Chapter 12 – The Plot Thickens

Deborah trotted down the stairs and started her run. Turning the corner onto West 67th Street, she headed for Central Park. She looked over she shoulder as she ran, feeling like someone was following her. She crossed Central Park West and headed for West Drive. Screeching car tires rang out as a black Suburban turned in front of her, blocking her path. A second SUV pulled up behind.

She stopped and looked around, taking stock of the situation and a possible escape route. The doors on both SUVs opened and men in black suits holding automatic weapons got out. The surrounded her and took aim. The passenger door was still closed. Deborah looked at the SUV and the door finally opened. Paige Mitchell stepped out. She motioned the men to lower their weapons. “That won't be necessary.” she told them.

She sauntered over to Deborah and stood opposite her. “Where is he?” she asked.
Deborah didn't answer.
“He has no idea, does he?” she asked, shaking her head. “I have to hand it to you. Your acting skills are top notch.”
“Go fuck yourself.” she told her. “He's dead. I took care of him this morning.”
“Sure you did.” Paige stated.  “You know we need his antibodies.”
Circling around Deborah, she said “It doesn't matter now anyway. The program is being shutdown.”
“On who's authority?” Deborah asked, following her with her eyes. 
“Mine.” she stated coldly. “You broke your cover. There's a witness that saw you with Bosati.”
“Bullshit!” Deborah shot back. “That wasn't me, and you know it.”
“Nevertheless, I have my orders to bring you in.” Paige replied.

Deborah looked around at the other agents, taking stock of their positions and weapons. She knew that she was being set up. All along, she thought that she might mistakenly gave Carlos the antibody through touch, or some other means. Now, it all became clear. It was Paige that slipped it in his tea she gave them at her office. “Fuck.” she thought to herself. “I even prodded him to try it. How could I be so stupid?”

Paige motioned with her head to two of the agents. They moved in quickly and grabbed her arms, secure her wrists behind her back with a large plastic tie, then forced her into one of the SUVs. Deborah looked around at the bystanders who were wondering what she had done to deserve this treatment. The door shut as Paige got in the passenger seat in front of her.

“You know that he is not an agency target, don't you?” Paige said, looking out the wind shield. “We are the ones that gave you this power, but it's not your call to use it however you want.”
“Listen you bitch.” Deborah said loudly. “You put the antibodies in his tea when we were at your office. I know it. You know it. So don't even think about feeding me your bullshit.”
Not even acknowledging her comments, Paige said “You're still in training. You don't even know how to control it yet. You went rogue on this one Ryder.”
Deborah stared at her. If looks could kill, Paige would be out cold. She looked out the window as the driver turned around and drove out of the park. Deborah didn't say anything. She knew she was being setup and would have to pick her moment. The only thing on her mind was Carlos. He was still at her apartment, only eight inches tall. Getting him out of there seemed to be nearly impossible at this point.

After driving for about ten minutes, they entered an underground garage, coming to a stop near a nondescript elevator. She was taken out of the SUV and escorted through the open elevator door. Paige entered last and turned around to face the door. She looked up at the ceiling and asked “He's still at your apartment, isn't he?”
Deborah didn't answer, which resulted in a devious grin creeping across Paige's bright red lips. The door opened and she stepped into the hallway. The other agents escorted her out the elevator and Paige told them “Put her in six. I'll get to her later.”

She turned and took a few steps, then stopped and called out “Wait.”
The agents stopped as she walked back and stood beside Deborah. She was the same height, with the help of three and a half inch heels. “I'll take good care of him.” she whispered into her hear. Deborah turned her head and looked her in the eye. “If you harm him, even a little bit, I guarantee you will regret it.”
Paige smirked at her comment and said “This isn't the movies sweetie.” then she turned and walked away as Deborah was taken to a holding cell.

Back at Deborah's apartment, Carlos had spent the last hour walking around the apartment, waiting for her to get back. He wondered why she was taking so long as he entered the bedroom. He saw her heels on the floor across the room. He was about to walk over to them, but looked to his left at the closet. Curiosity got the better of him and he headed in that direction to see what else she had in there. Stopping at the doorway, he looked around as if someone might be watching.

