A sleepy, and still very tiny Lexi would stir in her makeshift bed, flexing her back muscles against the surprisingly resilient and comfortable pillowy softness of the makeup sponges. Seriously, how had nobody thought to make a bed out of these before? Her vision still a bit blurry as she began to regain consciousness, she recognized the familiar, if not giant, surroundings of her best friend Leah's dorm room and could see Leah herself in the far distance.
Her eyes now more or less wide open, she'd smirk playfully and close them again, flopping herself back into a sleeping position but Leah had already caught her being awake. She also noticed, in addition to the sights, a surprisingly sweet aroma filling the fairly small dorm room. Was that ... cookies?
Cookies?
LEXI NO // RACHEL !!! /// I GOTCHA /// NOOOOOO!! ///
Lexi instantly flinched and sat up, making panicked little squeaks.
Leah came over quickly and knelt before her troubled friend, hovering a small cookie crumb overhead.
"Lexi, you alright?" Leah asked in a concerned tone. Lexi just shook her head and trembled, having had a spontaneous night terror in the midst of the morning. "Awwww, here hon. I've been making some cookies for my home ec class ... people seem to really like em and well, I thought you could use something sweet"
Lexi whimpered and took the cookie crumb -- about the size of a small boulder to her and began to cutely nibble on it. "Th-This is good" Lexi squeaked between bites, but she still seemed troubled. Leah didn't know any better though. How could she possibly know that her adorable tiny best friend lounging in her room was actually the murderer who killed Rachel Rutschmann?
A more somber and serious Leah returned after a time and sat on the bed next to Lexi, sighing.
"So ... I did hear the news about the factory incident last night, and Josh told me what he could ... he said you were very distraught..." Leah sighed, "I ... I can't say I understand what you're going through, I ... haven't been in your shoes and I can only imagine some of the things you've seen ... but ..."
Lexi nodded and gave Leah a slowly forming smile, "I... I know Leah ... just you being here is enough..."
"That said ... as cute as it is..." Leah winked, "you can't stay small forever ... you gotta get out there and ... face your life"
Lexi nodded, "Y-Yeah ... maybe it's time I take a break from all this ... ShrinkGirl business"
"Maybe" Leah nodded, "You're the most important, yknow? You gotta take care of yourself ... and hey, just because you're not always takin down mad scientists and fighting crime doesn't mean we can't still make use of your shrinking powers in some other ways"
Lexi and Leah would share a laugh together while Lexi continued to nibble on the admittedly very delicious cookie. She may even argue they were so good, they could give Rutschmann cookies a run for their money.
Speaking OF cookie places, the Krazy Kookie was just about to open but there was no sign of one of their star employees, Alexis Cole. While Stacy pondered where she could be, she also glanced across the street to notice the quickly assembling competition, the future site of "Kekse -- Authentic German cookies and pastries"
She shook her head, again wondering why a relatively small college campus needed 2 cookie places so close together before briefly catching a glimpse of her red headed barista making love to the whipped cream bottle.
"Mara!" Stacy snapped, "stop drinking all the whipped cream, we have to pay for that!"
"Well if it's so much of an issue..." Mara shrugged, after gulping down a healthy amount of the whipped substance, licking her lips clean, "...maybe restrict my access to it or something..."
"Mara, you're our barista ... you NEED to have cream" Stacy sighed
"Then don't get mad at me over a problem you caused..." Mara shrugged, continuing to slurp up whipped cream, even as some of it was missing her mouth.
Stacy rolled her eyes.
Elsewhere in the neighborhood, a fairly reinvigorated Trevor Hilfmann was ready to start a new day at work with his computer store, Aztek Parts & More. After all, they did sell parts ... and more! He'd slide his way out of his car and enter through the back door, but not before noticing some troubling signs. The most blantant of all was that it appeared the dead bolt to his lab's entrance had been melted through.
He hastily opened the door and looked around in incredulous horror at what lay in front of him.
