Volume II

Chapter 5

The Great Escape

“Come on… You fucking piece of shit… Budge… Budge damn you!”

Benjamin struggled to kick the lid of the chest open, as he tried various methods of breaking free from his prison. Since Jinshin had left him here, she had not returned since and Ben was losing his patience. If she had been gone this long, it meant she was busy with something important, a detail Ben had gathered after spending enough time with the Japanese woman. If he was ever going to escape, this would be his chance, but this chest proved to be formidable.

“Dammit!” Ben kicked again, but the chest didn’t budge. It was dark inside, he could hardly see a damn thing as he tried to feel around for any weakness of any kind, but the solid wood chest was built with expert precision, and everything seemed to be sturdy and solid.

‘There has to be a way out of here, anything at all,’ Benjamin thought desperately, his only concern being the fate of that young woman he knew was living on the precipice of death. For whatever reason, the realization that Jinshin was wrapped around the finger of the organization and her master, had caused Ben to snap.

By refusing to honor their agreement, Ben no longer had an escape from this cruel reality. Even if he had jumped off the head board of Jinshin’s bed, she had been right, it may have only maimed him brutally. It could have left him in a worse position than before, he didn’t realize that being shrunk so small had come with benefits that most people would cherish, but in his case being extra durable was a curse within a curse.

Continuing to feel around the perimeter of the inside of the chest, his hands felt the cold metal of the hinges that allowed the chest to open and close when unlocked. It was dark, he couldn’t see how they were designed all that well, but he felt them and tried to see if there was any way to free himself. He could feel the tiny screws that held the hinge plates to the wood, so no good there. However, he did notice something, the pin on the left hinge of the chest. It seemed loose, as he continued to play around with it, Benjamin smiled as he realized what it was he had found.

‘Bingo… This could work!’ Ben thought. 

The pin he felt was loose all right, the right weld that held the pin cap had broken at some point during the chest’s existence. Without this cap, it allowed the pin to be dislodged from the hinge rings which held the both sides of the hinges together to allow the chest to open and close. Using all of his strength, he felt the pin pulling free from the hinges and eventually it popped right out.

“Yes! Fuck yes! Please, please let it be enough!” Ben shouted to himself, pushing against the chest again and lifting up with all of his strength.

With the one hinge support dismantled, the left side of the chest did indeed begin to open a little as he pushed it upward. The light came in, revealing the rest of the chest, but as Ben looked around he knew there was nothing else inside that would allow him to escape with ease. There was but one option, as Ben shifted to the left side and kept the lid opened slightly, as far as it would allow him.

Lifting one leg, he shoved it through the opening, which allowed the chest to remain slightly open. Letting the pressure go, the chest closed on his leg, but as he suspected he was indeed strong enough to lift it back open now that he had managed to make a gap in the opening. Shifting the rest of his body through the gap, he found it was just barely enough to squeeze through. Before long, Benjamin had managed to actually escape the chest.

“Finally!” Ben shouted, quickly shutting up as he looked around to make sure the coast was clear. It was, Jinshin wasn’t there.

Wasting no time he sprinted to the edge of the dresser. The height of the dresser was about a foot and a half taller than the bed itself, with his initial jump off the bed the other morning. It was not as tall as the head board, however, but he knew this was still a dangerous gamble as he viewed the floor beneath him. It was the only way down, but a direct fall could break his legs. For all he knew, every inch of height made the difference between safety and an injury that would surely fuck him over.

‘Perhaps if I drop down to the handles of the dresser drawers, I can catch them and use them to slowly ease my way down,’ Benjamin thought. ‘It’s the only way to ensure I reach the floor safely, here goes nothing…’

With the utmost courage, Benjamin turned around and jumped off the edge. He used his hands to catch the ledge with his hands, looking down and aiming his feet towards the first handle at the top drawer of the dresser. Releasing his grip, he fell a few inches before his feet hit the handle and he tumbled backwards. Panicking, he tried to roll forward before passing not only the first, but second handle as well, plummeting almost halfway past the dresser and hurtling towards the floor at an increasingly dangerous pace.

However, with quick thinking Ben saw the third handle of the third drawer from the top, twisting his torso and grabbing it with one hand and breaking his fall instantly. His legs swung back towards the dresser, his whole body slamming into the wood harshly as he barely dangled from the handle.

‘Maybe a bit more grace next time,’ Ben thought, finding this entire situation so utterly ridiculous he could almost laugh.

More composed now, he let his grip go and fell to the fourth handle, this time managing to grab it and break his fall more gracefully. With that, he let go and fell the half foot distance towards the floor and landed on his feet without a scratch. Stretching his arms and legs, he took a moment to breathe and regain his sense of direction as he realized that he actually managed to not only escape the chest, but the top of the dresser as well. The only thing before him now, was the floor ahead leading to the door of Jinshin’s chamber.

