Thorg looked around and it was still quiet in the immediate area. He pressed a button on his STM and they were immediately transported to what looked like an empty airplane hanger.

“Okay Berna, place our little friends on the floor here and lets see if we can talk some sense into them”, Thorg said to Berna.

Berna seemed transfixed on her tiny prisoners and didn't seem to hear what Thorg said. “Berna...”he repeated.

“Oh I'm sorry Thorg”, she answered as she smiled nervously and placed Steve and Dan at her feet. “I never realized that the STM...could shrink people and objects.”

“Well it not called a Space-Time Manipulator for nothing,” Thorg said as he smiled.

At that point, Steve and Dan tried to make a run for it as Berna placed her booted foot in front of them and tripped them causing them to fall. “Where do you think you little guys are going?”, she asked as she laughed. At that point Berna gently raised her foot over Steve and in a mock menacing voice as she giggled slightly, “be careful little ones...you don't want there to be an....accident”.

Thorg looked at her and reproached her. “Berna, what's gotten into you...we've got less than an hour to convince these little people to cooperate. We don't have time for games.”

“I'm...sorry...Thorg”, Berna answered in a distracted manner. “I...will try to focus”.

“Okay...first of all, lets you and I shrink down to their size”, Thorg said, “and let's see if we can talk some sense into them. Then we can...”

“Do you think that's smart Thorg”, Berna countered. “Shouldn't one of us stay normal sized...to guard us in case anything happens here?”

Thorg looked around in the dark hanger and agreed. “Yeah, your probably right. Let me set my STM and reduce myself to their size”

Immediately there was a flash and Thorg was down at Berna's feet along with Steve and Dan. “Welcome to our world, “ Steve said with a smile.

Thorg looked with anger at Steve and yelled, “You think this is funny...we have less than an hour...”

Suddenly Dan jumped on Thorg and tried to grab the STM. The device fell on the floor and as Steve tried to grab it and Berna stamped on it with her giant foot. The force of her foot knocked all three tiny men on their asses.

“What the hell did you just do, Berna,” Thorg yelled up at her in anger.

Nervously, Berna replied, “I'm sorry Thorg, I panicked...and I didn't want him to grab it.”

Exasperated, Thorg said, “Okay...it's okay. We still have your STM so we don't...”

At that point, Berna placed her hand over her and cried, “Oh my God!”

Thorg looked up at Berna in terror and asked desperately, “Berna...where's your STM?”

Berna kneeled down in front of the tiny men and looked at Thorg with tear-filled eyes. “Thorg...I left it where we shrunk these guys. In the confusion...I left it on the ground.”

Thorg walked up to Berna's booted foot as she was kneeling and pointed up at her anger and said, “You stupid bitch! How could you do something...that idiotic?”

Berna glared down at Thorg in anger and stood. Overwhelmed by her enormous size Thorg stepped back a few steps. Crossing her arms she stepped a little closer to Thorg and looked down at him.

“This...”she emphasized was not my fault. “We ended up here because of...you...DON'T forget that.

Shocked by her suddenly stern demeanor, Thorg wisely toned down. “Okay...okay Berna,” he said with a little more humility. “Grab the little men and put them in safe spot. You and I can go back there and get the STM...I'm sure it's still there.”

Berna nodded and picked up Steve and Dan. She saw a cardboard box that was about 18 inches deep on the floor and placed her tiny prisoners inside, “Sorry guys, this is the best I could do for right now.” Berna then saw some packing tape on a table and taped both of them to the bottom of the box. She looked down at at Thorg and placed him in the box.

She looked down in the box at the three tiny men and Thorg said, “Why did you put me in here?”

“I need you to guard them while I go get my STM...if its still there...I can't take any chances of these two escaping.” she replied.

“No...no...no”, take me with you Berna.”, said with stern voice. “I'm the one in charge...I'm the one who makes the decisions”.

Berna then placed the box on the floor and kicked it, knocking Thorg on his ass while looking down at her tiny prisoners in anger.

“I will be right back with my STM. If it's not there and that plane doesn't take off with these two on it...all four of us will be stuck here.” Berna said.

“All four of us will be stuck here...with no means or ability to restore you three to normal size”, she reminded them.

Berna kicked the box one more time as if to emphasize her point.

“Think about that while I'm gone...little men!”, she concluded with a slight smile on her face.

As the tiny men heard Berna's boots clacking as she walked away, Steve taped down to the floor of the box looked up at Thorg and said as he laughed, “I don't think your in charge anymore Thorg!”

End of Chapter 2