"Shit"
-------
Back on the Miniborough University, Chrissy was wrapping up cheer practice for the day, looking a bit exhausted and also curious herself as to where one of her most enthusiastic cheerers had been. She was of course referring to Rachel Rutschmann who was generally on time or early for practice. At the very least she'd call if something came up. But there was no sign of her anywhere.
"Okay, good job ladies" Chrissy exhaled, a bit worn out, physically and mentally as the girls passed by her, a couple giving her high fives as she grinned, "We're gonna nail regionals, okay? Just a few more weeks, we'll get there!"
Although she tried to keep up her usual peppy attitude, Chrissy was clearly very worried. Once practice had wrapped up, she slid into the locker room and grabbed for her phone, speed dialing Rachel yet again. She'd lean on her locker for just a moment before pacing around the room. Her pacing was so arduent, she could've left tire tracks in her wake from making the rounds so many times.
"Rachel ... it's Chrissy ... " Chrissy whimpered, sounding more and more anxious with each word. She'd even pause here and there, hopeful that the voicemail machine would cut off and she'd hear the welcome sound of Rachel's voice. Still nothing. "Um... just wanted to make sure everything was okay ... I'll just ... call you later, I guess"
Chrissy frowned and hung up her phone. She decided for the heck of it to try one more person.
That person would be none other than Alexis Cole who was currently walking towards class with Leah Henderson, back to her normal size and at least somewhat ready to attempt things again, her Biology books grasped firmly against herself. The two would have to soon split off as Leah was heading for her home economics class.
"I'm telling you" Lexi said, trying to divert the subject to anything more fun than what was plaguing her since the prior night of horrors, "Your cookies are BANGING ... if you need a taste tester anytime, I'm your gal"
"Heh, I'm not surprised" Leah teased, "and thank you ... fashion has always been more my thing but I suppose I can bake here and there"
"Honestly, I'm impressed" Lexi quipped, "only times I remember us baking as kids usually ended with the fire department showing up"
"That was one time and we were 6! We didn't know how to use an oven!" Leah scoffed
"Damn, your mom was sure mad that day..." Lexi chuckled
Leah looked a bit forelorn as she nodded, "...I miss mom"
"S-Sorry Leah, I didn't mean to..." Lexi shook her head, realizing the mistake she had made, albeit unintentionally. Then again, she didn't intend for what happened with Rachel either. Leah waved her off, realizing that her best friend was already wrought with enough grief.
"It's fine ... I ... I just ... yeah" Leah nodded, forcing a smile. "I'll see you after class, okay?"
Lexi nodded and sighed, looking down the hallway to where her biology class would be located. Maybe it was her shattered nerves or lack of sleep but that hallway appeared to stretch on forever. Each beleaguered step she took seemed to put more and more of a toll on her body. She wasn't a big fan of Biology. It didn't help that she was failing it.
Her intentionally slow walking would be interuppted shortly by a slight vibration in her pocket. She knew she shouldn't answer it but her hand (one that was free and able to slip away from the vice grip she employed on her books) found itself in her pocket and slowly picking the phone out. It was a missed call, from Trevor Hilfmann.
Lexi continued to walk down the hall until finding a place she could sit, a bench stationed not too far from the science department and her waiting biology class. Rather than check the voicemail, she decided to call Mr. Hilfmann back directly. He answered almost immediately.
"Lexi, is this a bad time?" Trevor asked, his usual calm demeanor seeming anything but at that moment.
"Ummm... well... I do have class..." Lexi stuttered.
"Oh ... well, as soon as you can, please come by the computer store ... something's happened" Trevor sighed
"Oh gosh, are you alright?" Lexi asked
"I'm fine ... just ... again, when you have a chance ..." Trevor replied
"I'll come by right after class" Lexi said firmly, ending the phone call before sighing and remaining still on the bench for several more moments, simply watching as the students passed her by, the halls slowly becoming less crowded as classes were starting to begin their sessions. She'd look at her watch, and then look at the Classroom in which her Biology class was held. She'd let out a great sigh and stand up slowly.
----
Not even half an hour later, the frantic Lexi arrived at Aztek Parts and More, much to Trevor's surprise as he manned the counter alone. It was a slow day after all and he hadn't found any extra help yet since he fired Rachel Rutschmann.
