like Hell to free it. I just
want to free it. Or cut it off."
"No Jake," said Teri. "You don't want to cut it off.
You don't want to lose your connection to Madison. It's part of who
you are, and part of what you do."
Jake sighed. "Teri, I love you," he said into the phone.
"I know," she said, quietly. "I love you too. Pick me
up at the airport at five?"
"I'll be there," said Jake. They said their goodbyes, and
he hung up the cell phone.
He looked at the gate of the cemetery. It had been a while since he'd
been here to visit her. It was late, and the gates were locked, but
that was hardly a problem. He shrunk the car until he could drive it
under the gate, and proceeded a ways in before restoring it to the
size of a remote control car.
He drove the paths by feel. He knew exactly where he was headed.
Finally, he stopped at a corner of the cemetary, near a stand of
willows.
He exited the car and restored his height to full.
"Claris," he said softly. The guard was watching TV, and
eating pizza; it would be a while before she did a round. He walked
forward, and saw them.
Donald Andrew Thiessen, born July 8, 1948, died August 12, 1991
Mary Elizabeth Thiessen, born October 4, 1948, died March 4, 1988
Melinda Elizabeth Thiessen, born March 11, 1970, died December 4,
1989
And Jake fell to his knees, and he cried.
* * *
And the dreams came.
"Little One," she said to him, "did you never love
me?"
"Of course I loved you."
"Then why did you try to kill me?"
...Try to kill her. There it was again. Her insistance that she was
alive. In his dream, he tried to initiate the "Claris"
spell, but to no avail. No, she was surely dead.
"It doesn't matter, Little One. Only a few more days."
* * *
The office was a little more somber than usual. Scott and Sarah were
chatting about the daily news, the run-up to war. They had barely
noticed the time--had they, they would have seen that D.X. was late.
That's unusual.
A few minutes later, he appeared, bearing a box of Krispy Kreme
donuts and some juice. "Sorry, guys, it was a weird night last
night. Here, enjoy," he said, dropping the food on the
conference table.
Scott and Sarah filed in, both took a donut, and both sat down. And
waited. D.X. smiled. "So...story time, eh?"
Scott chuckled. "Well, I've brought Sarah up to speed...."
"Oky doky. So let's see," said D.X., munching a donut.
"Where were we?"
* * *
I awoke disoriented. I sat up, and instantly regretted it.
I was still in the drawer that Liz had put me in.
I had been secretly hoping she'd unshrink me while I was asleep,
leave me to think that it had been some odd dream. But she hadn't.
The drawer was open a crack. Carefully, I crept to the edge. I could
reach the top if I stretched. Doing my best, I pulled myself up. I
found to my surprise that it was not as difficult as it would have
been if scaling a similar wall full-sized. I pulled myself onto my
elbows, and looked around the room.
It was a pretty standard dorm room in Elizabeth Waters Hall, the
all-women's dorm. "The Virgin Vault," I snorted derisively
under my breath; of course, that wasn't quite true. And, backtracking
in my mind, I realized that if my sister had been living in an
all-women's dorm, she might be alive today.
Liz was nowhere to be seen; she must have awakened and headed to
class. I was surprised I hadn't awakened when she had.
The door swung open, and I prepared to drop--if Liz was returning,
she might not be happy to see me halfway out of the drawer.
But it wasn't Liz. Instead, it was a gorgeous Asian woman with her
hair wet, wearing a robe and carrying a massive container with bath
products.
I probably should've called out to her, but I was too stunned.
Especially a few moments later, when she took off her robe.
The woman--I would later learn her name was Sue--looked thoughtful
for a moment, and then walked over and locked the door. Walking back
to her bed, she laid down, and spread her thighs, and dropped a hand
between them.
I gasped as I watched her work on herself. She was just
masturbating--but it was awe-inspiring, watching this giant beauty
work on herself. As she finished, I found myself rock-hard, gasping
for breath. She simply finished, and after a moment or two of
afterglow, she got up and dressed, and unceremoniously exited.
I dropped back into the drawer. I wasn't sure what the implications
of this were. I didn't want to be three inches tall forever.
But I didn't mind the show.
* * *
It wasn't too much longer before Liz entered. She walked over to the
drawer, and smiled down at me. "GOOD, YOU'RE UP. SORRY TO NOT BE
HERE, BUT I HAD CLASS."
I looked up at her, awed by her beauty. She had obviously just gotten
out of bed and rushed off to class--her hair was pulled up in a pony
tail, and her face was bereft of makeup.
"No problem," I replied, stretching. "I just woke up a
few minutes ago."
"I BROUGHT YOU SOME BREAKFAST. SCRAMBLED EGGS. I HOPE YOU LIKE
THEM--THOUGHT THEY MIGHT BE EASY FOR YOU TO EAT."
"Thanks," I said, meaning it. I was hungry. I had another
urgent need, as well.
"I also kinda, uh...."
"WHAT IS IT? DID YOU WANT SOMETHING ELSE TO EAT?"
"No! No. It's not that. It's...."
"OH. OH! OF COURSE. UM--ARE YOU TOO MODEST TO USE A PLANT?"
* * *
After I saw a man about a horse, we sat down to breakfast. Me,
perched on the edge of a plate from the cafeteria, eating handfulls
of egg; she, seizing pieces of egg the size of my torso. We talked
about her powers, about their source, about what she'd done.
"Any chance I can see the scroll?"
"HAH. NO, SORRY JAKE. THE LAST THING I NEED IS FOR YOU TO FIGURE
OUT THESE TRICKS TOO."
"Hey, we'd make a good team. Between the two of us we'd pretty
much have the state of Wisconsin covered. If we found some people we
trusted, we could branch out. Sort of like the Superfriends."
She smiled a bemused smile. "I DON'T THINK SO, JAKE." Then,
her face fell, just a bit. "NO, I WON'T DO THAT TO YOU."
"It's a burden, isn't it?" I asked, after a few moments.
"OF COURSE IT IS," she snapped. Then, sighing, she simply
said, "I MEAN, I KNOW I'M DOING THE RIGHT THING."
"But it doesn't always feel right."
She just looked at me for a minute, like she wanted to correct me.
Instead, after a moment or two, she smiled, and said simply,
"ENOUGH OF THIS. SO, JAKE, TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF."
* * *
It was late evening when we finished talking. We were down by the
lake, me tied into her hair so I wouldn't get lost. We'd talked about
just about everything--her rape, my sister's rape, the upcoming
election, our mutual interest in the new "alternative"
music, whether she should fork over money for an email account, how
cool gopher was, whether the Badger Herald or the Daily Cardinal was
a better paper, whether American democracy was simply a means of
impressing a patriarchal system upon the masses--the basic things
young students at Madison talked about when they were falling in
love.
We were silent, now, looking out over the lake. She broke the silence
in a most unexpected way.
"YOU KNOW," she said, "I HAVEN'T BEEN WITH ANYONE
SINCE I WAS RAPED."
"I would think not," I said. I wasn't sure how you could be
intimate with someone after that kind of violation.
"IT'S NOT LIKE YOU THINK. I'M NOT AFRAID OF INTIMACY, OR EVEN OF
SEX. I'M NOT EVEN AFRAID OF NOT BEING IN TOTAL CONTROL. I'M JUST
AFRAID OF NOT BEING AT ALL IN CONTROL. "BUT THERE'S SOMETHING
THAT'S OCCURED TO ME," she said.
"What's that?" I asked.
"I HAVE ALL THE CONTROL I EVER COULD NEED." With that, she
untied the knot of hair that held me in place, and brought me up to
her face, and without a word, she kissed me.
To say I was startled would understate the point completely. I was so
startled that I failed to enjoy the kiss--at first. Indeed, I
struggled and pushed her away. Well, tried to.
Actually, she backed off quickly. "OH MY GOD, I'M SORRY, I NEVER
MEANT--"
"No! No no no!" I cried, realizing quickly my mistake.
"I was just surprised. Had I been expecting it, I mean...."
"OH, LIKE IF I HAD SAID 3...2...1...."
"Yeah, that would have oomph!" She kissed me again at zero.
This time, I didn't struggle. Her plush lips played over my entire
body, covering me in saliva. Her tongue pushed out slightly, licking
me. I was bathed in her hot-pungent breath. I did my best to kiss her
back--not that I think she noticed much. But when she finally broke
the kiss and pulled her head back and smiled, I gasped and smiled
right back.
Despite everything, I was the happiest man on earth.
* * *
I went to bed that night trying to envision what it would be like to
be with her in the biblical sense. I tried to imagine what it would
be like to make love to a woman with a vagina the size of me. It was
an awesome possibility--one I'd never really considered before. I
found myself excited by the prospect. I hoped Liz would allow me the
opportunity.
Certainly, she seemed like she cared for me. She'd kissed me good
night, and stroked my hair tenderly. Of course, I was still in her
desk drawer. But things would come together, all in good time.
* * *
"That's just sweet," said Sarah, munching on the burgers
Scott had brought back from Andy's for lunch.
"Yeah, Jake," said Scott. "It's a little like our
story."
"Except I had nothing to do with your shrinking, and we didn't
kiss until later."
"It's just like us," said Scott, grinning wickedly.
"Jake was even spying on a woman while she--"
"Oh, we're going there, eh? Am I to surmise that you'd like me
to morpheus you right into my insole again?"
"Hey, come on, I'm just teasing. Put your hand down. Hey--don't
make me parry--"
"You won't parry. Not if you know what's good for you."
Scott and Sarah dissolved into hysterical laughter, falling back
against the chairs and giggling until their sides hurt. Scott knew,
of course, that Sarah really would turn him into her insole as
punishment later--it wasn't like she hadn't done it before. But he'd
go along with it, especially since they both knew damn well that he
didn't mind it a bit. Later, he might turn her into something. And if
not, he'd probably just turn himself into himself, only smaller. It's
good to know what you both like.
Jake smiled, and rocked back in his chair. "Are you two
finished? I'm trying to tell a story here."
"And a sweet story it is, boss. Liz seems like a nice
girl."
"Oh, she was. She was one of the top five women I've ever met.
If that asshole hadn't raped her, she could've become anything."
At this, the room fell silent, and Jake's face hardened for a second,
before softening again. "It would get worse later, but that
time--the end of 1992--that is one of the happiest times of my
life."
He smiled, and said simply, "I've got to check the report quick.
I'll be right back."
As he entered his office, Sarah looked at Scott, and said, for the
eight thousandth time, "Honey, I'm sorry about New York."
"I know, Sarah. I know. I just thank God things turned out
better for us than they did for D.X. and Liz."
"So...you want to be my insole tonight?"
He grinned. "Only if you want me to, my love."
Sarah laughed, and said quietly, "I do."
 
