Rita, sitting at the front desk of the large building, saw the three people, two of them women and one a man, walk in through the front door. She immediately recognized the man, and smiled at him.

“Hey Jake, long time no see,” she said, turning her chair to face the group.

“Rita, a pleasure to see you as always,” he winked, and Rita laughed. Always the charmer, Jake was, even from the day she first met him when he was only thirteen, and she just twenty-five. She frowned a bit when she noticed someone missing from the little group.

“Where’s Joe? And who are your new friends here?” she asked curiously, and she glanced at the two woman. Upon noticing the one with long brown hair and glasses, she saw a familiar looking figure in her hands.

“Hey Rita,” Joe waved from his position in Michelle’s palms. Rita took one look at Joe and reached for the phone.

“Dr. Cale? Mr. Joe Zurek is here to see you,” she said, than hung up the phone. She wasn’t smiling anymore, and she looked at them almost in pity.

“For all your sakes, I hope you all have a good reason for this,” she said, and motioned to the chairs nearby.

“Have a seat, the doctor will be with you shortly.”

“Oh my god, she’s gonna kill me!” said Joe, pacing across the chair, not being able to keep calm. Michelle sat in the chair to the right, Jake in the left, and Stacy next to Michelle. Joe stopped and glared up at Jake.

“Why did you bring me here? You know what’s gonna happen when Dr. Cale see’s me like this!” said Joe, pointing frantically at his bandaged head.

“Well, what was I supposed to do Joe? You NEED medical attention, you said it yourself,” said Jake, and Joe waved his arms around frantically.

“I say lots of things! Oh god, we’re in deep shit,” said Joe, and Jake sighed. He hated to admit it, but Joe was right. Dr. Cale was relatively nice, but she was also a bit of a hard ass, and super protective over Joe. If it were up to her, Joe would be living here at the facility under lock and key. He’d be well cared for, but his freedom would be almost non-existent.

It was Jake who was responsible for making sure Joe stayed out of trouble, a job he started even before he knew about MuGenTek, when he and Joe had there first (of many) “little” adventures. He began to feel just as nervous as Joe when it dawned on him how much trouble HE was gonna be in too.

“Well at least you’re already hurt. Dr. Cale wouldn’t dare touch you. Me on the other hand,” Jake shifted nervously in his seat.

Michelle couldn’t help but crack an amused smile at Joe and Jake’s reactions. They seemed like two little kids waiting outside the principles office.

“Oh come on, you two,” she said, grabbing Joe and Jake’s attention.

“Don’t you think you guys are being a little melodramatic? I mean, come on, how bad can this Dr. Cale really be?”

“I’m gonna kill those two,” said Dr. Cale, creepily calm and with a matter-of-fact tone. Her fists were clenched and she spoke through her teeth. Dr. Fisher sighed and ran a hand through his graying hair.

“Bev, please, you and I both know you’re not. And besides, he’s looked worse,” he said, gesturing to the screen. When the two doctors had received the call from Rita, Dr. Cale had brought up a monitor, which showed a video of the front room. Using the zoom, they searched the room until it fell upon Joe. He had a bandage covering his head, and looked a little worse for ware.

“That’s not the point, Roy! Not only has he gone and hurt himself, but look! Two more outsiders who know his secret! This is just too much, and you know it!” she said, glaring at the older man. Though she was younger then Dr. Fisher, she was head researcher at this specific MuGenTek lab. Roy sighed again, than he glared right back at Dr. Cale.

“Beverly Cale, get a hold of yourself!” he said, and Dr. Cale looked shocked. Roy almost never raised his voice in anger, only to be heard. His face was stern and Dr. Cale looked almost ashamed. Almost, but no quite.

“Roy, please, you can’t tell me you condone this,” said Dr. Cale, and Dr. Fisher shook his head.

“For god’s sake, woman, of course I don’t! I don’t condone this at all, and if it were up to me, Joe would be held in this facility for his own safety. But you have to remember; he’s a human being! If he were a lab rat, or dog, or some other animal, then this would be easy, but he’s not. Joe has a life outside this facility, and you need to keep that in mind. Now look, I’m not saying we should let Joe off the hook, necessarily. But I DO think we should at least hear him out, you know, get his side on all this? Who knows, he might have a good excuse for all this.” Dr. Fisher took a deep breath and looked back at Dr. Cale.

“We are scientists, after all, and we don’t make any concrete conclusions until all the data has been collected,” he said.

Dr. Cale said nothing for a moment. She let the older man’s words sink in, and then sighed.

“You’re right, Roy. As always you’re right,” she said, and sat down in her chair, burying her head in her arms, her face on the table. Roy smiled and walked over towards the distressed doctor and placed a hand on her arm.

“I worry about him, Roy,” she said, her words muffled. Roy smiled and laughed.