"Lexi" Trevor stated, seeming a bit surprised, "I thought you had a class"
"I uh ..." Lexi stammered, "it got cancelled ... professor got food poisoning..."
Lexi would follow her trusty ally into his lab, her heart sinking a bit even before seeing the sights she would see as a result of her blatant lie. Inside the usually organized (okay, so sometimes it was disheveled) lab was the clear signs of a break-in but this time it was much more apparent than the one at the Rutschmann residence. Drawers were ripped open, some cabinets torn clean off their hinges and various chemicals, including some small beakers of the nanite compound were spilled all over, leaving a murky silver puddle in their wake.
"Wh-When did this happen?" Lexi stuttered with shock.
"Must've been last night... I keep this place pretty well locked up, but somebody was prepared" Trevor sighed, shaking his head, "the greatest casualty though was this..."
Trevor gestured over to a glass case which was now empty.
"Were those...?"
"Yeah" Trevor nodded, seeming more confused than anything, "Those were the enhancements I had been working on for you ... the mini jetpack, the anti-gravity boots, the plasma beams..."
"The plasma beams?" Lexi asked
"They were to be makeshift arm cannons you could wear that would adapt to your size and movement" Trevor shrugged, "Okay so I got a little TOO into the superhero thing ... the point is, you're the only one who even knew I was working on this kind of stuff ..."
"Are you ... sure?" Lexi asked, raising an eyebrow, "I mean, I know you haven't had that many employees here but ..."
Trevor would stop and sigh.
"There was one ..."
The incident that Trevor would recall also took place not too long ago, the same day Rachel had been speaking with the strange girl who's name she mistook for "Rosie". It was that same day Trevor had first been on the phone with Lexi when he got called away.
"Umm... Mr. Hilfmann, sir? Could we see you out here for a moment, please?" Rachel asked on behalf of an angry customer
"I gotta go..." Trevor murmured, tucking the flip phone back in his pocket to end the call before going back to work. Lexi let out a sigh. "How can I help you, sir?"
"You can help me by taking back this hunk of junk..." an irrate older gentleman stated from behind the counter, gesturing towards a black laptop he had set there.
"W-Well hold on there..." Trevor nodded, trying to keep the situation calm. In doing so, he had dismissed Rachel from the situation. Rachel was a bit distraught anyhow, having felt like she was failing at this job and also having met that strange girl Roxie who left her the CD.
In walking back to the store room, her eye was caught by something flashing. She'd take a peek out briefly to see what her boss was doing. It seemed he had his hands full with the arguing customer. She made doubly sure before pressing on the slightly ajar door that was clearly labeled with a PRIVATE -- AUTHORIZED PERSONELL ONLY sign and stepped slowly inside. She'd flip the lights on and take a look around, seeing a row of small bottles on neatly organized shelves. They were labeled "Delta Nanites, Extremely Experimental" with a cautious flag on all of them.
"What in the..." Rachel would stutter, suddenly mesmerized by what she had seen, and that was only the beginning.
In the center of the lab was a sort of counter for working on things but this seemed highly advanced. Certainly not the kind of thing one would work with to fix laptops. She'd take a few more steps into the lab, despite not hearing Trevor's voice anymore, nor that of the angry customer. She just had to see what was inside that glass case that was sandwiched between a couple of file cabinets and stationed just on top of another work bench.
"The heck is this stuff..." Rachel marveled, a bit of a science geek, although not overly so. Still, it was hard not to be drawn to the sight of some kind of military grade jetpack and other weapons and gadgets which on their own would be remarkable for somebody like Trevor Hilfmann to possess, except they were also teeny tiny, as if made for a small action figure to wear. She doubted, because of their small size, that they were even functional and were maybe just for display. Even still, she found herself fascinated enough with them that she would fumble for her phone. She'd get a quick snapshot before hearing footsteps behind her.
In a panic, she'd take a step back but it was too late.
"Rachel?" Trevor snapped, "what are you doing back here? This is a private area... and I was asking you if you could look up a receipt for the gentleman out there, you never came out to help..."