Back at the agency, Paige tapped her lips with the tip of her finger, as she looked at her computer screen. She tapped on the up arrow key a few times. She said “Gotcha.” to herself as she looked at Carlos' face as he pondered entering the closet. She tapped another key and the screen went black. A small camera lens closed in the corner of the closet. She got up from her chair and walked over to a shelf. She looked over several metal canisters that looked like thermos bottles and picked one. She unzipped a bag that was on her desk and put it inside. She took a few more items out of her desk and put them in the bag, then zipped it and took it in her hand. She walked out the door and down the long hallway towards the elevator. Her high heels clicked on the floor as she strode passed a steel door with a small widow in the centre. Deborah sprang to her feet and looked out the window, just catching a glimpse of her as she passed. She said “Shit.” to herself at seeing that she was carrying a bag.

Back at the apartment, Carlos was standing in front of a line of Deborah's shoes, totally oblivious of what had transpired. If he knew, it would be laughable that he was focused on her shoes. “She has a lot of shoes.” he said to himself, looking down the lineup of heels, sandals and running shoes. He thought about her as he slipped sideways between a pair of wedge heeled sandals. They had a platform sole with a heel about two thirds his height. He ran his hand along the leather platform, noticing where her bare foot had darkened the leather slightly. Moving back to the front of the sandal, he looked at it and it's cousin, picturing her foot in the sandal and how much it would raise her height. He reached down and held his throbbing member.

Walking slowly, he passed pair after pair of sandals and stopped at an overturned running shoe. He stood still and looked at it, thinking about what she had planned for him when she returned. He thought about what it would look like inside the shoe, but he shook his head and said to himself  “If she comes back and sees me in there.” After a minute or two of pondering, he pulled the shoe forward and then knelt down beside the opening and looked inside. The Adidas logo was slightly worn on the heel. The outline where the sole of her foot had compressed the insole was clearly visible. With a bit of effort, he righted the shoe back onto it's sole. Looking out the closet door, his heart raced as he climbed over the lip of the opening and put his feet inside on the heel. He felt such a connection to Deborah as he slid himself inside, sitting down at the heel. He could smell the scent of her foot as he moved inside further and lay down.

His heart skipped a beat when he heard the door open. “Shit, she's going to kill me.” he said to himself. The sound of footsteps resonated in the apartment, but something was different, the sound was not the same as usual. The person walking around was wearing heels. His heart pounded as the sound got closer. Whoever it was, it was not Deborah. He thought of getting out of the shoe and making a run for it, but the footsteps were now in the bedroom. He crouched down in the front portion of the shoe as much as possible, laying as flat on the sole as he could. He could see the darkened spots on the yellow insole from Deborah's toes.

“Mr. Munoz.” a female voice called. “I know you're in here. If you want to live, you better come out.”
“What the fuck?” he whispered to himself as the footsteps got louder. “You're not an agency target Mr. Munoz. Agent Ryder has done this to you on her own.”

Carlos peeped out of the shoe and tried to see who was standing there. When she continued to speak, he recognized the voice. It was Paige Mitchell. “Let me guess. She discovered you have a foot fetish right? That's always the first step.” she said as she scanned the floor, not knowing how small she had gotten down to. “She told you I was the one that gave her this power, didn't she? And she probably told you that I didn't tell her how to reverse it, right?” Taking a few more steps, she walked close to the closet door and stood, listening. “Did she bring you into the shower with her yet?” She continued to speak as she looked down at the collection of shoes. Carlos hid in the toe section of the shoe, stuffing himself in as far as he could. He felt the shoe rock, then it lifted. Paige tilted the shoe in her hand, and looked inside it at him and shook her head.

“Why do you guys always hide inside shoes?” she asked sarcastically. “It's so predictable.”
Holding the shoe up so she could see him better, she looked at him and rolled her eyes. “You're just lucky she didn't step on you and squash you.” she told him.
Carlos couldn't believe what was happening. This simply couldn't be true. “Captain Morris asked me to come and check on you. He said you were acting strange on the phone. Did you think the story about your brother would fly?” Carlos had no idea that the apartment was bugged and had cameras installed. His cell phone was also bugged. They knew everything.