“You and me both, Bev. You and me both.” Doctor Cale looked up and into the eyes of Dr. Fisher.

“He’s taken years off my life, that boy. And Jake’s no better,” She said, sitting up and running her hands through her hair long dark hair. It used to be darker, she knew that. But stress and age was taking a toll, and she swore she saw more streaks of gray in her hair everyday. Dr. Fisher shrugged.

“Boys will be boys,” he said simply, and Dr. Cale stood up.

“That’s the excuse you give them all the time,” she said, then looked back at the screen.

“What do we do about the newcomers?” asked Dr. Cale, looking at the screen once again. Dr. Fisher looked at it for a few moments, than smiled.

“Oh, I saw this coming. Bev, that’s Michelle Bines. Joe’s girlfriend,” he laughed, and Beverly looked at the screen. It took her a moment, but she recognized the girls face from the picture on Joe’s phone. She shook her head and looked at Dr. Fisher.

“Well, he was bound to tell her eventually,” sighed Dr.Cale, and looked over at Dr. Fisher.

“I believe we’ve let them wait long enough,” she said, and walked over towards Dr. Fisher. She placed her hand down on the table, palm facing towards the ceiling, and Dr. Fisher smiled up at her.

“I’m leaving my shoes on this time,” he said, stepping into the open palm of Dr. Cale. She smiled and lifted him up, placing him on her shoulder.

“As long as they’re clean,” she said, and headed for the doorway. The two-inch doctor stood on her shoulder, holding a few hairs so as not to fall off.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Joe’s mother said, her distress evident in her voice. Joe sighed as he spoke to her through the phone. It was his, and he sat on the edge of it, his feet barely touching the ground, which in this case was the cushion of the chair.

“For the hundredth time, mom, I’m FINE. It was a just a sma- it was just an accident, that’s all,” Joe said, catching himself before he said the “s” word. Jake snickered and Joe shot him a glare. Jake put his hands up in the air and leaned back in the chair. Joe’s mom was silent for a minute, than she spoke up again.

“Look, your father and I can get a plane ticket within the hour and be home by tomorrow ni-,” she started, but Joe cut her off.

“I said I’m FINE ma! I don’t want you and dad cancelling your Italy trip just because I banged my head. I have Jake here, and now Michelle and Stacy too,” he said, glancing up at the two women. Stacy sat in the chair Michelle was sitting in earlier, and now Michelle sat on the ground, her head in her arms resting on the chair cushion in front of Joe. She smiled at him and stroked his back, Joe’s eyes widening and a smile crossing his face. His eyes fluttered as he felt he skin rub against his, sending a chill down his spine.

“You sure, pal?” came another voice, his dads. Joe snapped out of it and turned his attention back to the phone.

“Yeah, I’m sure. And besides, it’s pretty likely I’ll be back to normal in no time,” he said, more for himself then his parents. There was another long pause, than his mom came on.

“I’m calling your sisters. Giada is with Lisa until we get back, and I’ll just have them stop by and check up on you,” said his mom, and her tone of voice left no room for argument. Joe sighed.

“Fine,” he said, glumly.

“Oh come on, Joe, your sisters love you! And don’t you love them back?” asked his mom, and Joe rubbed his eyes.

“Yeah mom, I do, I love them VERY much,” he said, trying to mask his frustration. It wasn’t that he didn’t love his sisters, they were just… well, they were sisters! Ever since he moved away to college, they all begun seeing less and less of one another, though they stayed in contact through Facebook, twitter, email, text, etc.

Lisa was Joe’s older sister, and had been a major annoyance for Joe, being that she was usually super protective over him, like his parents. She was only a few inches taller than him, and had the same color hair. Her face was young and freckly, and people often thought she looked younger than she was. She was six years older than Joe, and although they were only siblings, she still acted like his mother around him, ESPECIALLY when he was small. But, other then the few sibling fights they had, they got along rather well.

Then there was his little, or more accurately younger, sister. Giada was currently 17 years old, and still in High School. She was “popular” among her peers, being in cheerleading, gymnastics, and even playing on the volleyball team for a while. Now that he was older and out of the house, they got along a little better. Mostly because they didn’t see much of one another. She stood at 5 feet exactly and looked a lot like her sister, though she always had her hair cut down to her shoulders.

However, years ago, when Joe was still living at home, their relationship was anything but pleasant. They were family, and Giada would never do anything to intentionally harm him, that Joe knew (or at least hoped). But that didn’t stop her from annoying the hell out of him, and having a little fun every now and again. Joe shuddered at the memories he had of when Giada would “accidently” hurt him right before he took his pills, causing him to shrink. As they got older, Joe learned to stay away from her when it came time to take his pills, and the “instances” happened less and less.