Chapter Five

D.X. returned from the office slightly vexed.
"Anything wrong, chief?" said Scott, turning his thoughts
away from merging with various articles of his wife's clothing long
enough to notice his boss' concern.
"Don't think so. Just a bit of a spike in activity in the upper
midwest."
"Huh. Sarah and I weren't really parrying or anything there, you
know...."
"Don't make me go God-teacher on the bit, Scott. I know you two
rapscallions were just engaging in a GTS version of a PDA. Which
reminds me, when exactly are you planning on settling down into a
boring, staid marriage?"
"Right after Proteus strips us of our powers," said Sarah,
matter-of-factly.
"Last week it was Gaia," teased Scott.
"Really, Sarah, you need some internal consistency. You had told
me it was Loki."
"Truthfully, if Gaia, Loki, or Proteus show up and want to strip
me of my powers, they can have them. Though it will destroy my dream
of being Inch High Attorney at Law."
Scott smiled. "I think I speak for men everywhere when I say I'd
prefer Attack of the Fifty Foot Lawyer."
"Okay, you two, get a room. Sheesh. Anyhow, I don't think it's
anything to be concerned about. It's not even close to New York
levels. Probably just a blip. We'd best monitor it, though. That's an
order."
At this, Scott sobered up. "Aye, sir. Sarah and I will track
it."
"Do more than that. Focus in on it. Give me vitals."
At this, Scott and Sarah closed their eyes for a second, and reached
out for the anomaly. "Nothing tangible," said Sarah,
presently. "But whatever it is, it's wielding significant
power."
"Adept levels?" asked Jake, concerned.
"Negative," said Scott. "But strong. Stronger than
you, I'd wager. Could be an artifact of some sort. I'm not getting a
clear sense of conscious will directing it."
"Do you have a location?"
"Just a sense of a lake. That could be anywhere in Minnesota,
Wisconsin, or Michigan."
"All right," said D.X., satisfied. "You two can come
back in now. We're just going to keep an eye on this for now. If
anything spikes, we'll go to a higher alert level, and story time
will have to end." The two nodded. "Of course, sir,"
said Sarah.
"But for now, where was I? Oh yes. The happiest time of my
life--before I met Teri, that is."
* * *
All in all, I wasn't sure I enjoyed being 1/4 inch tall.
Liz had decided that it would be the best way for me to accompany
her--she told me she didn't fell safe with me tied into her hair, but
she wanted me someplace where she could hear me.
I think it was lonely for her. I think she just needed someone to
confide in, to confess to, to share the experience with.
She wanted to keep her secret, so who better than me? Heck, it wasn't
like I was going anywhere--and I sure as heck couldn't tell anyone.
I sat in her ear canal, listening to the steady whoosh of blood all
about me. It scared me to be this small.
"HOW ARE YOU HOLDING UP IN THERE, LITTLE ONE?"
Little One. She'd taken to calling me that over the past few days. I
didn't mind; if anything, I kind of liked it.
"Okay, I guess," I said, holding tight as best I could.
"CLARIS," she said, softly. She was quiet a few moments,
before saying, "OH, MAN, I THOUGHT I GOT ALL THE WAX OUT OF
THERE."
I chuckled. "I thought it looked good. I shudder to think what
you'd find in my ear if you were in it."
"YEAH. BUT IF YOU KNEW HOW MANY Q-TIPS I WENT THROUGH TRYING TO
GET IT NICE FOR...."
She trailed off there, and I felt the heat in her ear rise with her
blush.
"I think it looks great, Liz," I said, and immediately
winced. I knew I was blushing as deeply as she.
Neither of us said anything for a few moments, until Liz finally
spoke.
"WELL," she said, "THAT WAS AWKWARD."
I laughed out loud; so did she. We walked on in silence for a
while--that is to say, she walked on, and I rode.
After a while, she said softly, "YOU KNOW THAT I CARE FOR YOU,
JAKE, DON'T YOU?"
"I know," I said.
"AND YOU KNOW THAT IT ISN'T THAT I DON'T WANT TO RESTORE YOU,
RIGHT? YOU KNOW I JUST CAN'T TAKE THE CHANCE. NOT YET. MAYBE SOMEDAY,
BUT...WELL, I MEAN, YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY, DON'T YOU?"
"You know I'd never betray you," I said. "You know I'd
protect your secret, no matter what."
"I KNOW, JAKE. I KNOW. BUT...I JUST CAN'T RESTORE YOU. NOT YET.
BUT...BUT I PROMISE YOU I'LL TAKE CARE OF YOU. I'LL PROTECT YOU, NO
MATTER WHAT."
I leaned back. I wanted her to restore me. I wanted to be back to
normal.
But what had normal ever gotten me? Two dead parents and a dead
sister, and a bunch of soi-disant friends who couldn't understand why
I didn't want my parents' home turned into a party pad for my senior
year. (Well, except for Teri. She'd understood.)
So here I was, in the ear of a beautiful woman who had just sworn to
protect me, and maybe, someday, restore me to my right size.
It was good enough for the moment.
"I understand, Liz, and it's okay," I said. "I like
being with you. I care for you, too."
I felt the heat of her blushing again. "YOU DON'T DESERVE THIS,
JAKE. I'M SORRY."
"It's the best thing that ever happened to me," I said. And
I knew, in my heart, it was true.
"YOU'RE SO SW--WAIT A SEC. CLARIS....OH, YOU SON OF A BITCH.
OKAY, JAKE, IT'S GO TIME."
And suddenly, the leisurely walk became a full-out sprint. It was all
I could do to stay safely in her ear canal.
"What's up?" I asked, bouncing violently.
"SEXUAL ASSAULT. TWO GUYS, ONE GIRL. SHE WANTS OUT OF THE ROOM,
THEY'RE NOT LETTING HER GO."
"Where at?"
"THE LANGDON. THIRD FLOOR. WE'LL HAVE TO GET PAST THE GUARD.
WAIT...NO, WE WON'T--ASSUMING THIS GOES RIGHT. TRANSPORT...."
* * *
It wasn't a fair fight. Of course, fights between mere mortals and
superheroines rarely are.
Sarah dropped right into the room, as the woman was trying
desperately to kick her way out of the fatter guy's grasp.
"OH, SO SAD. TWO OF YOU BOYS AND ONLY ONE GIRL. WELL, I GUESS I
BRING IT BACK TO EVEN, DON'T I?"
The fat man dropped the girl on the floor. She hit her ass hard, but
quickly bounced up and backed away.
"What the Fuck is going on here? How did you get in?"
"I JUST DROPPED BY. IT SEEMED LIKE A PARTY IN HERE. SO, SWEETIE,
WAS IT A PARTY?"
"I just went back to their room. They said they were going to
give me some pot," said the woman.
"OH, NEVER TRUST RANDOM BOYS WHO SAY THEY'LL GIVE YOU POT IF YOU
JUST COME BACK TO THEIR ROOM, DEARIE. YOU MUST BE A FRESHMAN."
"Actually, I'm in High School. I'm just here visiting my
sister."
I felt the heat in Liz' ear spike. "FUCKING HIGH SCHOOL? YOU TWO
DUMB SHITS DON'T EVEN HAVE THE COMMON DECENCY TO ASSAULT AN ADULT,
YOU HAVE TO GO AFTER A KID? OH, THIS IS GOING TO BE FUN. OH, JACOB,
DARLING, WHAT DO YOU THINK I SHOULD DO TO THESE TWO?"
"Fuck that, Dan. Let's get her!"
"SORRY, LOVE, NO TIME...MORPHEUS MORPHEUS! OH, HELL, I RUSHED IT
A BIT. MORPHEUS...THERE. PERFECT. THESE, MY DEAR GIRL, ARE FOR YOU.
BE MORE CAREFUL NEXT TIME." "What are you?" asked the
perplexed secondary student.
"I AM THE COED," said Liz. "TRANSPORT."
With that, we were gone.
* * *
Alicia studied the gift of the woman for several minutes. Could she
have possibly seen what she thought she'd seen? Her two attackers had
disappeared, and in their place....
No, it was impossible.
She studied the gift some more.
Maybe it was impossible. But it sure seemed real. And if that woman
had done what Alicia thought she had done....
A smile played out over the high school junior's face as she thought.
She hoped this meant what she thought.
* * *
Dan woke up stunned. What the fuck had just happened? He and Damien
had just been having some fun with the girl. They weren't really
gonna rape her. Well, yeah, he had to admit, maybe they were. But she
was a high school student. Didn't she want to score with some older
guys?
He tried to call out to Damien, but found he couldn't speak. He tried
to get up, but he couldn't. In fact, he felt completely different,
completely changed.
Then, suddenly, the pretty high school girl lifted him up with one
hand. No, wait, that wasn't possible. But it so was. She was
enormous, and she was holding him in one hand, and a tennis shoe in
the other hand. A wicked grin played out over her face as she dropped
him to the ground.
He landed with a thud on the ground, and a mental groan. He saw her
slide onto the bed, and take her socks off.
Then she advanced her foot on him, and slipped it inside him.
It stank. It tasted foul. And when she rose up and put her weight
upon him, it hurt.
It hurt like Hell.
* * *
They would become Alicia's favorite pair of shoes. She wore them
constantly. She ran in them, she jogged in them, she slogged through
the mud in them. They were the most comfortable pair of shoes she'd
ever owned.
And at night, when she was sure nobody could hear her, she'd whisper
to them, "Hey boys, I hope you enjoy your fate. I hope you enjoy
my sweaty, stinky feet. I hope you enjoy every miserable footfall.
We'll play again tomorrow." And every night, she'd go to bed
smiling.
The shoes sat there, expressionless. Inside the left one, Dan swore,
each night, that he'd figure a way out of this horrible world he'd
landed in, but each sunrise brought her feet back. Damien was more
sanguine. He greeted his goddess each morning with a prayer, each
footfall with a cry of thank you, each fleck of dirt from her sole
with reverence. He was surely insane. But he was happier than his
once and current roommate. Happier by far.
* * *
"Shoes?"
"IT WAS A SUDDEN INSPIRATION. SORRY I COULDN'T WAIT FOR YOU TO
PICK, THOUGH."
"Oh, that's okay. Frankly, I think you were probably a little
more creative than I would've been."
We were back in her dorm room, talking giddily about The Coed's
latest triumph. I was back at four inches tall, and I was sitting
cros-legged on her desk as she leaned back, looking down at me with a
satisfied smile.
"OH, I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THAT. I BET IF I'D GIVEN YOU SOME TIME,
YOU WOULD'VE COME UP WITH SOMETHING PRETTY DEVIOUS."
"Well," I said, standing up and stretching, "I did
have an idea...."
"REALLY? DO TELL." She sipped her enormous vodka coke, and
smiled broadly enough to show me she was getting a little bit tipsy.
I had no doubt that I was buzzed; Liz had been kind enough to pour me
a thimblefull of vodka. I had what amounted to a bucketfull of liquor
in front of me. I hadn't put much of a dent into it, but I was but a
freshman. I didn't have any tolerance at all.
I was a really cheap date.
"Well," I said, responding to her earlier query, "I
was kinda thinking along the lines of tampons."
Liz gasped, then broke into howls of laughter. "YOU SEE? I TOLD
YOU THAT YOU HAD A WICKED MIND. THAT'S A GOOD ONE! HMMM...PUT 'EM IN
A TRUCK STOP VENDING MACHINE, LET 'EM WAIT A GOOD LONG TIME NOT
KNOWING WHAT'S HAPPENED TO THEM UNTIL...IT'S A HEAVY DAY!" At
this, she broke out laughing again. So did I.
When I finally regained my composure, I said, "I like it, but
I'd put 'em in a high school. I mean, they wanted teen pussy so
much...."
Liz smiled wider. "POETIC JUSTICE. I LIKE IT! I'M TOTALLY USING
THAT ONE." She sipped her drink, and mused, "THIS IS SUCH A
DESTRUCTIVE POWER. I WISH THERE WAS SOMETHING THAT I COULD DO WITH IT
THAT WAS...I DON'T KNOW...FUN."
"Oh, I don't know about that. I can think of a few fun
things."
"OH REALLY? LIKE WHAT?"
"Well...."
"'WELL' WHAT?"
For the second time that day, I was blushing.
"Um...uh...erm...." I stammered, struggling to come up with
a nonsexual "fun." Liz stared for a bit, waiting for me to
answer. Then, suddenly, her eyes got very, very, very wide.
"OH," she said. Then, for good measure, "OH."
There was a pause that seemed to last forever.
Then, slowly, a smile began to creep across her face.
She looked thoughtful for a moment, before saying, gently,
"WELL. THAT REALLY MIGHT BE FUN.
"I'M GAME IF YOU ARE, LITTLE ONE."
* * *
Meanwhile....
* * *
"Whoa there! Hold up there D.X. The story was just getting good,
and you throw in a 'meanwhile'?"
Jake just stared for a second, before saying, simply, "Sarah,
glad as I am that you're finally enjoying the story, there really is
a method to my madness beyond titilating you two."
Sarah blushed. "Sorry, D.X. You're right. And it is a good
story. Really."
Jake chuckled. "Sarah, can't you tell I'm just harassing you? I
know when a story's getting good--and this one is. Just one aside,
and then the good stuff, okay?"
Sarah smiled her adorable smile, and said, "You're the best,
boss. I promise I'll be good."
Jake leaned back. "So, where was I?"
"Meanwhile," said Scott, helpfully.
"Ah, yes. Meanwhile."
* * *
Meanwhile, across town, Ronnie Ceres was ecstatic.
It was GTS at work. She had sensed it. She felt the boys transform,
felt their delightful pain.
But what had been so amazing was that when The Coed left, the boys
stayed shoes. They stayed what they had become.
It was a truth the League had found. Transformations were
impermanent. If the transformed party didn't believe in GTS, they
would return to their forms later. GTS was a temporary
phenomenon--unless the transformed subject believed.
But this--this had been permanent. Why? Did this woman have more
power than others? Or was it something else?
She was meditating on this, now, waiting for her next move. This was
it. This was their chance.
* * *
D.X. leaned back, and smiled.
"Okay, time for the good stuff?" asked Scott.
D.X. smiled wider.
"So anyhow, I have to see a man about a horse. You two grab a
coke or something."
Scott and Sarah immediately groaned. "You're just going to leave
us hanging?" asked Scott.
"Not for long," said D.X. "Not for long."
 
Chapter Six

D.X. returned, and said, "So, probably we should do some work.
I'm sure there's something I could find for you two to do...."
"Oh, now you're just being mean. Sarah?"
"Right, honey, Shrink, 24:1...."
"Oh, insubordination, eh? All right, well, I suppose I could
continue the story. I mean, if you want me to."
Sarah lowered her hand, and said, "Well, Jake, I think we were
getting to the good part, right?"
D.X. closed his eyes, smiled, and said, "Right."
* * *
"I'M GAME IF YOU ARE," she said, smiling.
I swallowed hard.
Now, you have to understand, at the time I was pretty inexperienced
with women. That is to say, I essentially had no experience with
women. In my life to that point, I'd gotten to the make-out stage of
a relationship, and no farther. More to the point, as I had stated
earlier, Liz was way out of my league.
To say I was daunted was an understatement.
"Um...well, I mean...uh...yes?"
She giggled loudly. "OKAY, LITTLE ONE. WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO
START?"
"Well...." I goggled. I had little enough idea of where I'd
start with a girl my own scale.
"TELL YOU WHAT. LET'S COME OVER TO MY BED, AND I'LL GIVE YOU
SOME IDEA OF WHERE TO BEGIN, OKAY?"
"That sounds good," I allowed, as she grabbed me and
carried me over.
She laid back and rested me on her stomach, her face obscured by her
breasts momentarily, before she lifted herself up on her elbows.
"WELL, FIRST THINGS FIRST. WE NEED TO BE UNDRESSED. I'LL UNDRESS
YOU FIRST, OKAY?"
She didn't wait for my response. Instead, she lifted me, and
carefully removed the little wisp of fabric that had passed for my
clothes. She looked me over, and giggled at the proof of my ardor.
"SO APPARENTLY YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO ME?"
I laughed self-consciously. "I don't know how anyone could fail
to be."
Her laugh turned into another emotion, still happy, still pleasant,
but much more subdued. "YOU'RE SWEET, YOU KNOW. OKAY, NOW YOUR
TURN TO UNDRESS ME."
"Um...." She set me back onto her stomach, and laughed
again. "WHY DON'T YOU START WITH MY SOCKS?"
Well, this was an impossible task, but I decided I would give it the
old college try. Carefully, I started walking toward her feet.
Occasionally, a laugh from Liz would knock me down, but each time I
got back up again, and continued.
Presently, I reached her jeans. Tenatively, I pulled myself onto the
denim, realizing full well just how close I was to her vagina. I
looked down at her feet, still well over ten yards distance away. I
weighed my options, and decided the most expedient way to them was
also the most fun.
Ever-mindful that I may quickly be dealing with a perturbed giantess,
I moved towards the zipper of her jeans, and reversing course,
carefully climbed down onto the bed below. I heard a surprised gasp,
and then the body I climbed down shook slightly as she sighed
happily.
I stood in a valley between two denim-covered thighs. I jogged the
length of the legs quickly, and then stopped as I saw her foot.
The white socks encased feet far bigger than I. I looked at the
soles, covered in dust and grime from a day of wear. How in the name
of Jebus was I supposed to do this?
I decided that maybe I'd have a shot if I started rolling them down.
That this was but the first sock and I had no shot at actually
disrobing Liz in her entirety did not register with me.
Carefully, I pulled myself up inside the leg of her jeans. I reached
the end of the socks, and pushing with all my might, I moved the sock
about a quarter-inch. I tried again, with similar results. After a
few minutes of this, I heard a gale of laughter. Liz pulled her pant
leg up enough to see me, and laughed again.
"LITTLE ONE, I DON'T WANT YOU WEARING YOURSELF OUT ON MY SOCKS.
I WANT YOU WEARNG YOURSELF OUT IN OTHER PLACES. HMM...I TELL YOU
WHAT, YOU JUST REST HERE ON THE BED. I HAVE AN IDEA."
Liz carefully got up and walked to the middle of the room, facing me.
She thought a second, then walked over to her boom box and started
playing some music--Enigma, I think it was. Then she walked back to
the middle of the room, gave me a wink, and started dancing.
It was but a few seconds before she slowly, seductively removed her
shirt.
I marveled as I watched this giantess going through a striptease. And
I knew as I watched her that there had been no chance in Hell I ever
could have disrobed her myself.
Watching her dance, I was quite okay with that.
When she was down to but her panties, she returned to the bed and sat
down next to me. She swung her leg over me, and again I was in a
valley between two thighs.
"COME BACK UP ONTO MY STOMACH," she purred.
The way there was obvious. I walked up to her white cotton panties
and grabbed them carefully. They were slightly damp, and I could feel
the blast-furnace heat of her vagina just millimeters from me. Trying
to keep my mind clear, I climbed up the fabric, and walked onto Liz'
bare stomach.
It was like nothing I could possibly describe--nothing at all. Her
skin felt like a wrestling mat--but far sexier and softer than that.
Below it, I could feel each flex of her abdominal muscles. I walked
towards the foot-deep divot that was her navel, trying to determine
what she wanted me to do next.
"KEEP WALKING," she said as I paused. So I did. Closer and
closer to her mammoth, glorious breasts.
"PICK ONE," she said, "AND CLIMB ABOARD."
Carefully, I moved into the valley between her breasts. Choosing
randomly, I began to slowly ascend her left breast. I climbed, and
climbed, and climbed, and after a bit, I realized I wasn't getting
anywhere. I stopped, and looked at the suddenly-much-larger Liz, who
was grinning at me wickedly. "SORRY, LITTLE ONE, I COULDN'T
RESIST. HERE, LET ME HELP YOU." She reached out a fingernail,
and lifted my now-quarter-inch body up and onto her nipple.
I reached down and felt the nub, amazed at the level of detail I
could see. Carefully, I caressed it, and then, I bent down to kiss
it.
The whole world shook as Liz exhaled with pleasure. "THAT FEELS
VERY NICE, LITTLE ONE. VERY NICE INDEED."
Suitably encouraged, I continued my ministrations, only more so.
After a few minutes, I felt the nub shrinking beneath me as Liz
expanded me again. Once I was back to four inches, she picked me up,
and brought me to her face, and kissed me, hard.
Not that she hadn't kissed me before, but this was something else.
She was furiously working me over with her lips and her tongue, which
brought me perilously close to climax. Just when I thought I couldn't
stand it any more, she suddenly slid me head first into her mouth.
I yelped as I found myself moving toward an open throat, and yelped
again as the throat became larger, while Liz shrunk me to a more
manageable size. Then, slowly, she began to roll me about her mouth
with her tongue.
It was unbelievably erotic, her soft-rough tongue pushing me against
the roof of her mouth, her breath surrounding me, literally the air I
breathed. After a few minutes, she removed me, dripping and happy,
and said, "SO...WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO ALL THE WAY?"
"Oh, my, yes," I said.
She lowered me back into the valley between her thighs. I noticed
immediately that she'd removed what clothing she'd previously
retained. Her labia stood in front of me like an immense gate. Even
as she restored me to four inches tall, I knew that this was to be a
daunting task.
Carefully, I stroked the outer lips, trying to figure out what to do.
The moan I got in response told me I was on the right track. I slid
my hands along the slit, until they reached beneath the hood that
shrouded her clit.
I was standing on my tiptoes to reach it, until I stepped into her
vagina for leverage. This caused my world to shake with feminine
lust. It felt nice to me, too.
I strained to touch her clitoris, gently. This got me my most
significant reaction yet, so I continued to massage it.
Suddenly, two fingers lifted me and plunged me feet first into Liz,
leaving my head and shoulders facing upward, where I could continue
working on her clit.
"SORRY TO SURPRISE YOU, HON, BUT...OOOH...."
The "Oooh" came when I immediately set back to work on her.
Her vaginal muscles contracted, squeezing me seductively with
viselike power. I was coated in her juices as I continued to work on
her. After a few moments, I felt myself come, but I continued to work
on her through my orgasm. A few moments later, she came, tightening
her pussy and squeezing the breath out of me. I realized her entire
pelvis was bucking with her release. Finally, her muscles relazed,
and I could breathe again.
I lay back, surrounded by Liz, staring up through a field of red
grasses at the ceiling of her dorm room. After a few minutes, she
reached down and slid me out of her, bringing me up to her face. She
laughed happily as she saw my wet, disheveled body. "OH, LITTLE
ONE...YOU WERE RIGHT. THAT WAS FUN."
"Thanks," I said, awed at the beauty of my captress.
"That was amazing."
She kissed me, gently, and laid me on her pillow. We stayed like that
through the night, both of us asleep, both of us happy.
It was the best way to lose my virginity I could've imagined.
* * *
D.X. leaned back in his chair, a wistful look on his face.
"That sure was the good part," said Scott, who was eyeing
Sarah with lust.
"Glad you enjoyed it," said Jake, checking his watch.
"Now, if you will excuse me, I have to get my wife from the
airport. You want to drop by later? I can tell you a bit more of the
story, if you'd like."
"We'll be there," said Scott.
As D.X. left, Scott turned to Sarah and said,
"So...four-and-a-half inches or so?"
Sarah just smiled. "I think someone's forgotten he's still got
some punishment coming."
"Oh no," said Scott, beaming. "I'm counting on
it."
 