‘Here goes nothing, what are they going to do if I get caught, kill me?’ Benjamin chuckled at this, it would actually be the outcome he desired, the entire reason he was risking his life at all, he didn’t care if he lived or died anymore. But if he could save that woman, if he could at least save her, then maybe his life wouldn’t have been for nothing.

Knowing the odds were not only against him, but absolutely impossible, Benjamin began to run across the floor as he made his way towards the door of the room. Just like the previous room that Jinshin lived in before the move to wherever they were now, there was plenty of gap beneath the door to slip under. Getting onto his stomach, Ben crawled under the door and stood up on the other side. Before him now, was an immense hallway stretching as far as his eyes could see.

“Well fuck,” Ben said softly.

The hallway branched out at least twelve feet, before splitting into two other directions left or right. The far end of the hall led to another door, but it wasn’t clear as to what sort of room it was. Wondering if he was in some form of corridor leading to multiple rooms, Benjamin began to ponder if this wouldn’t be as difficult as he had thought it would.

‘If that woman and Jinshin know each other, what if her room is just across the hall? I guess there’s only one way to find out.’

Running across the hall, he made his way towards the intersection. It had been the most activity he’d gotten in some time, and he found his energy was rather low. Part of his silent treatment against Jinshin had also been refusal to eat or drink, and it was catching up to him now. But his persistence knew no bounds, and all Ben wanted was to find that woman and find a way to get her out of this hell hole.

Eventually he reached the intersection, looking left and right and finding this entire facility to already be quite the maze. To his left, the hall led into a considerably larger room. There were several personnel walking and talking in all directions and places within the large room, and Ben wanted nothing to do with it.

To his right the hallway extended even further, more doors and other intersections leading to who knew where. It was clear that it would take Benjamin a long time to navigate that hallway, so he decided the best course of action was to investigate the door straight ahead. With the coast clear, he made his way towards the door and was quickly able to discern that the lights were off. Getting on his stomach, he crawled under the door and felt the cold tile floor as he entered whatever room he was in.

“Where the hell am I? This doesn’t look like a bedroom,” Ben talked out loud, comforted by his own voice which didn’t deafen his ears like when the giants around him spoke.

As he advanced further into this room, he realized the entire floor was tile. As he tried to understand and piece this fact together in his head, he heard the female voice of someone approaching the door behind him.

‘Fuck! Someone’s coming!’ Ben panicked, running ahead to find cover.

Noticing an enormous wall that was smooth and white, he had no choice but to run behind it and stay out of sight. Unsure of where he was exactly, the sound of the door opening and the lights turning on had all but revealed to him exactly where he was.

‘I’m in a bloody fucking bathroom…’ Ben sighed, this was a bit strange to him.

Peering around the corner, his eyes grew wide in shock when he realized who had entered the room. It was Deita, the woman from the airport he had seen briefly. It was her own slave, the one that Ben wanted to save, who had entered the bathroom.

She stood in front of the toilet, staring at her cell phone as she was texting somebody. Being very careful, Ben spied on her as he peeked around the corner of the base of the toilet. Completely unaware of his presence, Deita paid no mind to her surroundings, as there was no reason to do so in her mind. Upon finishing whatever text she was typing, she slipped her phone into her pocket and began to undo her pants.

Unable to turn away, Benjamin was in a trance as he watched this absolute giantess of a woman go on with her seemingly normal duties. If not for the fact she was a sadistic, trafficking bitch Ben might have actually found her insanely gorgeous, but perhaps not as gorgeous as Jinshin, not that he cared about that right now. As her pants slid down to her ankles, his jaw dropped at the massive size of her ass cheeks. This woman wasn’t even fat, not even close. Now that her pants had been withdrawn, he could see the massive definition in her thighs and calves.

Deita wasn’t unattractive in the sense she had profound muscles or anything, however she was a very tall and large woman, and it was clear she wasn’t some weakling either. She was full figured in every sense, but with the strength to back it up. Her ass was simply incredible, and Ben couldn’t deny it might have actually been perfect. Though as she bent down and planted her butt firmly on the toilet seat, Benjamin snapped out of it and kept out of sight.

What he hadn’t realized was that the wall against the door was one large mirror. That entire time he was peeking around the toilet, he was in view of this mirror completely. Luckily it seemed that Deita hadn’t noticed him, but he wouldn’t risk peeking at her again, despite her immense beauty.

“Mmmmm,” Deita moaned, as a torrent of piss hit the toilet water as she began to relieve herself.

The sound of the water splashing and crashing around in the toilet bowl was loud and echoed throughout the bathroom. Ben sat down and sighed, hoping this would be quick so he could leave this place. The last thing he wanted was to get trapped in the bathroom and listen to every person in the fucking building take a piss. Absolutely disgusting

As the urine trickled out, the sound with it, Benjamin was disappointed when he didn’t hear Deita pull up her pants. Instead he began to hear the slight sound of muffled farts. Then, with Deita beginning to groan, his worst fear came true. She had indeed come to take a massive shite. How unfortunate, he would have to listen to it.