So it was with reason that Joe was a bit hesitant on seeing his sisters, both the protector and the annoyer, but he realized that if his mom were to be convinced to stay in Italy, he had to agree. So he did, and his mom, content that the matter had been settled, hung up. Joe hopped off the phone and rubbed his temples.

“Ah, come on, Joe, I like your sisters,” Michelle said, and Joe looked at her.

“Yeah, well, you didn’t live with them for eighteen years,” he said, and Stacy giggled. He looked up at her, his right eyebrow raised.

“What’s so funny?” he asked, and Stacy just shook her head.

“Oh, nothing, nothing at all,” she said. Joe held the stare, and finally she gave in.

“I don’t know, it’s just so weird is all. I mean, here you are, the size of my finger, and you’re stressing about doctor’s appointments and family visits. Your just acting so… normal,” said Stacy. Joe shrugged.

“It may be hard for you to believe, but I’m kind of over the initial shock of all this. This IS normal for me. I mean, to an extent,” said Joe, and he looked at Jake.

“Ask him. I’ve been in stickier situations,” and Jake nodded.

“It’s true. Remember that time you broke your leg?” asked Jake, and Joe laughed.

“Oh man, Dr. Cale was so pissed, I thought she was gonna break my other one just so I wouldn’t be able to walk,” Joe laughed.

“Oh, and the time I fell off the skateboard and broke my arm?” continued Joe, and Jake laughed.

“Dude, I thought she was gonna break MY arm for that one,” he laughed. He looked at Joe, who was staring behind him, his face white as a ghost. Jake kept laughing, than stopped all together.

“Sheeeee’s right behind me, isn’t she?” Jake said, and he felt his hands grow clammy and sweat to form on his brow. He turned around and stared into the un-blinking, unamused, and cold eyes of Dr. Cale.

“Sorry to break-up this little trip down memory lane. But I need to have a word with you two,” she said, her eyes small narrow slits. Then she turned her attention to Michelle and Stacy. Her face softened as she saw the worried looks on their faces.

“You two must be Joe’s friends. Pleased the meet you, I’m Dr. Beverly Cale,” she said, completely changing her mood from that of pure anger to warm and friendly. She reached her hand towards Michelle, who was now standing up from her seat on the floor near Joe.

Michelle had been worried about meeting Dr. Cale, but now that she realized that she was out of her line of fire, Dr. Cale seemed to be rather pleasant. As she shook Dr. Cale’s hand, her eyes rested on the small figure standing on her shoulder. Her eyes bulged and if her jaw could of hit the floor, it would have.

“Hello there,” waved the two-inch, middle-aged man that stood upon Dr. Cale’s shoulders. He smiled up at Michelle, fully used to these reactions up to this point.

“Um… hi,” said Michelle, shocked. Another tiny person!

“Oh, sorry, this is Dr. Royce Fisher, my colleague and second in command,” said Dr. Cale, and Dr. Fisher laughed.

“Didn’t imagine seeing another mini-person today, did ya?’ he laughed, and Michelle shook her head, not finding words for the moment. He stuck out his hand, and Michelle hesitantly gave him her pinkie. Smiling, Dr. Fisher grabbed it as best he could, and shook it.

“We’ve heard a lot about you, Michelle. Joe wouldn’t stop talking about you his last few visits,” he said, and Michelle blushed. Dr. Cale and Dr. Fisher then turned their attention towards the other girl.

“And who might you be?” asked Dr. Cale .

“Stacy. I’m a friend of Michelle’s. And of Joe’s,” she said, adding the last part as if it held some weight. Dr. Cale and Dr. Fisher exchanged handshakes with Stacy, than turned their attention back to Joe and Jake.

“And WHERE in the hell do you think you two are going?” asked Dr. Cale, her calm and welcoming demeanor completely gone.

Jake had his hand on the door, just beginning to open it. Joe, riding atop his shoulder, was whispering for him to move it along when they both heard Dr. Cale. The two turned their heads and smiled innocently, but Dr. Cale, as well as Dr. Fisher, were having none of it.

“You two. With us. Now!” said Dr. Fisher, glaring at the two of them, his voice carrying quite well across the room, despite his diminutive height.

“Yes sir,” said Jake and Joe glumly, making their way back over towards the two doctors.

“You two can stay here and wait. Agent Freeman will be along shortly for a quick interview as well as to help deal with some legal matters,” said Dr. Cale, leading Jake and Joe towards a nearby door.

“Wait, who?” asked Stacy.

“That would be me,” said a gruff voice, as a burly man rounded the corner. He wore a suit and tie and looked a lot like a secret agent you’d find in a movie. He looked at Stacy and Michelle, not angrily but certainly not with much excitement either.

“Ms. Michelle Bines and Ms. Stacy Connors? My name is Agent Freeman. If you two will come with me, we have some matters to settle.”