Chapter Seven

Teri tossed her bags in the trunk, bounded into the passenger seat,
and gave her husband a long, soft kiss.
"So, did ya miss me?" she said playfully, stretching out
her compact frame as seductively as she could behind the seat belt.
"More than you could possibly know," said D.X., smiling.
Things always seemed brighter when Teri was around. "How was
Chicago?"
"As you'd expect. Ronnie has her hands full with the United
Board. She wanted to have me tell you that you dodged a bullet when
she got named chair."
"Don't I know it. Any interesting news?"
"A spike in GTS activity in the midwest. Otherwise, no. So how
are you?" The last question was pointed.
Jake sighed as he pulled onto Highway 5. "Actually, I'm doing
okay. Talking to Scott and Sarah has been pretty therapeutic. I don't
think I always realize how present Madison is."
"Well, that makes one of us. I'd be insanely jealous if Liz was
still alive--or if I was prone to jealousy."
Jake smiled. "I would never choose Liz over you, Teri. I like
her. I wish it hadn't ended like it did. But I wouldn't trade you for
anyone."
"Damn straight. So, how long do we have before the Wonder Twins
show up? And are you thinking Authentic Thai or Davanni's?"
Jake paused. "Uh--how'd you know the Chelgrens were coming? And
I'm thinking Davanni's."
"I know you. Once you started telling the story, you were going
to finish. So, when will they be by?"
"About seven."
Teri grinned. "Well. That should give me enough time."
"For what?"
"To make you forget about a certain red-haired ex of yours. That
is, if you don't mind."
Jake pulled into the passing lane and accelerated.
* * *
Two hours later, Teri was puttering around cheerfully, getting the
house ready for company. If she hadn't made Jake forget Liz, she
mused, she'd at least given him some big reasons to be happy with his
lot in life.
For his part, Jake was swimming happily, feeling better than he had
in days. Teri had done her best to make him forget Liz, and while
that was impossible, it's impossible not to enjoy an evening that
starts with your wife throwing "Gett Off" on the stereo and
shrinking you down to six inches tall.
Jake grinned in spite of himself. He and Teri may have known each
other for 3,000 years and forty-odd lifetimes--Teri said so, and he
refused to discount anything given events in his life--but he doubted
they'd ever been happier together than now.
Teri wandered into the room, and let out a mock-discontented sigh.
"PLANNING ON SWIMMING ALL NIGHT, DEAR? IT'S ALMOST SEVEN."
Jake smiled up at her. "Maybe I am. Scott and Sarah can join me
if they want to."
"MMM-HMM. RIGHT. TIME TO GET OUT, HONEY."
"Well, I don't think--hey!" Jake sputtered and cursed as
Teri poked her index finger into the sink and splashed him.
"That's not nice!"
"OH REALLY? WELL, IS THIS NICE?" With that, Teri pushed
Jake under for just a second.
"Okay, okay! I'm coming out. Sheesh!"
"OH, I'LL HELP YOU, DEAR," said Teri, gently plucking her
husband from the bathrom sink and placing him on the counter.
"THERE. BETTER?"
"Much. What time is it?"
The doorbell rang. "SEVEN," said Teri, smiling.
She walked to the door and opened it, leaving Jake to towel off and
dress. "Hi, Sarah! Where's Scott?"
"Oh. Umm...l kinda forgot." Sarah slipped off her pumps and
said, simply, "Morpheus."
From nowhere, Scott appeared, smiliIng broadly. "That was
fun," he said. "Hi, Teri."
"It was supposed to be punishment," said Sarah, her eyebrow
cocked.
"Oh, it was. Horrible punishment. Hey, D.X."
"Hi, guys. Pizza?"
They sat down to diner, expressing the usual pleasantries about life.
After a while, D.X. said, "So...I guess I should continue."
And he did.
* * *
All things considered, it was a happy time.
Liz and I spent as much time as we possibly could together. We had a
fabulous time, and I'm not just talking about physical relations. I
found myself falling or Liz, and I think she was falling for me.
As Thanksgiving approached, I felt sure that there would be a happy
ending for us. Eventually, she would unshrink me (well...most of the
time), and we'd get married and have a good life together.
I was young and foolish then. Too young to realize how foolish I was.
The weekend before Thanksgiving, I asked Liz if I was going back with
her. Her family lived in Monroe, a little town near the Illinois
border. I was hoping to go, even though I knew I would be hidden.
"NO, LITTLE ONE. IT WOULDN'T BE SAFE FOR YOU. I'D FEL BETTER
WITH YOU HERE IN THE DORMS."
"But without you, how will I be safe? What if someone comes into
the room and finds me?"
"I'M WAY AHEAD OF YOU. I'VE DEVISED A LITLLE SPELL FOR YOU. IF
SOMEONE IS ABOUT TO FIND YOU, YOU CAN USE IT TO SHRINK YOURSELF TO
1/8 INCH TALL--TOO SMALL TO BE FOUND." She taught me how to
shrink myself--the first GTS spell I ever learned.
I still am a bit surprised she taught it to me; if she had known the
future.... We were both young and foolish. Pity. * * *
The Thanksgiving holiday was largely forgettable for me. Liz was
gone, and while she did give me access to the remote control, I
missed her terribly.
I was sitting on the floor, moping about how lonely I was, when I
heard the key in the door.
I leapt up. It was late Saturday evening, and neither Liz nor Sue
were supposed to be back until Sunday afternoon, and I was out in the
open.
I hoped and prayed it was Liz; maybe she had missed me too, and had
come off of vacation early to see me. I strained as I saw the tennis
shoe came through the door to see if Liz was attached to it.
Then I heard the laugh, and my right hand sprung up of its own
accord.
"Shrink," I said, "1:48 scale."
There were no guarantees. Liz had taught me one trick only, not the
underpinnings of GTS itself. But as I envisioned myself shrinking, I
found I was, indeed, shrinking further.
Sue and her boyfriend stumbled quickly into the room and embraced, as
Sue closed the door with her right hip. The two embraced and locked
lips, and I boggled.
I've already told you about witnessing Sue masturbating, and that she
was a tremendously attractive woman. I'd certainly had the
opportunity to see just about all of Sue over the past few weeks, and
while I was very much in love with Liz at the time, I am a man, and
we just can't help noticing an attractive woman, no matter how
faithful we are.
But this--this was something new. If the me of a few seconds before
had seen the me of that moment, I'd appear but an inch-and-a-half
tall to him. I was used to Sue appearing about sixty-six feet tall or
so, but now she appeared to be a bit over half-a-mile tall, kissing a
boy a bit taller than her.
I swallowed hard, and started looking for cover.
Sue and her boyfriend (Keith? Kyle? I never did find out) walked into
the room, hanging on each other and giving the appearance of general
drunkenness. I shuddered. A drunk pair of college students were not
what I wanted to deal with. I started to wish I hadn't shrunk myself
out in the open, but instead waited to get to cover--these two
wouldn't have noticed. But it was too late now.
Sue turned to her boyfriend, and whispered something in his ear. Why
she whispered was beyond me; it's not like they thought anyone was
there. But he nodded emphatically, and with one motion grabbed the
comforter off of Sue's bed and tossed it on the floor.
I saw the mammoth tarp spread out, and was sure that I was going to
be crushed under it. Fortunately, it displaced air as it fell,
pushing me out the side and up into the vapor stream. The air then
blew back over the comforter, depositing me towards the top just as
Sue and the boy deposited themselves heavily on top of it as well.
I gulped as I looked around. The lovely face of Sue was to my right,
the somewhat less lovely face of the boy to my left. Certainly, they
didn't notice me; I was but a mote of dust that was quickly hidden
under their faces as they smooched again.
I panicked as Sue's hair blanketed me, tree-sized black vines
whipping all around me as above me two pairs of lips entwined. I
tried to get up, but just as I did the pair rolled over, with Sue on
top of her boyfriend continuing to french him while moaning loud
enough to wake the dead. I had grasped a hair, and found myself
tossed onto her back.
I had no time to figue out where to go; the shirt I was on was being
pulled over Sue's head, and again I was tangled up in her hair. I
watched two enormous hands undo the clasp on Sue's bra.
This was moving entirely too fast.
Then, we were rolling again, this time with what's-his-name on top. I
screamed, thinking I'd be crushed under Sue's head, but again her
hair whipped in the breeze, and I found myself being thrown through
the air, landing on something soft.
I moaned with pain as Sue moaned with pleasure. I stood, and wished I
hadn't. I was on Sue's nipple.
The boy was shirtless now, and he was about breast level. I prayed
that he would work on her left breast first, give me a chance to
escape, and for once, my prayers were answered. I slid down the part
of Sue's breasts toward her face. I thought I had a better chance of
surviving a fall from a shoulder than the breast itself, and with
luck, I could find my way into her hair.
No dice. Sue chose that moment to rise just enough to throw me off
balance. I slid down her sweaty abdomen, watching her panties--the
only item of clothing she still wore--coming up fast.
I watched as his hand reached into her panties--he wasn't doing
anything yet, just giving her an encouraging pat--but it lifted the
elastic about forty feet into the air, giving me more than enough
room to end up entangled in Sue's bush.
Then, he removed his hand and the lights went out.
* * *
They made out for a very long time, a time that made me constantly
afraid for my life. If the panties were pulled off and his penis came
into play....
But I didn't have to worry. I don't know why, but heavy action was
all the pair wanted that night. About half an hour later, both went
to bed. I wondered if he'd gotten a blow job or not; I don't think I
could take half an hour of heavy action with no release--certainly
not in college. As I felt Sue and That Guy go to sleep, I carefully
pulled myself out of the damp panties, and carefully made the journey
off of the blanket. I'd gotten very lucky.
But I'm not saying it wasn't kinda fun.
* * *
When Liz returned the next evening, she apologized about thirty
times.
"I 'CLARISED' YOU A FEW TIMES DURING THE WEEKEND, JUST TO CHECK
IN. OH, JAKE, I HAD NO IDEA SUE WAS COMING BACK SATURDAY NIGHT! IF I
HAD, I NEVER WOULD HAVE LEFT YOU THERE. WHEN I REALIZED WHAT HAD
HAPPENED TO YOU...."
"Oh, it's okay. I managed to survive it. Hey, it was
interesting. I might want to check you out at that size."
Liz blushed, then grinned. "WELL, MAYBE LATER. I HAVE TO GO TO
THE LAB TONIGHT--THAT HOLOCAUST PAPER IS DUE. WANT TO GO WITH?"
"Oh, sweetie, you never get work done when I'm there. I'll just
get to sleep. Tomorrow we'll have fun."
She smiled. "YOU'VE GOT THAT RIGHT."
* * *
Liz left the lab at about 11:30. She thought she might do a quick
sweep of campus for rapists and molesters before going home, or maybe
not. She had missed me that weekend. Heck, she missed me right then.
She was getting tired of being an avenging angel. She didn't like how
it made her. She was angry all the time--angry at everyone but me.
She was sick of it.
No, she was going home, and then she'd destroy that fucking
scroll--right after unshrinking me. She'd miss the sex as a giantess,
but she thought she might be able to enjoy intimacy with me at a
normal size. She knew how I felt about rapists. She knew she had
nothing to fear.
Then, suddenly, she heard a voice.
"You're her."
She spun, to see an attractive woman in her late twenties with raven
hair and dark eyes and a serious demeanor. The woman took a couple
steps toward Liz. "You're The Coed," she said, quietly.
"You must be mistaken. I mean, The Coed is just a myth,"
said Liz, her heart beating a mile a minute.
The woman shook her head. "You have the power to shrink men, to
turn them into objects, to punish those that deserve punishing. I am
not wrong, am I?"
Liz stared. "Who are you?"
"Veronica Ceres. My child, we have been watching your work, and
we are very, very impressed. You have powers beyond even ours. We
need you."
"Who?"
"Women," said Ceres. "All women, everywhere. You can
protect us from men. You can punish the wicked. You can destroy the
patriarchy, and usher in a new era, an era where women rule the
world."
Liz was stunned. She simply nodded when Veronica asked her,
"Would you like to join me for a drink? We have much to talk
about."
But Liz never told Veronica her name. Not then, not ever. Ronnie
called her T.C. for short; she didn't mind. Because from that night
on, Liz belonged to the League.
* * *
It was 2:20 in the morning when Liz stumbled home along the Lakeshore
path, wild ideas bouncing in her brain, the standard of womanhood
wound into her soul. Ceres had told her that she had untold power.
She! Liz Anderson! She could be the most powerful person on Earth.
She saw him walking down the path, his head down, wearing dark
clothes. He was walking toward her.
"Rapist!" she cried, as he looked up, startled.
"What? No! I'd never...."
"Liar! You want me? You want to take me? Take this you fucking
pervert! Shrink, 1:24." The man dwindled before her and she
grabbed him. He pleaded, but she threw him to the ground. He blacked
out, which is just as well; she stepped on him, putting all her
weight on him until he was flat as a pancake. "Shrink, 1:1000
scale," she said, disposing of the evidence.
And then, she stumbled backwards and fell to the ground. She stared
at the spot. She knew.
He was not a rapist. He was just a man. And she had destroyed him.
And the voice in her head whispered.
He was a man. He deserved his fate.
"He was a human being. He didn't do anything. He was just
walking and I...Oh God...."
Yes, he was just walking...for now. But how much longer until he
struck out. They are all guilty of wanting to. You must stop them,
Liz.
"Not Jake. He's not guilty of anything."
The voice was silent. Crying, Liz stumbled into the dorm and went to
sleep. She was more frightened than she ever had been before--more
even than when she was being raped. Because the person she feared
more than anyone was herself.
* * *
The pizza was mostly done, and Jake pulled a French Silk pie out of
the fridge. "Anyone for dessert?"
"I'll take some of that," said Teri. "You know, if
you're ever trying to decide between me and Liz, remember that I
never killed anyone."
"You tried to kill me," said Scott, finishing his piece of
pizza.
"That was different. There was a war on."
"I'll never have to try to decide between you and Liz, Teri. For
one, she's dead, and even if she was magically resurrected and sane,
I couldn't trust her. Not after what happened to her."
Jake poured himself some wine, and looked distant. "I didn't
know that Liz killed that man for a long time. But from that moment
on, things started to get worse between us--and much worse for
me."
He sipped the wine, closed his eyes, and said, "Let's take five.
I'm going to put some music on--I've got Mike Doughty's new one,
Scott, I think you'll like it. Then, we'll continue. I just...I need
a moment."
Silently, the others cleared the table as Jake pressed play on the CD
player. He didn't want to tell the next part. Not just yet, anyhow.
 