Munoz uncurled himself and crawled into the light. “This can't be happening!” he told her.
“Well, you're inside one of Deborah's shoes Mr. Munoz, so it's quite obvious that, it is, in fact  happening.” she replied.
“I don't understand. I don't know what the fuck is going on!” he yelped.
“I'm not supposed to tell you this, but under the circumstances....” she said. “Deborah is an undercover CIA agent. Being an NYPD detective is her cover. Your captain is fully aware of it, he just doesn't know about all the details. ”

“I don't believe you!” he yelled. “What would the CIA want with the NYPD?”
“About ten years ago, we saw that organized crime was getting out of hand. The crime families were getting so rooted inside the NYPD and other law enforcement agencies, it was becoming a threat to national security. We had to find a way to eliminate certain individuals, but not cause an all out war.”
“You're crazy.” he screamed at her. “Deborah's not a CIA agent! She's been my partner for five years!”
“She was recruited by us back when she was in the Academy.” she told him. “She fit the profile we were looking for. In fact, she jumped at the opportunity.”
“So you expect me to believe you taught her how to shrink people?” he shouted.
“Well, it's not that simple.” she replied. “We developed an antibody that, when injected, or ingested, modifies the immune system and causes the cells to reduce in size when given the right stimulation. It has only worked in a limited number of cases so far. You are the one of them.”
“So Deborah figured out the right stimulation on me then?” he asked.
“We think she just stumbled upon it.” she replied. “She has a similar antibody. We have been trying to perfect the process for quite a while.”
“She has it too?” he asked. “So why doesn't she shrink then?”
“The antibody she has is what you need to get re-enlarged.” Paige told him.
“Where is she??!” he shouted. “She told me she loved me! This is insane!”
“Of course she told you that.” she replied. “That's part of the process, part of the act.”
Carlos couldn't believe it. He knew she was hiding something. He shook his head and said “No. No. She can't......”
“Oh my.” Paige said. “She really had you in the palm of her hand, didn't she? Wow. She's good. I'll give her that.”
“Where is she?!!” he yelled. “I want to hear it from her.”

Paige looked down at him, and said “Agent Ryder has been taken into custody for violating protocol.”
“Then take me to her!” he shouted.
“I'm afraid that's not possible.” she told him.
“What?” he screamed. “I can't stay like this you crazy bitch!”
Paige lowered her index finger to his face and tapped the side of his head with her fingernail. “Careful. You don't want to anger me Mr. Munoz. You are in no position to make demands.” she told him.
“Okay okay!” he said, cowering at her fingertip. “You gotta help me. Please.”

Looking up, then letting out a sigh, she said “Okay, I will help you, but you can't tell anyone. Is that clear?”
“Yes! Yes!” he shouted. “Just help me! I can't stay this size!”
“Okay. But....” she stopped.
“But what?” he asked.
“As a matter of protocol, I need to secure you first.” she told him.
“Secure me? What does that mean?” he asked.
She turned and carried the shoe into the living room and put it down on the coffee table, then sat down on the sofa and put the bag on the table beside the shoe. She unzipped the bag and took the canister out and placed it on the table.
“You're not putting me in that?” he asked, looking at it.
“Actually, yes, I am.” she replied. She pulled put a bundle of blue tie wraps from her bag and said “But as I said. I have to secure you first.”
“Secure me?” he yelled. “Where the hell am I going to go?”
“I have to follow protocol.” she replied. “We simply cannot risk having you get lost and roaming around, now can we?”
He shook his head and looked down at the table. “How could this get any more humiliating.” he said.
“I will try to make it quick.” she said. “I promise.”
“Fine!” he yelled up at her, feeling like he had little choice if he wanted her help.
“Please get out of the shoe.” she asked.  He climbed out of it and stood beside it.
“Okay. Now hands at your sides please.” she said, as she took a tie from the bundle and set the rest down on the table. She inserted the tip of the tie into the end and pulled it a little. The tell tale clickety-click sound sent a shiver down his spine. She lowered it and slid the loop down to his waist. She held the tie steady and pulled. With some more clicks, she tightened it just right and secured his hand to his sides. “It that too tight?” she asked.
He just shook his head, feeling totally humiliated. 
She took a second tie and repeated the procedure, pulling this one around his chest and upper arms. She pulled it closed until is was snugly around his chest. Carlos figured she was done, but no, she took a third tie and slipped it down around his thighs, clicking it closed. Carlos was getting nervous as she continued with another tie, this time around his knees. Clickity-click. Another on his calves until it was snug. He struggled to stay upright and screamed “Is this necessary?”