"I ... I ..." Rachel stuttered, hiding her phone.
"Rachel, I'm afraid I've gotta let you go" Trevor sighed
"What? But ..."
"Just ... see yourself out..." Trevor grumbled, "I don't have time for this right now..."
Trevor Hilfmann let out a great sigh upon finishing his story, "in retrospect I should've mentioned that to you but I figured you had enough going on ... and other than snooping around, she seemed pretty harmless but yeah, I fired her ... she was constantly having her head in the clouds anyway and would mess up even the simplest orders... sorry if it sounds like I'm being too harsh ... I know she's a friend of yours"
"Yeah... she was..." Lexi stammered, realizing her mistake, "I mean IS ... IS... she still IS ..."
Trevor seemed confused
"B-But even if Rachel knew about the machinery and stuff ... she couldn't have ... because she's ... well..." Lexi stuttered
"Do you know something I should be aware of?" Trevor asked, seeming a bit suspicious now.
"No! No! Rachel is definitely NOT the thief..." Lexi gulped, although the reason she thought so had nothing to do with any faith in Rachel's innocence. She may have fallen in with the wrong crowd but Lexi found herself ultimately responsible for what had happened to her in the end.
"I ... never thought she was..." Trevor said, "just ... I don't know. I'm a bit worried this could be the first hit from Enormo Enterprises ... Maximillian specifically"
"That nut? This doesn't seem like his style..." Lexi nodded, a finger to her chin as if she were some kind of detective suddenly. She had made a good number of enemies these past several months. Mad Max, Roxie ... wait ... Roxie ...
Rachel had mentioned knowing Roxie during the fight in the factory. If Rachel knew Roxie, she might've told her some things as well. That would mean Roxie had perhaps some information.
"Um... Dr... Mr... Hilfmann, sir..." Lexi stuttered, always struggling on what to call the older gentleman. Calling him 'Trevor' just felt weird for someone her age as he was clearly her elder and a very helpful and friendly man. "...do you remember seeing anyone in your shop recently? Like a ... young blonde woman?"
"That's not exactly super specific..." Trevor shrugged, "but ... yeah... I think I do remember someone like that, wasn't in much but stopped by once in a while over the past week, usually dressed in a black hoodie or something like that. Not very talkative but I do remember Rachel speaking with her a few times, they might've been friends from school or something"
Lexi gulped again. How is it that all her arch foes seemed to somehow know each other?
"Just ... stay safe, Hilfmann Hoffnung" Lexi stammered once again
"You can just call me Trevor, yknow" Trevor sighed, rolling his eyes.
"I'm fully aware...." a somewhat emotionally distant Lexi responded. "I... I gotta go... just ... if the blonde girl in the hoodie comes back into the store, lemme know ... like call me as soon as possible"
"O...kay..." Trevor nodded, before noticing Alexis making her way for the door in a bit of a hurry, "H-Hey ... are YOU alright? Did the last dose of nanites do anything to stem the issues you've been having?"
"The nanites?" Lexi asked, almost forgetful of her own condition as she had the door pryed half open, nearly out of the back room entirely before she remembered, "Oh, oh yeah! I'm uh ... feeling much better ... besides final exams coming up and all that fun stuff"
"You have a lot on your plate, Lexi..." Trevor sighed, "You really should take care of yourself first ... but you're a kind soul, always looking out for others"
Lexi gave him a shrug and a smile, "It's what I do..."
----
A few weeks went by and the cheer regionals were fast approaching. Lexi had started getting things back on track, after apologizing profusely for missing a couple days of work and agreeing to work on extra credit in Biology class. That was the good side of things. On the bad side, the news was all over town that Rachel Rutschmann was a missing person after the altercation at the Maxanto Factory. Nobody had connected those dots but there were search parties employed all over and Rachel's mom Cindy would appear on the news almost every night in tears at the disappearance of her daughter, only fueling Lexi's guilt. Because of this, Lexi hadn't engaged in much hero work, aside from the occasional listening for signs of Roxie, but she hadn't been in any kind of heroic mission since the factory fight.