Chapter Eight

"I resent the way you make me like myself...."
The song by Mike Doughty rambled along, beautifully simple. Jake had
grown to love this disk in the past few weeks. It wasn't Soul
Coughing, but that made it interesting. Doughty had done a helluva
job reinventing himself.
"So," he said, "I was telling you about when it all
started to go horribly wrong, is that right?"
Nobody spoke. Well, that was to be expected. Jake started to say
something when Teri interrupted.
"Honey, I know this part. If it's too hard, I can tell it."
Jake looked up at his wife and smiled. "No," he said,
exhaling. "No. I had to go through what I did to get here. It's
part of who I am. And it stings less with each passing year."
* * *
Liz had promised me fun the next day, but that would suggest that Liz
was anything other than alternately sullen and frightened and sad and
bitter. She had snapped at me more than once today--damn frightening,
when your sixty-foot-tall girlfriend is swearing angrily at you. But
those outbursts were tempered by tears, and apologies, and grief.
"What happened, Liz? What happened to you?"
"I CAN'T TELL YOU, SCOTT. I JUST...A MISSION WENT REALLY BAD.
LET'S LEAVE IT AT THAT."
I didn't know what she meant; it didn't matter. I loved her, and I
didn't care how it went bad. (Of course, I thought most likely that
she'd failed to prevent a rape, or prevent a murder. But even had I
known the truth, I would have stood by her. I would have tried to
help her, and I wouldn't have excused it, but I would have stood by
her.)
"Liz...maybe you should quit...."
"NO!" she thundered. "NO! IT IS MY DESTINY TO DO THIS,
LITTLE ONE! YOU COULD NOT POSSIBLY UNDERSTAND SUCH A RESPONSIBILITY
AS THIS! YOU COULD NOT POSSIBLY HOPE TO WIELD POWER LIKE THIS! YOU
DON'T KNOW!"
She paused for a few moments, head down, before looking up at me.
There was a look on her face I'd never seen. It was a plea for
absolution, a request to be relieved of her duty.
It flashed for a second, and then it disappeared.
* * *
The next few weeks were like a Minnesota spring--one day beautiful,
blindingly bright, perfect; the next, wet, cold, and depressing. When
Liz shone through the gloom, I knew I was in love. When the gloom
overwhelmed her, I was frightened. Frightened for myself, frightened
more for her.
We got through finals, and Liz informed me that she intended to take
me to Monroe over Christmas break.
"Why now?" I asked.
"BECAUSE. I DON'T WANT YOU ENDING UP CRUSHED BY SUE IF SHE AND
THE BOYFRIEND DECIDE TO GET IT ON OVER BREAK. BESIDES...I WOULD MISS
YOU TOO MUCH. I KNOW I DON'T TELL YOU ENOUGH, BUT I DO LOVE YOU,
JAKE."
It was a good day.
We got into her '79 Corolla and headed south towards Monroe
("Home of the Cheesemakers"), and I felt lighter than air.
As we left the city I could feel a weight being lifted, off of me,
off of Liz.
* * *
Monroe is a little farming town in southwest Wisconsin, a sleepy
hamlet that is home to The Swiss Colony (of cheese log fame) and not
much else. Liz had grown up there, and while she was not sad to have
left for the comparative metropolis of Madison, she still had a soft
spot in her heart for the area. As we passed through Paoli, she
chated amiably about growing up, playing soccer and running track
(Liz was never one to be merely a cheerleader), and taking rides with
friends to Orangeville and Freeport and Madison on the weekends.
It was a pleasant ride, and the unpleasantness of the past few weeks
was fading away. I wondered to myself if I should suggest to Liz that
she quit again; maybe here, away from the epicenter of her
"duty," she'd listen.
We drove up the driveway, and she loked down at me, safeguarded in
her cleavage. "WE NEED TO HIDE YOU, YOU KNOW. DO YOU MIND IF I
BUTTON ONE MORE BUTTON?"
I grinned at her. "I would mind if you didn't."
* * *
Liz' family was a picture of Americana. Mom and dad were pleasant and
friendly (Liz favored her mom, I thought), teasing her genially; her
sister, Sandra, was a cute sophomore with a mop of red hair the same
color as Liz'. I actually had a good vantage point--I could see a lot
through the gap in the shirt, but I doubted I was visible to anyone
who wasn't looking very closely.
By the time we made our way upstairs to Liz' room, she was in a good
mood, and so was I. For the first time in weeks, we didn't talk about
the duty Liz felt, or her power, or rape. We just talked. It was
lovely.
* * *
It was a nice few days. Oh, sure, there were some dull times: Liz
went out with her family or friends and left me behind; Sandra came
in to talk to Liz, and I was forced to hide (though I didn't mind the
view); Liz went down to be with her family, leaving me to while away
my time in her underwear drawer. But the times together were sweet.
On Christmas Evening, Liz came upstairs, and placing me--and her--on
her bed, she whispered her incantation, and joined me at my scale.
"A Christmas present," she said. "One of three."
"Aw, and I didn't get you anything," I joked. She smiled,
and I did too. It was strange, seeing her at my scale--seeing anyone
at my scale, for that matter.
"Jake, you have stood by me when nobody could've. That you would
show me any affection at all--much less love--is all I could ever ask
of you.
"So I'm giving you two more gifts. First, I'm out of the
superheroine business, effective right now."
My jaw dropped.
"You're right, Jake. I'm not myself when I'm using my powers. I
had to get out of Madison to realize that. Thanks for pushing me on
that. And this, of course, leads inexorably to my third gift."
She paused but a second, before saying excitedly, "When we get
back to Madison, I'm unshrinking you--as long as you promise not to
rat me out." The last was said with a smirk.
My heart leapt. This was everything I could've hoped for. "We've
got a few weeks to come up with a convincing story. Something that
doesn't implicate me in my roommate's death."
"Or me," she said, cuddling up to me. and we shared our
first kiss at an even scale. And a bit more.
* * *
For five-and-a-half days, it was bliss.
Liz was clear of the awful burden she had carried, and it was as if
all our troubles had melted away. For the first time in too long, we
were having fun.
New Year's Eve came, and Liz was preparing for a party at a high
school friend's house. She smiled over at me and said, "I WISH I
COULD TAKE YOU WITH ME." Then, she mused, "MAYBE I CAN. I
COULD UNSHRINK YOU FOR TONIGHT, THEN SHRINK YOU BACK WHEN WE GET
HOME."
I wil never know why I said what I said next. If I could have one
decision back, this would be it. Maybe I was nervous about meeting
Liz' friends. Matybe I still feared that she would realize how out of
my depth I was. Maybe I was thinking long-term about alibis and
explanations.
Maybe it was just the way it had to be.
At any rate, I said to her, "Much as I'd love to, it's probably
best if I stay here."
We chatted a bit longer before she left. She kissed me gently,
smiled, and said "I'll see you after the party, my love."
But she was wrong.
I would never see that Liz again.
* * *
Liz pulled her car into the gas station and started filling up. The
party was out in the country, and she sure as Hell didn't want to run
out of gas halfway to New Glarus. Once was enough for that, she
mused.
She paid the cashier and hopped into the green Toyota.
"You're a hard person to get ahold of," said the figure in
the passenger seat.
Liz jumped, then swore under her breath. "You scared the piss
out of me. How the Hell...."
"An easy trick. I bet you could figure out how if you wanted
to," said Ronnie Ceres, taking a swig of water. "So, T.C.,
we're targeting March for Operation Rowena. I just stopped by to
giveyou an operational briefing."
There was something in Ronnie's countenance that belied the blandness
of the topic, like she expected Liz to say, "You can count me
out, Veronica. I'm done."
"Oh, I don't think so, T.C. You wouldn't let down half of
humanity. You wouldn't fail your wounded sisters."
"I can and I will. I'm in love, Ronnie. I don't know if it will
last forever, but I think it might. It feels good. Better than
revenge, that's for goddamn sure.
"I'm done, Veronica. Find another standard-bearer."
Ceres leaned back in her seat. "Even men you trust are a danger,
T.C. That will be proven to you tonight. This love of yours is nice.
But he is not worth throwing your power away."
Liz fumed. "What do you know, huh? I didn't ask for this. I
didn't want this. I'm done. Leave me alone."
"As you wish," said Ronnie, as she vanished into the
ether..
* * *
The party was like any party thrown by twenty-one-year-olds back from
college. There's the general incongruousness of the situation, the
strain of friends who have already gone their seperate ways trying to
pull back together for a few hours. Not that it wasn't fun; it was.
But it was odd.
Liz spent her time chatting with friends an half-flirting with her
ex, Jason.
I suppose I should be jealous, but I have it on good authority that
Liz always flirted with Jason; they'd dated three years in high
school, it was a hard habit to break. Besides, Jason was engaged to a
girl at NIU, and Liz--well, Liz had me.
It was about one-fifteen in the morning. Liz was standing out in the
bitter Wisconsin air, stairing up at the stars and drinking in the
first hours of what would be the last year of her life.
She didn't know Jason was there until he groped her.
She startled and backed off. "What in God's name are you
doing?" she asked, knowing too well what the answer was.
"C'mon, Lispeth, you know ya been givin' me the green light all
night," slurred her ex, the scent of vodka and cheap champage
assaulting her senses. He started in once more.
"Jace...no. What about Holly?"
"Got m' whole life with Holly. C'mon, just a little kiss...for
old time's sake...."
And then he was upon her, backing her up against the car, holding her
down as she struggled against him, kissing her face, reaching his
hand up her blouse. She thought of using her powers against him, but
knew that in this situation, it would be obvious who had killed him,
obvious that she was to blame.
He turned for just a second, and that was all the chance she neeed.
She kneed Jason, and he sunk to his knees, howling in pain.
"What the fuck was that for?"
"Believe me," said Liz, eyes aflame, "I could do much,
much worse. Get out of my sight." She turned on her heel and got
in the car, fired it up and started backing away.
"Fuckin' tease! Lead me on and then this! Screw you, Liz!"
she heard Jason howl as she pulled onto the road.
Asshole.
What had happened to him? He was a good guy in high school. He'd
waited eight months for her to be ready after he'd first broached the
idea.
And now he had tried to--well, molest her at least.
She drove the road, the words of Veronica Ceres echoing in her head.
"I won't say I told you so," the passenger said.
"You just did," said Liz. She didn't want to have this
conversation.
"They're all the same. They all have too much drive for them to
keep it under control. So they assault, and they rape, and they
cheat. And the ones who don't would, if they could get away with
it."
Liz studied the road. "Jake wouldn't," she said.
"Exactly. Because you contol him. If he was full-sized, would he
still be yours?
"Or would he become like your ex-boyfriend: just another
man?"
* * *
It was almost three before Liz made it up to her room. I had stayed
up to greet her, and my heart jumped as it always did as she
majestically strode into the room.
"Hi, honey. Did you have fun at the...."
She looked in my direction, and I froze. Because I could see
immediately which Liz had shown up.
"What happened?" I asked.
"WHY DO YOU ALWAYS ASK THAT? NEED SOMETHING HAVE HAPPENED? DOES
IT MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD TO HAVE BIG OL' ME HURT?"
My jaw dropped. "What the Hell happened? I love you! It's
because I don't want to see you hurt that I ask: what happened?"
Liz sighed heavily. I could see the battle lines in her face; the
part of her that was her wanted to tell me, to apologize. But it was
quickly overwhelmed by The Coed.
"DO NOT ASK THAT QUESTION AGAIN. I WOKE UP TO REALITY, THAT'S
WHAT HAPPENED."
I grasped instantly what she was saying. "You're not going to
quit, are you?"
"YOU'D LIKE ME TO, WOULDN'T YOU? GIVE UP MY POWER FOR 'LOVE,'
RIGHT? AND I'M SURE YOU'LL TREAT ME JUST LIKE YOU TREAT ME NOW,
RIGHT? YOU WON'T CHANGE? YOU WON'T BECOME LIKE THE REST OF
THEM?"
"Like the rest of who, Liz? Damn it, I love you! I want you to
be happy, and this hasn't made you happy."
"IT'S MY DESTINY."
"Are you going to restore me?"
She looked at me, and the agonized look crossed he face for just a
moment. "I CAN'T. YOU WOULD BETRAY ME IN THE END."
"I will never betray you Liz! Never! I--love--you! Something
happened out there, didn't it? Tell me what happened to you!"
"STOP ASKING THAT QUESTION," she said, turning away from
me.
"What happened to you?" I screamed, trying to shake the Liz
I loved free from what had possessed her.
"STOP ASKING THAT QUESTION!" she shouted back, as she spun
and caught me with the back of her hand.
I flew across the dresser, already suffering the effects of being hit
by a car-sized hand. I hit the wall at an easy forty miles an hour,
and crumpled into the surface of the dresser. As everything went
black, I knew that I would not be waking up.
* * *
But I did.
My eyes fluttered open to a brightly lit room. I struggled to my
side, then slowly lifted myself up. I was still in Liz' room, still
on the dresser. I pulled myself up to a standing position, and
instantly wished I hadn't. My head hurt like I'd been knocked silly
by a sixty foot tall woman. Still, I had to move; she'd be coming
back soon.
I walked to the edge of the dresser--I would have ran, but I just
didn't have it in me--and looked down. Way too far to jump. I'd need
to climb down. Was there a lamp? Maybe I could use the cord....
I paused. Instinct had told me to run, but now my head was clearing
enough to recall the events of the previous--was it the previous
night? How long had I been out? I looked back at where I had come
from and realized that I'd pushed aside a blanket-sized bit of
fabric. Where had that come from? And the thimble of water?
I walked back, and suddenly heard the groan of the opening door. I
turned, and saw Liz enter.
"OH, THANK GOD YOU'RE AWAKE. I THOUGHT...."
She stopped, seeing that instinct had caused me to throw my hands up
in a feeble defense.
"OH. OH MY GOD. OH, JAKE, I'M SO SORRY. I CAN'T BELIEVE I DID
THAT. IT WAS TERRIBLE WHAT I DID. OH, HONEY, PLEASE UNDERSTAND, I
WISH IT HAD BEEN ME THAT TOOK THAT HIT. I'D RATHER DIE THAN HURT
YOU."
I dropped my hands, and saw the tears in her eyes. Heavily, I sat
down. "Liz..." I groaned, falling backwards again.
* * *
I was only down a few minutes this time before I woke up again. She
was truly sorry. I could see it. She really felt bad about what she
had done, and she promised never to do it again. She didn't promise
to unshrink me, but after she told me her experience with Jason, I
knew why she had been driven back to superheroine status.
I forgave her. I shouldn't have, I know. But I loved her. And I knew
that she just had to get back to where she'd been this past week, and
it would all be over.
The drive back to Madison was not so light, not so fun. I felt the
weight on both of us. On me. On Liz.
* * *
Jake got up to change the CD. He threw in an old Semisonic disc, and
returned to the group.
"I don't know how you went back," said Scott.
"Why do battered women stay with their spouses? Love lets you
rationalize all sorts of things, Scott. And I did love Liz. More to
the point, I knew that something was having an effect on her."
"GTS?" opined Sarah.
"That, and the League," said Jake, reclining a bit.
"You know, things did get better for a little while after
that."
He looked down for a moment. "They were better for a little
while," he repeated.
 