Without a word, she pushed him over with the tip of her finger onto his stomach. He heard the clicking as she put another tie around his ankles, pulling it closed. Carlos couldn't move, she had completely immobilized him with the tie wraps. She took a pair of wire cutters out of her bag and proceeded to snip off the end of all the ties, leaving a nice clean job. Back to her bag, she pulled out a hook from a Christmas ornament and looped it onto the tie around his chest. She used the wire cutters to secure it tightly. Carlos was almost in tears as she flipped him over and looked down at her handy work. “You....you fucking bitch....why.....are....you....why....” he blubbered. Leaning down and looking at him in the eye and said “Two reasons. One, because it's protocol and two, because you're not getting away from me.”

“You're crazy!” he screamed. “Where's Deborah? Where is she?!!”
She raised back up and looked down at him, she said “Oh, I forgot the best part!”
His heart pounded as she rummaged through her bag. She pulled out another tie, but this one was different. It has something attached to it. She lowered it toward him as he screamed at her to stop. There was a small rubber ball with the tie running through it. She lowered the ball to his mouth and started to pull the tie closed around his little head. He screamed for help as the ball got closer. Paige was purposely pulled the tie closed one click at a time. Click, click, click. “Help! Help! Hel...unmmmfffpp..He...lp ummmm.” Click, Click, and then there was silence.

Carlos turned his head left and right with terror in his eyes. He felt pressure on the back of he head as the tie was clipped off., then felt himself lifting as Paige took the hook between her thumb and index finger. She raised her hand up to her face and looked at him dangling helplessly in front of her face.
“I would say that you are secured, wouldn't you?” she asked.
He just stared at her steely eyes. He had no idea what was in store, but was absolutely terrified. He had been totally immobilized and completely silenced.

“So.” she said picking up the thermos-looking container. “This container has been specifically designed to hold shrunken captives, just...like...you. Even though I've got you secured pretty good, this container is one hundred percent secure. And I mean...” she paused to make the point, “one hundred percent secure.”

Carlos looked down at the steel container, then back at Paige. He tried to say something, but the plastic tie holding the ball in his mouth made that impossible. He shook his head at her as she smirked and lowered him down to the container opening. He could do nothing as he was lowered inside. She placed the hook on the lip of the container, leaving him dangling inside the open space.

He strained to look up. He heard a crackling sound, then a clear, gel-like substance flowed into the container. Grunting and groaning, he looked up through the opening, past the stream of falling gel at her steely expression. The gel started to expand around him, filling the empty space. He couldn't move his feet or lower legs as they became encased in the gel. Slowly but surely, every last bit of space up to his chin was filled with the gel. He stared straight ahead, looking out through the clear plastic ring that was just under the lip of the bottle. He was suspended in the gel not able to move a muscle.

Paige lifted the bottle and looked at his little terrified face through the plastic. “See what I mean?” she said as he screwed the top on, then pushed a metal clasp over the edge of the top with her thumb, which ended with thunderous snap. “One hundred percent secure. Can't move, can't scream.” she paused for effect and then continued “You're mine now.”

She put the tie wraps and clippers back in the bag and cleaned up the clippings on the table. She went into the kitchen and put them into the garbage. Carlos stared out the container as her giant form walked back to the table. The bag lifted, then he felt his gel-filled prison lift too. Paige walked to the door and opened it. She took a last look, then closed the door behind her. Carlos was in tears as he felt her arm swing as she walked. She had him cold. He never felt so in danger in his life. He had been stabbed twice, had stared down gun barrels numerous times, but this was really something else. She was cold and calculating. He had no idea what she was going to do with him. As scared as he was, all he could think was where Deborah was and why she had deceived him. Now he was in the clutches of a decidedly cruel woman that definitely had sinister plans.   

She walked down the stairs to a black Mercedes parked on the street. She unlocked the door with her key fob and got in. She tossed the bag on the back seat, then tossed the container on the passenger seat. She started the engine and drove off. He had no idea where she was taking him, but he knew damn sure that it was not to see Deborah.