One day after school however, Lexi and Leah were walking towards the card shop for some chill time with their friends Josh and Chris when they heard a disturbing noise. Somebody was being physically attacked in an alley nearby. Leah looked at Lexi worriedly, already knowing her friend was planning something reckless.
"Lexi..." Leah warned pensively.
"I've gotta help" Lexi frowned, putting her handbag down and fishing out the SG medallion that she would routinely wear on her belt in cases such as this. It wasn't her full costume but it was enchanted by fairies and protected her from dark magic. Geez, now she sounded like she was in an RPG. The point was, Lexi wasn't the kind to just let somebody get attacked like that, hero or not. She had to step in and by the time the police were called, if they ever were, this poor person could be beaten up or worse.
Leah would take a step back, however supportive she might've been, as she watched Lexi seemingly disappear behind the corner. Of course she knew better. It was no mere magic trick that her best friend had employed. But it was the 2 thuggish men who were in for the real surprise as they assaulted a younger man, about 20 with black hair and a Mini U backpack on.
"I told you..." the young man grunted as he was punched again and again, trying uselessly to block or somehow defend himself as he would slowly get more and more pummeled and pulled against the brick wall by subsequent attacks "I don't have any money!"
"Bullshit!" the thug responded, suddenly pulling a knife, "we'll just take what you have then!"
"C'mon... my laptop's in there!" the young man pleaded as the accomplice thug practically ripped it off his shoulder by a strap.
"Awwww, afraid to lose your homework?" the man jeered derisively.
Suddenly came a triumphant and heroic ... squeak? Yes. A squeak.
"Pick on somebody your own size!" the emboldened but tiny Lexi chirped from down below, before growing back and smacking the cruel man holding the backpack, sending him into the brick wall across from the mugging victim. Leah would watch from a distance as Lexi shrank and grew to fit the situation, even employing a brief bit of parkour as she leapt up onto the wall briefly, staying there just long enough to draw a punch from the thug, which would miss, resulting in the thug severaly bruising his hand.
"Ugh, stay out of this ShrinkBitch" the thug grunted, getting punched a few times himself by the assaulting Lexi
"Oh so you HAVE heard of me..." Lexi smirked, swift kicking the thug to the ground as he held his side in pain, "then you know how this ends"
"Ugh, let's get out of here..." the injured thug told his similarly hurt comrade, "it's not worth it..."
They would drop the backpack and hastily make their way out of the alley.
"Aww, and we were just getting started" Lexi smirked, before looking at the slightly injured victim. "....hey, you okay?"
The young man couldn't help but stare, and not necesarrily at Lexi directly but the shiny gold and purple belt she was wearing that had the iconic SG logo on it. He stuttered a few times as if meeting his biggest hero ... ironic choice of words.
"Y-You're ..." he stammered
"Yes Yes ..." she smirked, "keep it under your hat, okay?"
"Um... well I don't really know your real name" he shrugged, "plus shouldn't you wear a mask?"
Lexi sighed and rolled her eyes. Again with the mask thing.
The rescued young man would start to scamper out of the alley before he looked back at Lexi, who shot him a confused look in return. "Yes?"
"Um... yknow, if you're not doing anything later..." he stammered
"Are you seriously asking me out right now?" Lexi shrugged, matter of factly
"Well I mean, it's just that I ..." he stammered
"Don't push your luck, kid" Lexi giggled
"Heh ... fair enough ... I don't care what they say about you though, Miss... you're the real deal" he said, giving her a sheepish smile and a wave. AFter all, he had just been rejected by THE ShrinkGirl!
Lexi looked a bit confused by his last comment though. Who was saying what about her?
Leah came down the alley to aide once the trouble had subsided.
"Lex, you okay?" Leah asked, "that was amazing!"
"Heh... yeah... I'm just wondering what he meant by ..." Lexi said, but then stopped, quickly having her attention drawn to what he had meant. Her eyes went wide to see the words written in some kind of strange graffiti. They were small... sized more to be on a bathroom door than a brick wall but they were clearly legible because they were in a rainbow color.
"SHRINKGIRL IS A MURDERER"
Giantess World