Chapter Nine
by D.X. Machina
The phone rang, and D.X. started. Teri got up to grab it, while D.X.
began refilling drinks.
"For you, hon. Ronnie."
That's ironic, thought D.X. as he grabbed the cordless. "Hey,
Veronica. How's tricks?"
"Well, we've got a bit of a situation," said the Chair, a
hint of concern in her voice. "You know that spike of activity
you've been tracking?"
"Yeah, generalized midwest, about 1.2 kilogridrigs of GTS
energy. What about it?"
"The energy level is staying the same, but it's getting more
concentrated, collapsing on a point located at or about 43 degrees,
eight minutes north by 89 degrees, 20 minutes west."
Jake was silent as he pulled out his PDA, going to the map of the
world he'd installed. Somehow, he knew the city that would come up
before it did.
"Madison."
"Exactly," said Ronnie. "At the rate we're tracking,
it should hit its maximum concentration somewhere around 1320 hours
CST."
Jake stumbled a bit, before saying, "That has to be a
coincidence."
"One would think. But...well, ten years to the day, right?"
Jake thought back. The dreams were so vivid. The insistence that she
wasn't dead.
Impossible.
"I've got Isis, Oberon, and Titania with me right now. I'll give
Anonymous a call. I'm taking it we're going condition red?"
"Yellow, for now. We don't know it's T.C...."
"Her name was Liz, Ronnie. Liz Anderson."
There was silence. "You've never told me her name before, D.X.
Why now?"
He looked down, and said quietly, "Do you think it's her?"
"Maybe. I don't know how it could be. Maybe it's just an echo of
the spell you cast."
"If it's her, will you help me keep her alive? I owe her that.
We have more power arrayed on our side this time. I think we could
maybe help her get sane."
"D.X., as your friend, I tell you I think we'd both undo what
was done in '93. Yes, I'm on my way too. If it's T.C....Liz...if it's
her, we'll protect her, and we'll save her."
"Probably fastest to drive. We'll meet at the Parthenon at 2
A.M. Machina out."
He hung up the phone, and turned to his friends.
"Well, it looks like I'll be telling you the story on the
way."
"Jake, is it her?" Teri looked at him with concern, mostly
for him, but slightly for what this might mean for them.
"If it is, honey, we'll have our hands full. But if it is, I
want her taken alive. She didn't deserve what happened to her
before."
"Do you think it is?" asked Scott.
"Oberon," said D.X., using the code name assigned to the
adept, "I doubt it. My spell was cast ten years ago when this
levels off. My guess is that we're seeing the end of a spell cast
with the full emotion of my soul behind it. But we'd better be in
position.
"Titania," he said, addressing Sarah. "Call Anonymous.
Tell him to meet us at the Parthenon at 2 A.M. He'll know where it
is."
"First off, you can still call me Sarah. Second, why don't we
just teleport?"
"First off," said D.X., smiling, "we are in a mission
called by the Chair herself. Code names in public, Sarah--I want to
make sure we've got that in our heads right off the bat. Second, I
don't want a nanogrildrig of power wasted here."
"She's that tough?"
"She has faith," said Jake, grabbing his wallet. "She
has faith."
* * *
The Ford Windstar pulled out onto highway 52. Teri was driving fast,
buit not so fast as to arouse suspicion. It was only just nine
o'clock, they would easily make Madison by two.
"So," said D.X. from the passenger seat. "You probably
want me to continue the story, eh?"
"Actually, I'd say it's mission-critical," said Sarah.
"We'd better know what we're getting into."
"Indeed," said D.X. "Well, let's see. Where were
we...."
* * *
It was several weeks before Liz and I were able to reach a detente,
but eventually, we did. I felt guilty--had I but been there to defend
Liz...but I knew that there was no undoing my decision.
Liz, for her part, had been as apologetic as she could be. She had
gone out of her way to do anything I wanted (save restore me--but I
had given up on that for now). She offered herself to me early and
often, and it took me weeks to agree
But it was several weks before I was able to take her up on the
offer. (Of course, I did avail myself eventually--I am a man, after
all.)
We were back on a mission again. I was in her ear as per usual, and
we were doing what we did. I think she wanted me there as much for
conscience as for company.
Tonight we were driving around out by West Towne Mall because Liz
though she should branch out beyond campus. We drove around in her
beat-up Toyota, Liz looking for trouble.
"LITTLE ONE, DO YOU HATE ME?" she asked, softly. There was
a pleading in her voice that was unmistakable.
"No, Liz, of course I don't. I love you. I worry about you, but
I don't hate you. I never could."
"I LOVE YOU TOO, JAKE. I...I KNOW YOU SHOULD HATE ME, EVEN IF
YOU DON'T. I JUST CAN'T DO WHAT I WANT TO DO FOR YOU. I HAVE A DUTY I
CAN'T IGNORE. I PROMISE YOU, THE DAY WILL COME WHEN I CAN RESTORE
YOU. I MEAN THAT, JAKE."
"I know you do, Liz. I can wait."
We drove on in silence for a while, before Liz said, "WELL, I
THINK IT'S GO TIME, LITTLE ONE."
* * *
It was late in the evening when Liz pulled up in front of a nice
home, where grunge music was being played at levels just low enough
to avoid drawing police attention. Liz bounded out of the car and
strode up to the door.
Nobody noticed Liz as we entered the bustling high school kegger. She
gave the kid at the door six bucks for a cup that she immediately
dropped. She made her way up the crowded stairs towards the bedroom
upstairs.
Liz surveyed the situation before picking out the appropriate room.
Wasting not a moment, she strode to the door and shrunk it off its
hinges.
The girl lay motionless, half-awake and half-naked, as a boy fondled
her. "SOMEHOW, I DON'T THINK THIS IS A CONSENSUAL AFFAIR.
MORPHEUS, TRANSPORT."
The rapist disposed of, Liz rushed to the girl's side. She covered
her with a blanket, and picked up the bedside phone and called 911.
She hung up and left the room, moving quickly towards the door. As
she moved, she was jostled. As her head snapped, I found myself
sliding out of her ear. "Liz!" I cried as I found myself
falling out into mid-air.
As I drifted to the ground I saw Liz waliking away.
* * *
The next few minutes are a blur. I fell down into a sea of feet and
beer cups, and I knew I would be lucky to survive the hour.
A bus-sized boot landed a few inches to my right, knocking me off my
feet. Staggering up, I started running toward the nearby baseboard. I
was approaching the wall when suddenly, a massive plain of blue
dropped in front of me. I fell backwards and stared up at the immense
leg of a young woman.
She had dropped down to tie her shoe, and I found I was just a few
inches from her knee. If I ran, I could grab onto the denim--and
maybe get out of this bad situation I had found myself in.
I ran.
I threw myself at the knee of the girl just as she finished her task.
She rose, and I clung desperately to the rough fabric, hoping that
she wouldn't walk too fast.
We moved out through the party, the world moving by like a blur.
Suddenly, there was a blast of cold air as the young woman walked out
into the night.
I shivered violently--almost enough for me to lose my grip. But
somehow, I had the presence of mind to start climbing towards the
pocket of the girl's dungarees. It wasn't an easy climb, but I
managed to make it in about ten minutes--about a minute or two before
frostbite would've set in.
I slid deep into the pocket, grateful for the warmth of the young
lady's thighs behind me.
Finally, I had an opportunity to think. How would I get in touch with
Liz? I was so small, I couldn't hope to make it to campus unaided.
Hopefully, she could figure out where I was, and come get me.
For now, I just had to survive.
* * *
I awoke with a start. I couldn't have been asleep for more than a few
minutes. But I could feel we were inside now--the denim on the
outside was starting to warm up.
Carefully, I began to ascend the pocket, hoping that I could find my
way to safety; I had no desire to end up in this girl's laundry
basket. I could a sliver of light above me. I aimed for it, when
suddenly the wall became a floor.
It took me but a moment to realize that the girl had sat down. This
would make things much easier. I crawled quickly until I reached the
egress of the tunnel.
I pulled myself up and out, and looked out at the vista of the girl's
lap. I took a few steps forward and looked up the body of the titanic
teen. Her face was partially obscured by small, pert breasts, but I
could see the phone cord looping up into her right hand, and I heard
her chatting away about something.
I thought about what I should do. I could try to contact the girl,
but what was the point? It wasn't like I could get unshrunk without
help from Liz. I supposed that she could help me find Liz, but the
risks of this girl being less than helpful far outweighed anything
she could do for me.
I was standing on top of the girl's left thigh. I decided I should
try to descend her leg onto the chair, and from there find my way to
the ground.
I didn't get the chance.
Without warning, her arm came crashing down between me and her knee,
and her hand wandered lazily into her crotch area. I thought I would
have to wait but a moment or two as she scratched an itch, but
instead, five-story-long fingers began to softly slide along the fly
of her jeans. I lost my footing as her legs parted, slightly. I
watched in awe as she stroked herself slowly, languidly.
And then the fingers reached for her fly.
* * *
Meanwhile, in Anaheim, a dapper field agent cooled his heels outside
the office of the Chairman.
(A groan came from the back of the van. Jake ignored it.)
Jon Smith VII was in his mid-thirties, and he was fast developing a
reputation as one of the Cadre's top agents. He was bright, and
daring, and willing to stick his neck out on occasion. He wasn't
especially adept in GTS--sadly, he had little natural ability in
it--but that was far outweighed by his skill as a detective.
The door opened, and a familiar voice called him. Jon rose, and
walked into the office where his father and the Chairman sat.
"Jonny," said his father, Jon Smith VI, in a clipped Oxford
accent, "we've got a pretty serious assignment here. We need to
you go to Madison, Wisconsin. The League has sent one of their top
field agents there. We want you to go. Alone."
Smith looked up, surprised. He had always been teamed with someone,
first his father (who had served on the board, like his father before
him), then with Henry Bigg. But never before had he been entrusted
with a solo mission.
"Anonymous," said the Chair, using Smith's code name,
"This is serious. We have convincing information that the League
is planning something significant. Ceres' operation is the lynchpin
of the operation. We need you to follow her, figure out what is going
on, and communicate back to the Cadre."
"Why me?" asked Smith.
"You've done a lot of hard work, son, but the League isn't
familiar with you yet. We don't want to let them know we're on to
them--not yet, at least. You need to get to Madison immediately.
We've arranged for a car that will take you to LAX. From there,
you'll fly on a red-eye to Minneapolis, where you'll connect to
Madison. Here's the information you need," said Smith VI,
handing his son a manilla envelope. "Good luck, son."
Anonymous walked out into the street and got into the back of the
Town Car. He forced himself to sleep. He doubted he would get much
chance later.
* * *
Back in Madison, I watched in awe as a mammoth zipper
clank-clank-clanked open, and as a hand deftly unbuttoned the fly of
the girl. Then, suddenly, the hand swept back and toward me.
I was caught in a tsunami of flesh as the girl swept her hand back
across the denim landscape. I hoped against hope that I would fall
off, but as the hand pushed me off the cliff between jeans and
panties, my hope ran out. I flew into a wall of flesh, just as the
girl lifted the wastband of her underwear and slid her left hand into
her womanhood.
I dropped quickly into the bush of the girl, smelling her sweet young
scent and becoming instantly aroused. The girl was sliding her index
finger along her slit, and it was only a matter of time before she
got me. I tried to climb, but it was to no avail; I was suddenly
pushed along by a house-sized digit into the area just inside the
girl's lips.
I tried to find a way out, but the fingers were sliding back and
forth, back and forth, and the walls were getting slippery as the
girl talked dirty to the unseen caller. I hoped that she was just
fiddling around, that she was not trying for the ultimate outcome,
but I was wrong.
Two fingers plunged into the cave, pulling upwards. I was caught on
the tip of her index finger, which quickly found its destination. I
was pushed firmly into the girl's clit as the index finger pushed and
prodded, working for a happy outcome.
I felt like I was about to burst. I couldn't breathe, and I was
bruised all over. As the world began to buckle with her orgasm, the
world became hazy, and then, all was black.
* * *
I awoke to see Liz standing over me, at a more reasonable size
difference than my sometime hostess. "Thank God," I
mumbled.
I was wrong about that.
"SO," said Liz. "TRYING TO ESCAPE, EH? IT SURE DIDN'T
TAKE LONG FOR YOU TO FIND YOUR WAY INTO ANOTHER GIRL'S PANTIES, NOW
DID IT?"
My jaw dropped. I didn't even respond, I was so flummoxed. Finally, I
stammered, "Liz, I--"
"SAVE IT. I THOUGHT YOU WERE DIFFERENT, JAKE. TURNS OUT I WAS
WRONG."
With that, I looked around and saw that I was in a jewelry box.
"Liz! No, I--"
The lid closed, and a latch clicked.
And I was in darkness.
* * *
They drove on for a moment, before Scott asked, "So what
happened to the date rapist?"
"Eh? Oh, right. Well, since he enjoyed having sex with women
when they were inert, Liz had decided to let him know what it was
like. So he disappeared into the Pipefitter--a head and sex shop down
on State Street. He had become a red silicone rod, about eight inches
long."
"A dildo?"
"Correct, Sarah. He was purchased after a few weeks by a member
of one of the sororities as a gag gift. He ended up in the possession
of a reasonably attractive sophomore who would gladly take him out
and use him--if she didn't have a boyfriend or anything. Actually,
his life wasn't, and isn't, all that bad. Last I could determine,
he'd been stolen by the woman's fourteen-year-old niece. That was
about four years ago; pretty girl. He could have it a lot
worse."
"So how did you get out of the box?"
"Well, that's where this story takes a rather odd twist,"
said D.X. "A rather odd twist indeed."
 
Chapter Ten

The minivan pulled into the gas station at Lyndon Station, and the
four passengers inside got out; Sarah, Scott, and Teri heading inside
for snacks and a chance to answer nature's call, Jake to pump some
gasoline and wash the windows.
They were making good time. With luck, they'd even have a chance to
get checked in at a hotel before they had to meet Anon and Ronnie.
They didn't even have to speed, which was good, as Wisconsin state
troopers love nothing more than to write tickets to drivers from
Minnesota and Illinois.
Teri walked out of the station sipping on a Fresca and fretting. She
had no reason to believe that Jake would ever, ever leave her. She
knew well how badly Liz had mistreated him, and she believed him when
he said he would never go back to her, even if she was alive.
But of course, that was easy to say because she wasn't alive. But if
it suddenly turned out she might be, would Jake be so sanguine?
She shook off the feeling. No, he loved her. He wouldn't leave her
for anything. It was just jealousy she felt.
"So," said Scott as he reached the van, "I don't take
it things were heading in a good direction with Liz."
Jake laughed ruefully. "You could say that," he said. Then,
in what seemed like a non-sequitir, he said, "Have either of you
ever seen my back? I know you have, Teri."
"I have," said Sarah, blushing slightly.
"Oh...yes, of course. Anyhow, you should see this, Scott."
With that, he lifted his shirt about halfway up, revealing a clean
scar running the width of his back. It was fading a bit now, but the
scar tissue was still clear and evident--as was the pain the injury
must've caused.
Scott looked, then gasped as he realized what had caused the injury.
"A fingernail?"
"Exactly," said D.X., pulling his shirt back down.
"Liz did that to you?" asked Sarah.
"That," said Jake, "and much, much more."
* * *
I don't know how long I was in the box that first night. It seemed
like forever. I'm pretty sure it wan't more than two or three days;
I'm almost certain it wasn't any less than half a day. At any rate,
suddenly there was a click, and blinding light streamed into my
prison. I raised my hand up to shield my eyes, and heard a booming,
"GET ON YOUR FEET, ASSHOLE."
I stumbled to my feet, and said, "Liz, I didn't--"
"SILENCE! I DO NOT WANT TO HEAR ONE WORD OUT OF YOU. YOU HAVE
WRONGED ME DEEPLY, AND YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR ERROR. MORPHEUS."
"But Liz," I tried to plead. I wasn't able to plead,
though; I was suddenly without a mouth.
I tried to struggle, but I was unable to.
I was no longer human.
With mammoth fingers, Liz reached down and plucked me from the box,
and held me up to her deep green eyes and squinted just a little.
Then, without comment, she lowered me to an enormous portal and
dropped me into a chamber filled with person-sized white objects.
Then, she shook the chamber.
Had I been able to, I would've cried out in pain as the objects
crashed against me. I came to rest along the side of the chamber as
she tossed the box into her purse, able to read ")IT )AT"
backwards through the clear walls.
This couldn't be good.
* * *
The next several hours were torture, waiting for my execution. More
than once, Liz poured some of my fellow tic-tacs into her hand and
devoured them, or offered them to others. Finally, after a long wait,
she poured me out into the hand of a woman I'd never seen before. She
wore her blonde hair short and her sparkling blue eyes regarded me
and the other two candies in her hand for barely a second before we
were popped into her mouth.
I was tossed and turned by an enormous tongue, sucked on and
slathered in saliva as the woman went about her business. Had I had
any genitalia, I likely would've come from the stimulation--it was
surprisingly erotic. But I was abruptly moved by the tongue to her
molar.
And then she bit down.
My mind howled in pain as my confection body was crushed into a
thousand pieces. Somehow, I mantained consciousness as the pieces of
me were moved backwards, and then pulled down her gullet. Then, the
pieces started impacting her stomach acid, and I howled again at the
pain of the acid, dissolving my body. The world swam as I felt the
end drawing near for me....
And then, suddenly, I was back in darkness. For a second, I thought I
had died, but I realized that I could move again, that I was human
again. And that the chamber I was in once again was Liz' jewelry box.
There was a click, and the lid opened again, and Liz looked down at
me once more, a look of fury on her face.
I began to wish I had died.
* * *
The next few weeks are hazy in my mind. I remember getting the
fingernail in my back after I tried to escape. I know at one point I
was turned into Liz' tampon, and at another I was her deodorant. Much
of the time she just beat on my tiny body.
I tried over and over to tell her that I hadn't tried to leave her,
that she was mistaken, but that only made the beatings worse.
She was creative, I'll give her that. Once, she put my consciousness
into a soccer ball being used at an indoor women's tourney. When she
got bored with me being booted around, I became one with a
midfielder's sock. When that bored her, she made be a piece of dirt
in a goalie's cleat, and when she tired even with that, I found
myself 1/16th of an inch tall in the panties of an enormous striker.
And in between episodes like that, I was punished. I was sat on,
stepped on, hit and kicked. I was deprived food for days, treated
like dirt.
And in between it all, I was back in the box, with nothing and nobody
to keep me company save my pain and my own thoughts.
I knew in my heart that this was not Liz that was torturing me. The
Liz I had fallen in love with could never hurt me the way the Liz
that currently possessed me did. There was something deeper at work
here. Whatever gave Liz her powers was driving her mad.
And it seemed I was the focal point of her madness.
I would find out later that The Coed had been active during this
time. Eight men disappeared between January and March of 1993. Were
they guilty? I don't know. I doubt all of them were.
Certainly, I wasn't.
What drove me craziest, though, were the times that Liz would
reappear. There would be a flicker of kindness in her beating, a hint
of the love she once felt for me. Some nights she would just take me
out and talk to me, and for a few minutes I could almost believe I
had imagined the horror my life had become.
But those moments never lasted.
I knew that I would not remain Liz' punching bag forever. Eventually,
she would kill me, and I would have the release of death. Indeed,
many times I wished that I had been snuffed out by her months ago.
When the box opened in early March, I could see that my ending had
come. And I was grateful for it.
* * *
"SO, LITTLE ONE" she said, looking down at me. "THIS
IS GOODBYE. IN JUST THREE DAYS, I WILL BECOME MORE POWERFUL THAN ANY
HUMAN IN HISTORY. I HAVE NO NEED ANYMORE FOR A LYING,
CHEATING...MAN."
The last word was delivered with a cold sneer.
"Liz, I didn't cheat on you! I didn't...."
"SILENCE. YOUR GUILT IS EMBEDDED IN YOUR Y CHROMOSOME. YOU WERE
GUILTY FROM THE START. NOW, JAKE, YOU WILL DIE."
She raised her hand high, and prepared to drop it on me like a ton of
bricks. I closed my eyes, waiting for the blow. The end was coming
soon, so soon. I would see my parents again, and my sister.
I was at peace as I felt the wind from her onrushing hand begin to
butress me.
And suddenly, the wind stopped.
I opened my eyes, to see Liz' hand a few feet above my head.
Suddenly, Liz stumbled backwards, shuddering violently.
"NO...NO...CAN'T..." she murmured.
"I...CAN'T...WON'T...NO!" The last word was delivered in a
deafening scream.
"Liz?"
She looked at me with a look of shock and surprise on her face. Then,
the look was replaced with grim determination.
"LITTLE ONE, ARE YOU OKAY?"
I looked at her blankly. "Y--yes," I stammered.
"THERE ISN'T MUCH TIME. QUICKLY, I HAVE TO SHOW YOU SOMETHING.
YOU HAVE TO READ IT AS FAST AS YOU CAN. I HOPE YOU WILL UNDERSTAND
IT. JAKE, YOU HAVE TO STOP ME."
"I don't understand," I said, perplexed.
"JAKE, I AM NOT ME. YOU KNOW THAT I COULD NEVER HURT YOU. BUT
THE THING I'VE BECOME...."
A single tear rolled down her cheek, and she wiped it away morosely.
With that, she pulled a piece of paper from her desk, and unfolded it
in front of me. "SPRECHEN SIE DEUTSCH?" she asked.
"Ja," I replied. I had five years of German behind me, and
I was already reading the yellowed, handwritten paper as fast as I
could. It was all here, all of the spells that Liz had cast over the
past half-year. I was trying my best to remember everything I could.
"LITTLE ONE," said Liz. "I CAN FEEL WHAT I'VE BECOME
TRYING TO PUSH THROUGH. I'M GOING TO LEAVE NOW. YOU'LL HAVE FIVE,
MAYBE TEN MINUTES AT BEST. JAKE, MOST IMPORTANT...YOU HAVE TO GET
READY. I HAVE TO BE STOPPED."
"Liz, I don't...."
"SHHH. KILL ME IF YOU HAVE TO DO IT. OR I'LL DO TO OTHERS WHAT
I'VE DONE TO YOU. STOP ME. I LOVE YOU, LITTLE ONE. I'M SO, SO
SORRY." With that, she bent down, and kissed me, gently.
And she turned, and fast as she could, ran out the door.
"I love you, too," I said to the closing door. And I meant
it.
* * *
I raised my hands. "Shrink, 1:36 scale," I said. The
massive parchment in front of me dwindled down to the size of a
regular 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of paper. I picked it up and folded it, and
jammed it into one of Sue's purses, which I'd shrunk into an
oversized duffle bag.
I was sorry to steal it from her, but I didn't have time to dawdle.
At least seven minutes had passed, and I knew that I was already on
borrowed time.
I had tried immediately to restore my size, and immediately found
myself pushing against that rubbery wall of a spell cast in earnest
by one skilled in GTS. I could feel the bar push against me and move,
slightly, but the best I could do was to increase my height by an
inch or two--not nearly enough to matter.
Fortunately, other spells were not so restricted. I could shrink
almost anyhing, including myself. And I could transport myself short
distances within the room. I even thought I might be able to
transform myself, though I didn't want to test it on myself until I
was sure.
For now, I was on top of Sue's dresser, gathering some items I
thought might be useful--an earring (the end would make a nice
spear), a piece of gum (which I may need to ward off hunger), and a
pair of Sue's panties (because I would need something for warmth. Why
else?) I was just about to leave when the door flew open.
"Shrink 1:100 scale" I whispered as the Liz-who-was-not-Liz
stormed into the room. My heart was in my throat as the
three-and-a-half mile tall beauty strode toward her desk.
I was barely above the microscopic; the world was disjointed and
weird. But I could hear Liz swearing, then, saw a streak of red hair
exiting the room, no doubt in search of me.
"Grow 100:1 scale" I murmured, and I was back to two inches
tall again. My plan would have to change. I couldn't escape the room
the way I had planned--by just walking out. Liz would certainly spot
me. I would have to try another....
I felt the push at my mind, and suddenly I was parrying the Claris
spell. Liz was trying to see through my eyes, I could feel it.
"No, damn it," I muttered, before pushing hard and closing
off my mind.
It was the first spell I had cast with full emotion behind it, and it
worked a little too well. My mind was closed completely; only an
adept could get through the parry spell I had cast. (This would later
annoy Teri, but I had good cause).
I knew I couldn't just sit around all day waiting for Liz to come
back.But I also couldn't just run out pell-mell. I needed a bit of
luck.
And then, deus ex machina, Sue Nguyen showed up.
She was wearing a spring coat and carrying a backpack, muttering to
herself in Hmong, quickly scanning the room. She checked her watch,
and then headed for a duffle bag sitting by her desk.
I didn't know where she was going, and I didn't care. I was in the
bag before she even reached it, and as she lifted up the bag, I
prayed that I was on my way to freedom.
* * *
The bag swayed as Sue carried it though campus. Most likely we were
walking down Observatory Drive; I could hear the occasional car
passing, which ruled out the Lakeshore path. I could tell we were
walking westbound, away from campus, probably toward the lakeshore
dorms.
Was Sue going to her boyfriend's for a little assignation? It was
possible, but I found it unlikely. From what light was filtering into
the bag, I could see that Sue had packed shorts and a t-shirt and a
pair of sneakers--not the kind of clothes one would bring to a men's
dorm for changing into after a little kanoodling.
No, more likely she was going to work out. I knew there was an
athletic center right at the edge of campus. Undoubtedly she was
going there to try to keep her phenomenal figure phenomenal.
And I was going with her.
I tried to grow again. I could get to about eight inches before the
resistance of Liz' spell arrested me. I shrank back down again.
If I had patience, I knew I would be able to break the spell
completely. But I also knew that I didn't have forever.
I had less than three days.
* * *
We arrived in the women's locker room, and I huddled down in the
corner of Sue's bag. I would have to get away from Sue, that was
certain. Going back with her would lead me straight back to Liz, and
that meant likely death. I found my way to her shoelace, diminished
my height to one-fourth of an inch, and grabbed on. I hoped I could
find an opportunity to work my way to someone else, and at least be
able to find a safe place to crash.
My stomach dropped as Sue grasped her shoe and lifted it into the
air. I hoped she would drop the shoe onto the floor to put it on. It
would give me the opportunity to run to the shelter of the bench and
plot. Sue didn't help me out there, though. She put the shoe on the
bench and lifted her tremendous foot up to insert it.
I was on the outside part of her left shoe. I dropped to the bench
and sprinted away from Sue. The locker room was pretty empty,
fortunately, and I was able to get away while Sue tied her shoelaces
and tossed her stuff in the locker.
I waited for an opportunity, and it entered in the form of a sweaty
woman with short, dirty blonde hair, wearing bike shorts and a
t-shirt. She walked over toward my bench and began disrobing.
She was pretty, but that didn't enter into it. She was a ticket out
of here. I walked toward the clothes she had dropped on the bench,
and knew as I reached them that I had a chance. As I was tossed with
the clothes into her gym bag, I was already plotting how I could
regain myself in time to stop Liz.
I didn't even know what she was intending to do.
* * *
The bag was carried unsteadily to the woman's home. I hoped we were
in a lakeshore dorm, or somewhere off-campus. I didn't want to find
myself back at Liz Waters. Even though I might be in another wing, I
didn't want to be in the same building as Liz.
The bag opened, and a pair of hands yanked tennis shoes out of the
bag, before the bag was inverted. I fell, surprised, into a heap of
clothing that smelled of sweat and female pheremones.
I gritted my teeth, concerned that the basket might be lifted, that
tonight might be laundry night. But I soon relaxed. She had just been
neat; better to put your gym clothes in the hamper right away than
leave them to fester.
I started to plan. I'd wait until the woman (and her roommate, if she
had one) went to sleep, and then I'd make my escape--just a transport
spell or two. Then, I'd find my way to a quiet corner of whatever
dormatory I was in and try to restory my size to something
approaching normal.
I also needed to try to find some clothes at some point.
The door to the room opened with a boom, and I heard the woman's
roommate enter. They were chatting away about my hostess working out.
"OH, YOU'RE A SWEATY BITCH," said the roommate, jovially.
"SO WHERE ARE THE CLOTHES?"
What the heck was this about, I wondered.
"I DON'T HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, ERICA."
"OH YES YOU DO, JILL. THEY IN THE HAMPER?"
Okay, I wasn't sure at all where this was going, but I wasn't going
to take any chances. I quickly reduced my height to 1/8 inch, and
tried to figure out what in sam hill was happening.
I timed it well. An enormous face filled my horizon, pretty, with
short, jet-black hair and a nose stud in a button nose. She reached
down for the item I was on, which I realized quickly was a pair
of--Jill's?--panties. The garment and I were lifted to the woman's
face, and she breathed in the heady aroma. The air displacement
caused me to lose my grip and fall past lush, unpainted lips to the
front of a black t-shirt.
"DELICIOUS," said Erica.
"THAT'S DISGUSTING," said Jill.
"YOU KNOW YOU LIKE IT, MY LITTLE LIPSTICK LESBIAN."
With that, Erica came up behind her seated lover and kissed her on
the neck.
I was too shocked to do anything. I was in a bad situation. But then
again, I was male.
So I stayed put for the moment, and waited to see what happened.
* * *
D.X. sat back in the seat and sighed. "It was really stupid.
Really stupid. But pretty fun."
The group was silent, until Sarah piped up.
"Uh, Boss, you going to give details?"
Jake smiled. He loved teasing Sarah. It was so darn easy. "Yeah
Sarah. In just a second or two."
 
Chapter Eleven

The van drove along I-94, with everyone silent.
For about eight seconds.
"Okay, it's been two seconds, chief. Spill the beans."
D.X. laughed. "All you think about is sex, ain't it,
Sarah?"
"No. I also think about how I'm going to one day transform you
into podiatric shoes for the folks at the Bosky Dell Nursing Home for
the Senile and Deranged. That, and torts."
Jake cracked his knuckles and mused internally about whether Sarah
had some attraction to women as well as men. Wouldn't surprise
him--though he thought that mostly, she was just interested in GTS
erotica because she was so tied into it. She was an adept, and it was
so woven into her soul that there was no telling where she ended and
GTS began.
Lucky girl. And lucky Scott, he added, mentally.
"So, you want to know what happened between Jill and
Erica?"
"Oui," Sarah replied.
"All right," said Jake, "I'll tell you."
* * *
Erica had leaned in behind Jill and was kissing the nape of her neck,
trying gamely to get her girlfriend into the right mood.
"HONEY, STOP, I NEED TO STUDY. I'VE GOT AN O-CHEM MIDTERM COMING
UP ON TUESDAY AND IT'S KICKING MY ASS."
"COME ON, IT WON'T TAKE THAT LONG. YOU'LL BE ALL RELAXED AND
HAPPY, AND THE STUDYING WILL GO QUICKER."
Jill wavered, and moaned just a little bit as Erica kept her
ministrations up. "UM...YOU KNOW DAMN WELL IT'LL TAKE PLENTY
LONG, YOU DYKE. WE'VE NEVER HAD A QUICKIE YET."
"FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING, LOVE. WE COULD GET EACH OTHER OFF
QUICKLY, AND THEN GO BACK TO BEING RESPONSIBLE COLLEGE STUDENTS. WHAT
DO YOU SAY?"
At that suggestion, Jill turned and gave Erica a quick buss on the
lips. "OKAY. BUT IF WE'RE NOT DONE IN ONE HOUR...."
"I SWEAR, HONEY, I'LL KEEP IT QUICK."
* * *
It took them about three hours, but Jill really didn't seem to mind.
I was on the floor, looking up at the two girls dozing in each
other's arms, They were obviously in love, or at least in lust, which
is pretty good for college.
I envied them on a number of levels. First, just on pure simplicity:
as lesbians, they could cheerfully live together in the dorms.
Second, they were together with the person they loved, and they were
enjoying each other immensely.
I felt a stabbing in my gut as I thought of Liz, the woman I loved,
buried underneath layers of insanity. I wanted to help her. I wanted
to save her. But how?
* * *
"D.X., at the risk of sounding crass, given the pain I know you
felt and still feel--details?"
Jake had to laugh at that. "Scott, it's nice to see you asking
for the details for a change. All right, well, I'd put myself in a
pretty dumb position three hours before...."
* * *
I clung desperately to Erica's shirt as Jill rose and embraced her
girlfriend. I was crushed between the chests of the girls as the
lovers kissed deeply and warmly. I was immediately erect as I felt
the warmth of the titflesh enveloping me. It didn't take long for me
to lose my grip, but thankfully, by that time they were maneuvering
into bed.
I fell onto the chest of Jill as Erica rose up above her. With a sly
wink, Erica pulled her shirt off over her head, revealing a simple
black bra which was also removed. Erica was well-endowed, but there
was no sag to her breasts as she dropped back down toward Jill.
Enormous mams landed on either side of me as the two began to kiss
some more.
I knew, of course, that it would be best if I just transported out of
there. I knew, of course, that my continued presence as an ant-sized
voyeur on a young lesbian's chest was anything but safe.
But I was nineteen, and there were warehouse-sized breasts
surrounding me, and I was just too amazed to do a goddamn thing.
The two lovers rolled over, and I found myself dropping suddenly to
Erica's cleavage as Jill now was disrobing. Her breasts were smaller
than Erica's.But they were no less impressive. And then they were
back to kissing, and now there was no barrier between me and the
women.
It was somewhat painful. But it was amazing fun.
It wasn't long before I saw Jill's head drop down to Erica's tits,
sucking and licking on them passionately. Then, to my horror, her
tongue slid down the inside of Erica's left breast and enveloped me
before I had a chance to react.
I made my move on sheer instinct. I was covered in Jill's saliva, and
in real danger of being swallowed. I should've used a transport
spell, but instead, I cried "Morpheus!"
And I was quickly one with Jill's tongue.
We were sliding across the surface of Erica's stomach, and I was more
than aware of the soft, delicious skin. And we were sliding until
suddenly, we reached something slick and hairy. Erica's bush.
It was just a second before I found myself sliding across moistened
lips and, well, moistened lips as Jill began to work on Erica. I was
thrust in and out, before being worked up to Erica's clit. As Erica
began to tense up with orgasm, I sighed mentally. This could become
addictive, I thought.
* * *
So it went for the next couple hours. I experimented with morpheus
and transport and shrinking and growing spells as the girls went at
it, dropping myself off in all sorts of fun spots. When they finally
dozed off, spent and happy, I transported myself onto the floor, and
looked up at them, full of envy, but grateful for the experience.
I walked out into the hall, and pushed my height up to eighteen
inches. Then quickly, pushed it back down as I heard a door open. As
intriguing as it might be to be found by a fetching young coed, I had
work to do.
I headed down the hall towards where I thought a study lounge would
be. I could tell I was in a lakeshore dorm--Bradley, maybe, or
possibly Cole. I could see the lit room down the hall, maybe a twenty
minute walk or so away. I'd go in there and try to break the spell
Liz had put on me. And then, God willing, I'd go stop her. Whatever
that meant.
* * *
It actually took me a good deal longer than I thought, as young women
were constantly wandering out into the hallway. It was a
Saturday--March 13, 1993, to be exact--and the girls were having fun.
Next week was the last before Spring Break, so mid-terms would be in
full swing. Best to party it up.
I was stopped in my tracks more than a few times by conversations and
jokes and girls returning from the showers before heading out for the
evening. Once, I ended up directly under the robe of a girl as she
chatted amiably about something-or-other, and I got a good view of
her unadorned womanhood. It took a great deal of willpower, but I
kept moving along. I didn't have time to dawdle--two days, Liz had
said. That's all.
I finally made it to the study lounge. The room was deserted, and I
snuck over to the lee of the couch, and with everything I had, I
started blasting away at Liz' spell.
It was hard work. As hard as I have ever had to work to break a
spell. Dozens of times, I put everything I had into my growth spell,
only to grow a quarter inch, or a half inch, or not at all. Finally,
when I thought I had nothing left, I threw everything I had at the
spell, and felt it break away as I sped upwards to my full height of
five feet, ten inches tall.
It took me a second to gain my bearings. It had been months since I
had been the size of a human being. It was odd. Very odd, indeed.
Suddenly, the door opened, and a girl stared at me and screamed. I
looked down at myself, and realzied that I was still naked.
"Transport," I said, and as I dematerialized,
"Sorry."
I'm sure I probably scarred her for life, but I didn't have time to
discuss it. I had transported myself into a male dorm room one floor
up, one that was thankfully empty. Quickly, I grabbed a pair of jeans
and a sweatshirt out of the closet of one of the men, and morphed
them to my size. I then pulled on some shoes, and with a quick
transport spell, I was away.
* * *
It was a cool night in Madison, and I walked the streets, unsure of
what my next move was. I knew that I couldn't just pick my life back
up--inevitably, I'd come under suspicion for the murder of my
roommate, and while I wouldn't be found guilty--Liz had left no
physical evidence whatsoever--I didn't relish going through a police
investigation.
More to the point, I still had to uphold a promise to the woman I
loved. I had to stop her. Kill her, if I had to.
I prayed I wouldn't have to.
I had morphed my face to match that of a friend from high school. I
knew I didn't want Liz to notice me--I was not in her league yet as
far as GTS goes, and the last thing I wanted was for her to start
dueling me.
But I still had to find her, figure out what was going on.
So I waited outside of Liz Waters Hall in the shivering cold,
watching for her to show up.
At about nine o'clock, she exited, beautiful as ever. She looked
around briefly, catching my eye for but a second. She looked away,
and then looked back. I smiled a flirtacious smile, hoping she didn't
see me for who I was. But she simply scowled and walked out into the
night.
I let her walk a fair pace ahead before I turned and followed,
morphing my face into that of another friend's as I went.
* * *
We ended up at a bar on State Street, one of the less happening ones.
Liz had wandered in, and was sitting at a table with a woman I had
never seen. I sat down a few tables away and ordered a Budweiser; I
had no money, but the napkins in front of me morphed quickly into
twenties, just as a coaster had doubled as a Minnesota I.D. for a
David Xavier Machina, age 22. I don't know where the name came
from--sudden inspiration, I guess. I sipped on the beer and watched
the women talking, trying to figure out what they were planning.
When they got up, I went to follow them.
So did someone else.
I'd seen the man eyeing them. I had thought perhaps he was just
attracted to the pair, but now I realized he was casing them just
like I was. And he was going to follow them, just like me.
The two women split up almost immediately, and I decided to follow
Liz' compatriot, a beautiful woman in her early thirties, with
jet-black hair and a gorgeous figure. I followed at a safe pace, and
I noticed that my fellow spy was doing the same.
As the woman went into Inn on the Park, I turned my attention to the
man. Surely, he knew something. I transported myself right behind
him, and said, simply, "So who is she?"
The man jumped a few feet, turning suddenly. "Who the Hell are
you?" he asked in a British accent.
"D.X. Machina," I said, improvising. "And you?"
"Anonymous," he said. "You're the chap from the bar,
aren't you?"
He'd made me. Quickly, I weighed my options. I looked at the man, and
suddenly, I morphed my face back to my face. (I did the same to my
I.D.) "Actually, my name's Jake Theissen. I don't know who it is
you're following, but the woman she was with tonight is very
dangerous. She held me captive for months."
Anonymous rocked back on his heels, and his eyes widened. "You
are familiar with GTS then?"
"I've got a document," I said, pulling out the yellowed
parchment. "This is where the woman your subject met with got
her knowledge."
Anon looked up in surprise. "Bloody Hell," he whispered as
he studied the document. Then, he looked up at me. "Well, come
on. It looks like we have some things to discuss."
I don't know why, but I knew right away that Anon was a friend. Just
instinct, I guess. Together, we went up to his room at the hotel, and
we sat down and shared intelligence--him, about Veronica and the
League, me about Liz and The Coed.
He wasn't thrilled with my news.
"Two days," he said, grimly. "Doesn't leave much time.
I'll call in the cavalry, but if your Coed is as strong as you say, I
don't know if we can get enough agents in place to stop her."
"She's not evil. What she's become is evil, but she's a good
person. If only I could talk to her, reason with her...."
"Sorry, Jake. This is a powerful scroll with powerful effects.
It's fortunate you found me now, before you began to suffer from its
effects. I should be able to teach you more of GTS before Monday, a
more pure form of it that doesn't carry the same kind of mental
damage this does."
"I don't follow," I said.
"We've had the opportunity over the years to learn from our
mistakes. To use GTS without having it corrupt us. They're not major
differences, but they keep you from losing yourself in the power. And
that makes all the difference."
My heart leapt just a bit; maybe, I thought, if I could get this
information to Liz, she could be saved. I hoped so.
And so I began training with Anon. Refining my skills. Learning new
spells. We worked through the night, and by morning, I was woefully
inadequate--but thankfully, too inexperienced to know. I was strong
enough for the moment, that was all I could ask.
We slept in. When we woke up, it was two in the afternoon. We had
less than twenty-four hours before Liz would stike.
* * *
The Dells were behind them, now, and the van drove by Cascade
Mountain, where skiiers still were gliding downhill in the last gasp
of winter. Jake could feel Madison in his gut. It was closing
quickly. Something was happening. He knew it.
He prayed it wasn't what he thought it was.
 
Chapter Twelve

Jake leaned back and rested his eyes for a moment. It was hard,
telling this story. It got harder every time. But he had to. Scott
and Sarah needed to know what they were getting into.
"No time for sleeping, liebschen. You have much work to
do."
D.X. looked around, startled. He was in the desert of Arizona, on a
crystal clear fall evening. He shivered just a bit at the cold,
though he knew he wasn't really there.
An old woman sat by the fire. She was small and frail, but only the
unwise would believe in her frailty. She looked up at him with those
eyes, and said, simply, "Come, sit, my young apprentice."
"Katrin?" he said, quizzically.
"You were expecting Obi-Wan Kenobi, perhaps? Who else would come
to you in this way? You don't have an infinite reserve of dead
teachers." She delivered these lines in a thick German accent,
with a hint of something else.
"I haven't seen you since--since--"
"Since the day after I died. Yes, yes, I've been busy. The
afterlife is not all beer and skittles, Yacob. There is much work to
do there, and He keeps me on my toes. Not that I mind. He's a good
kid, that one." She swept her long white hair out of her eyes,
and smiled. "Besides, you have done well for yourself in my
absence."
Jake sat down by the fire and looked at her. His mind told him he was
looking at Katrin Goldfarb, the most powerful adept ever to live. And
the person who taught him how to make GTS a positive force. But he
knew it was impossible.
"What, impossible. Impossible is your Elizabeth talking to you
in your dreams. Impossible is fifty foot women. A dead God-teacher
coming back to instruct you? Happens all the time. Ask Luke
Skywalker."
Jake smiled. If this wasn't Katrin, she was a dead ringer. "Why
are you here?" he asked.
"Because," she said, "you need me."
"Why do I need you?"
"You know why."
"Liz?"
Katrin smiled, and shook her head. "Not so simple as just Liz.
Big things are going to happen, Yacob. You will find that what you
think is happening is indeed happening, but what you think has
happened has not. You will find that what you think is the crossroads
is indeed the crossroads, but another crossroads lies just beyond.
You will have the chance to redeem yourself, but you will also find
challenges you have not dared to imagine."
Jake leaned back. "What does that mean?"
"I can't tell you that, Jake," said Katrin. "I would
be violating the God-teacher's union bylaws to just spell it out for
you--and you yourself would be the first to try to censure me, you
stickler for the rules. I can tell you this: you must trust yourself,
and your compatriots. Your instincts are good, Yacob, and so are your
adept friends. And most of all, so are your wife's.
"Now," she said, rising, "it is time for me to
leave."
"Teacher," he said, "I never thanked you properly. For
everything."
"So? You have. You have done well by GTS. You have made it into
a powerful force indeed, Yacob. That is all I could ever have hoped
for. Auf Wiedersehen, Yacob."
"Farewell, Teacher," he said, as the scene faded away.
* * *
Jake head-bobbed. "How long have I been asleep?" he asked.
"Just a few minutes," said Teri. "We figured you
needed it."
"I'll be fine. I just had a dream about Katrin Goldfarb."
"The adept?" asked Scott.
"Yes," said Jake. He paused for a moment, then said,
"Well, I guess I'd best finish the tale. We're almost to
Madison."
* * *
It was the afternoon of Sunday, March 14, 1993. Something was going
to happen, and soon.
We knew this. Liz had been specific.
We just didn't have a clue what something was.
I was grateful to Anon. He didn't have to trust me, he didn't have to
take me in. He could easily have milked me for information and left
me high and dry, but he didn't.
Instead, he made use of me. I had, we found, a natural facility for
GTS. Not adept level, of course, but there were only five known
adepts at that time and four of them were neutral. (All of them were
women, too; that should have been a sign to we of the Cadre, but of
course, we ignored it.) I was green, but I was willing and strong,
and I had a strong motivation to succeed.
We decided to split up, to use our resources to try to find out what
the plan was, and how we could stop it. I would confront Liz, while
Anon would tail Ronnie. It was a dangerous gamble. Either one of us
could find ourselves caught, attacked, or worse. But we had to do it.
So while Anon took up his position down the hall from Veronica Ceres'
room, I walked back to campus, heading straight for Elizabeth Waters
Hall.
I must've been insane.
* * *
Getting to the door of Liz' room was easy--a little misdirection
here, a little transporting there. But daring to knock on the
door...that was altogether different.
With trepidation, I knocked twice. A moment or two, and the door
opened.
"Hello?" said Sue, looking up at me.
I had to supress a smile. Sue was barely five feet tall--gorgeous,
certainly, but tiny. It felt strange to finally see her as a regular
woman, instead of as a goddess.
Well...she was still pretty goddess-like.
"Um...is Liz here?" I asked, trying my best to stay cool.
"No, she's at class. Who are you?"
"Dave. Dave Machina. I'm in a study group with her, I need to
leave her a message...you mind if I write her a note?"
"No, not at all. Here, her desk is over there."
I walked to the desk and grabbed a sheet of looseleaf paper, pausing
just long enough to spy an open jewelry box. I fought the urge to
hurl it against the wall violenly, and instead wrote:
Liz,
We need to talk. I can help you with the test you face tomorrow. You
need to trust me. I have your best interests at heart. Meet me by the
statue of Lincoln on Bascom Hill at 10 tonight. Don't bring Veronica
or any of her friends--they're a bad influence on you. And I'm not
looking for a fight. Let's agree on a truce beforehand--you leave
your fight at home, I'll leave mine.
Dave Machina "Little One"
I smiled at Sue as I folded over the note. And then I left the room,
my heart racing.
* * *
"I don't like it, mate. There are too many League operatives in
town--I count twenty. The most we can get here by tomorrow is ten. I
can't risk you going alone. I'll go with you."
"Anon," I said, trying hard not to look afraid, "I
have to do this. If there's someone else with me, she's going to
smell a rat. I hope to convince her, but if I can't, then I hope to
find out everything I can about the plan for tomorrow."
"Well, good luck, because I got nothing," said Anon,
grimly.
* * *
It was 10:10 PM. She wasn't going to show. Looks like I wasted my--
"You've grown, Little One."
I turned and smiled at her. She was radiant in the moonlight, the
cold March wind whipping through her hair. She looked like someone
who could command a city, or a nation, or a world.
"I eat my Wheaties," I joked. Then, "Liz, we can stop
this."
"It's too late, Jake. Or are you 'David' now?"
"I don't know. And it's not too late. I've learned, Liz. I've
learned so much about GTS in the last day. I've learned a new form
that doesn't affect you like the scroll did. It's different mental
images, a different approach. It works, Liz. You could learn it, you
could have these powers and not the anger that comes with them."
"It's too late, Jake," she said, softly. "It's my
destiny. My destiny to rule this city. The city is mine, Jake. I own
it."
"Liz--"
"Little One, you have a chance. I know I was hard on you...so
hard, so bitter. But I've changed now. I don't have the rage. Just a
determination. I'm sorry, Jake, but I want you to be by my side.
Veronica--she advised me against it, but I don't care. I love you. I
want you to be my Prince Regent.And the voice of my better angels.
You would have power, Jake. You would be my second-in-command.
Together we could rule...and we could become more than lovers, or
boyfriend and girlfriend. We could be together, forever. Don't you
want that?"
My heart was so heavy I thought it would pull me into the ground.
"I want that more than anything, Liz. But you asked me to stop
you, you asked me to do it out of love. If nothing else, Liz, delay
it. Wait a few days."
"No. The Cadre--a league of men bent on male domination--they
have gotten wind of the plan. No, it's tomorrow, or never."
I looked at her and she at me. It seemed like I saw her across a
canyon, from far, far away. I knew then that it was not my Liz that
wanted to forge ahead.
I wasn't sure if she existed anymore.
"Liz, I need to think...about us. Where can I find you
tomorrow?"
She smiled. "Be on Library Mall at 1:30. But don't be right by
the Library. I hope to see you there, my love."
"I hope to see you," I said to my Liz.
We parted under truce; neither of us tried anything. We were both
honorable.
And we were now enemies.
* * *
Anon met me in the Rathskeller, and got me up to date.
"We haven't been able to nail anything down on Ceres, but we
know that a number of League bigwigs have come to town. We're moving
to a new base of operations to get things set for tomorrow. Unless,
of course, you convinced her to abort the plan."
"Well, I couldn't talk her out of it," I said, "but I
think I know where it's going down."
I relayed my conversation to Anon. He smiled, just a bit.
"You know, D.X., you'd make a hell of a field agent. You should
consider coming to work for us when this is all over with."
"I just might, Anon, I just might. So, do you need me for
anything else?"
"Indeed. It's time for you to meet the Chair."
* * *
The new base of operations turned out to be a lovely, large home a
few blocks from the Capitol. I didn't enquire as to how the Cadre
laid hands on it; indeed, I was too awed by the situation I found
myself in to think about much of anything.
There were about a dozen younger men hanging out in the great room,
playing cards and chatting, while in the corner, two men were
chatting amiably. One had grey hair and a fatherly manner. He sipped
scotch out of a snifter, and smiled at Anon warmly. The other had
thinning cinnamon-sugar hair and a pointed vandyke, and an odd,
otherworldly appearance. He commanded respect, and I instantly felt a
bond with him.
"D.X., I'd like to introduce you to my father, John Smith the
Sixth," said Anonymous, gesturing to the grey-haired man.
"The pleasure is mine," said the elder Smith, smiling
warmly and shaking my hand. "I'd like to introduce you to the
Chair of our organization, Mr. Koschei."
With that, the Chair rose, and smiled at me. "Mr. Machina.
Anonymous has told us of you. It is an honor to meet one who survived
an encounter with a Giantess."
"It was little of my doing that saved me," I said.
"She set me free."
"Indeed. But you perservered through trouble. You survived long
enough to change her mind. You are the kind of man we could use
around here.
"But now, to business."
* * *
For hours we discussed the possible plans for tomorrow. Scouts
plotted out Library Mall, a few more footsoldiers showed up, bringing
our contingent to a robust seventeen, counting me.
We slept between two and five, and were back up again, going through
our drills, planning our attack. Liz could not be allowed to do
damage--she had to be stopped.
I was going to be in on the attack, but not at the forefront of it.
My job was to stay back with the Chair and provide tactical analysis.
It made sense. I knew Liz better than anyone, and I'd be able to
alert the Chair if I had an idea.
Of course, I doubted I'd be much help, but we would see.
By nine-thirty, we were at our posts in and around Library Mall. The
Chair and I were stationed on the third floor of the bookstore. From
there, we had a good view of the proceedings. All men were in
position. We were ready.
All there was to do now was wait.
* * *
The hours drug by. Ten. Eleven. Noon. By one-fifteen, I was tense as
a charley horse, and frightened as a little girl. I nearly jumped
when Anon's voice came over the radio.
Anonymous, spot League forces, a pair of 'em, coming in from the
East, over. The reports started coming quickly then.
Bigg here, I've got three of 'em in from the North.
Little, three Leaguers coming out of the library.
Stainless, got a wave of four coming up off of State.
And then, came the news we were waiting for.
Anon here. Four League agents. Ceres, Leah Thompson, Katrin Goldfarb,
and The Coed. Repeat, I have visual of The Coed."
"All Cadre forces, this is the Chair," said Koschei,
crisply. "On my mark. Three, two, one, mark."
The battle was joined.
* * *
The League wasn't expecting it; that was the only reason that we had
a chance.
They had us easily outnumbered, and worse, they had an adept on their
side. But they didn't know the Cadre had made them. (They knew about
me, of course, but didn't consider me a threat.)
We led with transformation spells and transport spells--disorienting,
confounding spells that instantly thinned the ranks of the League to
more even strength. Quickly, they fell back into a defensive ring
around Liz and began firing back with AR spells and shrinking spells.
We expected that move, and parried nicely. If Bigg had held his
position, we probably could have wiped 'em out quickly.
But Henry Bigg was always a bit of a hot-headed glory hound. He saw a
chance to get to Liz, and he took it. With a war cry, he charged out
of his position, with the Chair screaming at him to hold his
position, and started to raise his arm in a triumphant transformation
spell...
...only to find himself suddenly whisked away by Adept Katrin
Goldfarb, who simply willed him into the Chi Omega house at the size
of 1/4 inch.
The League counter-struck then. Katrin held back. It was now obvious
that she was around to protect Liz. But it was also now obvious that
the tide had turned. Stuart Little went down next, turned
into...well, a mouse by Veronica Ceres. Then Stainless Clock lost his
battle when he was turned into a bit of stubble on the ankle of a
woman passing by.
"We're losing. And it's almost 1:30," I said to the Chair.
"I know," he said. He looked at me gravely. "You need
to get down there, D.X. You need to join the battle."
I didn't hear the end of the sentence. I leapt, and was transporting
myself before the thought was completed.
* * *
Even among those skilled in GTS, there is often a tactical blind
spot.
Those who have been shrunk are forgotten about.
I could see this instinctively as I watched the battle, which is why
I materialized behind the League's line of defense at three inches
tall.
I crept along, passing a few comely women doing their best to destroy
the Cadre. Carefully, I crept by Veronica Ceres, and was almost to
Liz. Only a looming grandmotherly figure remained. Quickly, I grew
myself and started to strike....
Suddenly, time stopped.
The elderly woman regarded me carefully, and suddenly, split the
barrier in my mind as easily as one might break an egg.
This was not GTS. This was an older magic.
I felt the last five months flowing out of me, my pain and anguish
and anger and fear streaming in an unbearable torrent. And then
deeper, with my dad...my sister...my mother....
I tried to scream at her to stop, to please oh God make it stop I
don't want to remember this I don't need to please I'll do anything
I'll please oh please oh please....
And then suddenly, the scenery changed, and the memories were of Liz,
kissing me down by the lake, making love to me, promising to release
me. Of her freeing me, asking me to stop her. To kill her if I had
to.
The old woman regarded me carefully, and after an interminable time,
said simply, "You are an honorable man. You must do as you
promised, Yacob."
And the world started moving again. The old woman winked at me, and
then collapsed.
I had a clear path to Liz.
I took it.
The chimes struck for one-thirty.
Liz smiled at me, onrushing her. "It's too late, Little One.
We're going to do it! We're going to smash the Patriarchy! No woman
will ever cower at her boyfriend again! No woman will ever suffer
rape again! The bullshit macho garbage that passes for society will
be swept away, and finally, women will have their place at the head
of the line. Hey, boys, what do you think of me now?"
"I can't let you Liz. I can't let you do this."
The League noticed that they had let me slip through. They were
turning to attack me.
"Please Liz," I said, "don't make me stop you."
"You can't," she sneered. "The Liz you plead to is
dead. Bow before your Goddess!"
I saw her start to raise her hand in slow motion, felt the air start
to rush away from her as she started to grow. I had come to the cusp.
I had to make a decision.
My heart was as heavy as an anvil, and my stomach was tied in knots.
But I had no choice. Or, more to the point, I had but one.
"Shrink," I said, "1:1000 scale. And bind for ten
years."
My hand had sprung up of its own volition. I threw my spell at Liz
with everything I had.
The spells hit each other and bounced off each other and pushed and
pulled. But it's easier to cast a shrink spell than a growth spell,
and easier to maintain it agaist a counterveiling spell. I only had
to wait her out. I could see her strength ebbing. One last time, I
cried out to her.
"Liz! Remember, I always loved you. I always will. I'm sorry, my
love. I'm so sorry."
She turned to me with a look of anger and recrimination. She seemed
to be mouthing profanity at me. And then, suddenly, there was a look
of clarity, and she mouthed to me, "Thank you."
And suddenly, she was gone.
With a pop, the air moved into the space she had been in. I staggered
as I knew that the spell had worked; Liz was gone. She was no longer
a threat.
With their champion gone, the fight went out of the League. Quickly,
most abandoned their posts. One, however, kept towards me.
"You!" screamed Ronnie. "You destroyed a great moment
for women! I worked with her for months, and...."
"Shut the fuck up you bitch, you killed her," I screamed,
lashing out with everything I had.
Ronnie parried just in time, which is fortunate, as she would have
been dead once my spell connected. I'm not even sure I remember what
it was--only that it was very lethal. "Well, the little boy has
some fight. The Coed was right about you. We'll settle this...later.
Mr...."
"Machina," I said, "D.X. Machina."
"D.X.," she smiled, and vanished.
And with that, I collapsed on the ground, and wept.
* * *
The rest, as they say, is history. I joined the Cadre, they helped
clean up my history and clear me of any wrongdoing--turns out I'd
been in California interning with Disney. Michael Eisner wrote a
personal letter to the Madison police department. It didn't matter.
The name on the Arizona--and California--and Washington--and
Florida--and Nevada drivers licenses I carried was David Xavier
Machina. Jake Theissen was almost a memory to me now.
I first dreamt of Liz the very night I killed her.
"LITTLE ONE," she said to me gently, "THANK YOU."
"I killed you, Liz," I said, resting on her knee and
crying.
"SILLY," she grinned at me. "LOVE NEVER DIES. BESIDES,
YOU DID WHAT YOU HAD TO. WHAT I WANTED YOU TO DO. YOU DESTROYED ME TO
SAVE ME. I DON'T KNOW IF I COULD'VE DONE THAT FOR YOU. I KNOW I
WOULDN'T HAVE WANTED TO."
"I miss you already, Liz."
"OH, DON'T WORRY," she said, smiling. "I'M NOT GONE
FOR GOOD. I PROMISE."
* * *
The group arrived at the Parthenon at 1:55 AM, having checked in at
Inn on the Park. Veronica met them there, as did Anonymous. There was
concern in the room, not least because D.X. was so quiet.
But slowly, they regained their equilibrium as they planned. And
there were a few surprised--Ronnie had never realized that Katrin had
betrayed the League in '93. "That evil witch," she said
admiringly. "Thank God she was smarter than me."
They retired to bed, and were up again in the morning, back at
Library Mall. This time, D.X., Scott, and Sarah were the frontline,
and there was nobody between them and the spot Liz died.
"One thing you never mentioned," said Scott, as they
waited. "What was the deal with Katrin Goldfarb? I mean, she was
working with the League, right?"
"Well, the way I worked with the Cadre. She believed in balance.
She was the daughter of a Jew and a Gypsy. She lived through the
Holocaust and came to America with the secret of GTS. She could have
had unlimited power, like you and Sarah, but she didn't want it. She
believed any idea forced on people will fail. So she was leery to
begin with when the League recruited her. And she openly disdained
Project Rowena.
"But she did her duty, protecting Liz. When she saw me, though,
she realized what Liz was capable of. She let me stop Liz because she
didn't want one woman ruling the world any more than one man.
"She met with me later, when I was in Arizona trying to find
myself. She taught me about GTS, and balance, and respecting this
gift we've been given. And she taught me to forgive myself. I owe her
much. We all do."
They were quiet, until Anon's voice came over the radios.
"1:29," he said, simply.
The field of GTS energy was palpable now. It was collapsing quickly
on the spot Liz died. D.X. raised his hand, and prepared a transport
spell that he hoped would buy him time. He said a little prayer. This
time he would have time. This time, nobody would be forcing his hand.
This time he'd get it right.
The clock chimed. One-thirty.
The field collapsed. And collapsed. And collapsed. D.X. raised his
hand, and for a split-second there was a flash, an outline of a
fifty-foot-tall woman in blue sparkles. "Trans--"
And suddenly, it faded away.
"--port."
There was an interminable time where the only sounds were of students
moving across the nearly deserted square, until D.X. said,
"Um...Scott, what's our reading?"
Scott looked out serenely. "Negative. Nothing there. The field
has utterly collapsed." He turned to his friend, and put a hand
on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Jake."
D.X. wanted to cry, but a General doesn't cry in front of the troops.
Instead, he calmly picked up his radio and said, "All personnel,
stand down, field has collapsed, no GTS activity repeat no GTS
activity."
He looked out over the mall, and sighed.
Liz was gone forever. It was done.
It was done.
End Part One
 
Interlude

"If it became possible for me to shrink you, say in the privacy
of our own home, would you let me do it to you?"
--Dreamwatch, A Small Weekend
It's funny how life brings us back around to where we've been.
Ronnie had headed back to Chicago; Sarah, Teri, and Anon were on
their way back to the Cities. And Scott and Jake were sharing a
pitcher of Capital Hefeweitzen in a bar in Memorial Union.
Ronnie had offered field ops to do the mop-up work required after
this kind of event, but D.X. had wanted to do the job himself. For
one thing, he still didn't trust the Bigg-Little team, and besides,
this one was his responsibility.
Scott had stayed back too. He knew his friend needed him.
"I'm sorry, D.X." he said. "I was hoping it was
her."
"Thanks, Scott. But I'm not sorry. Liz was pretty miserable by
the end. I'd hate to think of her alone for ten years...."
Jake shuddered involuntarily. "Liz would've tried to implement
Project Rowena. I think we would've stopped her, but I'm glad we
didn't have to try.
"It's unlikely she would've done lasting damage. But I didn't
want to kill her again."
They were quiet for a moment or two, before Scott said, "Why no
lasting damage?"
"Eh? Fundamental organizing principle of the universe,
multiperson solipsism. Until the world is ready for GTS, GTS can have
only limited impact. You know--you were in New York."
Scott looked at D.X., and said, softly, "What if the world is
ready?"
Jake shook his head. "No chance. We live in a practical world, a
scientific world. There's no room in it for GTS."
"Isn't there? Think about everything that's happened in the last
decade. We've gone from Liz having permanent powers being novel to
GTS Enterprises. We've had movies like Attack of the Fifty Foot Women
and Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves. And most important, look at the
content on the Internet.
"I don't know, D.X. Maybe we're not ready now, but I think we're
getting closer to the day this thing is going to explode into the
world's consciousness."
"God help us all if that's true," said D.X. "I love
GTS as much as the next guy--let's face it, more. But this would be
such a radical transformation for society. Think what would happen if
anyone could access GTS; think how different our world would
look."
Scott nodded. "I'm not saying it would be easy or good. But GTS
is a force of nature, like a tsunami or a hurricane. And I worry one
day it's going to blow in and hit humanity, and we're not going to
know what hit us."
"Well," said D.X., "if you're right, then our
organization is going to be busy. Because we're the only ones with
the experience to help."
Scott sipped at his beer, and grimaced. "That's what bothers
me," he said.
They were quiet for a few moments, before Scott said, "You know,
it's funny. What we've become, you and I. We were both washouts in
the traditional sense, and here we are, with power beyond what we can
comprehend."
"True enough," allowed D.X. "Though I had an excuse.
You were trying to stay in college forever."
"True enough. But still...we're both damn lucky for everything,
you know."
"Luck," said D.X., solemnly. "It's a son of a bitch. I
would trade all the power I ever had never to have met Liz, never to
have felt the pain I felt when I killed her. The only things I
wouldn't trade away are Teri, Sarah, and you--my wife and my best
friends. And since I couldn't have met you without Liz, I'll bear up
under it.
"But I don't have to like it--and I don't."
Scott sipped the beer and said, "D.X., you said Katrin trained
you. How?"
"Huh? Same way I trained you, only she was a better teacher and
I was a less gifted pupil."
"Why did she train you?"
D.X. looked off into the distance. "I don't know, Scott. I think
it's because she saw in me a desire for balance. When she looked into
my mind, she knew all I wanted was to keep my promise to Liz--nothing
more. I harbored no ill will towards women or men.
"I think she thought my destiny lay along the path I
followed--or maybe that it could, if she helped me. I'm grateful. If
not for her guidance, I may have fallen into the Cadre's
mindset--like Bigg and Little, who no matter how talented will never
rise above their mindsets."
Machina closed his eyes. "I hope I've been a positive force. So
much battling, so much war...but it brought peace, right? It brought
stability."
"It did, Jake," said Scott, quietly, as a tear rolled down
his friend's face. "You did it. It's thanks to you that people
can enjoy GTS, not fear it. The Liz you loved would have been
proud."
D.X. smiled wanly. "I hope so, Scott. I hope so."
* * *
The party was wrapping up, and the students were heading home to get
some sleep. It was a Saturday night, and things were starting to get
warm enough for students to roam Langdon freely.
John Fyock was a Junior. He'd been having a good time tonight--he'd
finally gotten some action from Alexis Harrington, a cute Senior he'd
pined for since his Freshman year. It was enough to carry his drunk
self happily toward his apartment, blissful and free.
He bumped into the girl a little harder than he intended to.
"Sorry," he drunkenly mumbled as he staggered away.
"Oh, no problem," said the girl. Then, "Say there, do
you happen to have a few dollars I could borrow? I seem to have
mislaid my purse."
He looked back a the girl. Damn, she was fine. If he hadn't just
hooked up with Alexis....
"Uh, sorry, I don't have any cash on me right now. You,
uh--y'needa walk back to your dorm or somethin'?"
"You'd like that, wouldn't you?"
"Huh?" he said to the girl, who was narrowing her eyes at
him somewhat.
"Never mind," she said, turning on her heel and sashaying
away. "I can take care of myself just fine. Just fine
indeed."