“Hnng… Ugh…” Deita groaned, as she squeezed and felt the log of shit exit her asshole and plummet into the toilet.

Benjamin could smell it, and it was vile. At his size, it seemed that smells were amplified in addition to the sound of people’s voices, and also his durability. Pinching his nose and breathing through his mouth, he was forced to listen to countless logs of crap being shat into the toilet as this evil woman did her deed. Before long, the sound of her wiping her ass and flushing the toilet caused Ben to take a quick peek into the open.

Deita was pulling her pants up again, and was about to leave the room. Suddenly an idea struck Benjamin’s mind, but it was a risk no doubt. It would take him forever to find the tiny woman on his own, but here was Deita right now, and she could lead him directly to where he needed to go! It was unlikely he’d get the chance again, and as he looked around for something to take advantage of, it dawned on him.

As Deita buttoned her pants back up, Ben noticed that her slacks hung just below her heel. She had three inch heels on, her slacks covering her ankle and heel but keeping her toes and the top of her foot exposed. At the edge of her slacks, was a loose thread. Unsure if this plan would even work, Benjamin took advantage of her lumbering form blocking the mirror, and charged straight towards her foot.

Luckily for him, she had pulled out her phone again. With this minor distraction, her foot had been placed still for long enough that Ben was able to reach it. Jumping up to the thread, he managed to dangle from it as he climbed into the opening of her pant leg before stepping onto the rear of her heel. Grabbing onto the strap that supported her ankle, Ben was able to successfully hide in plain sight. By grabbing her ankle strap, and keeping his feet on the edge of the back of her heel, he wasn’t actually touching her foot at all, and she had no idea he was even there.

‘Please don’t fall off… I can do this, it’s like riding a bull, or something… Right?’ As Ben wondered if this little trick would work or not, Deita finished whatever she was doing on her phone and began to leave the bathroom.

It all happened in an instant. He watched as her bare heel lifted slightly from the sole of her heel, before planting firmly back into the material as Deita took every step. Clutching the strap of her heel tightly, he managed to stay steady as she began walking down the hallway. It worked, he was hitching a ride on arguably the most dangerous woman in this entire building. As he looked down at her bare heel, the flesh of her foot lifting up and down with every step, Benjamin could only imagine how painful it would be if he slipped under foot by accident and she were to step on him with the full force of her bare foot.

This thought was terrifying, but he knew he’d have to be quite the dumbass to somehow slip under her heel. He knew he was safe, and better yet undetected by anyone as Deita walked to wherever she intended to go. Benjamin only hoped it was her bedroom, or at least a pit stop so he could reside there in the hopes she’d leave again. No matter the case, it was pertinent that Benjamin stayed with this woman until she led him to where he needed to go.

“Jinshin! Hey, over here,” Deita called out, as Ben listened in while remaining hidden.

“What is it?” Jinshin asked her.

“We have three more clients, I need you to deal with them,” Deita informed. “Avaramix has requested my aid in the research wing.”

“I was just heading there, I’ll handle it,” Jinshin nodded. “You look a bit irritated, is everything alright?”

There was a moment of silence, and Ben wondered what was going on above him. He didn’t have to wait much longer.

“I had a bit of a spat with Jacob, in my room earlier,” Deita admitted, sounding a bit upset over it.

“Oh? What happened?”

“Found him shrunk on the floor, doing something to Liz. It looked like he was trying to kill her, so I crushed him under my heel.”

“You fucking what!?” Jinshin couldn’t believe it. “Did you kill him!?”

“Nah, I doubt I could have, I was mostly teasing him but then he freaked out on me,” Deita explained. “Sister to sister… I really liked Jacob. But he hates my guts, and no matter how I try to flirt with him, it only seems to make him hate more!”

“You… Have a thing for Jacob?” Jinshin was surprised to hear this.

“I don’t know what I have for anyone,” Deita retorted. “But one thing is for certain, Jacob was right! I’m always keeping my true self hidden, because I always get judged by you, Jacob and everyone else for who I am! No more, sister! I’m a bitch, and I love it! I love torturing Liz, I love putting her up my ass! I’d do it to anyone, even you if I had the chance! It’s the only reason I agreed to manage Jacob all those months ago, the fact he can shrink people was incredible… All of the nasty shit I can inflict on them, and they can’t do a damn thing to stop me…”

Benjamin was disgusted by what he heard. Not only did he think this woman was demented and severely ill, but absolutely evil to her core. What kind of person could think this way? How could they act this way? It was beyond his understanding.

“You really are that sadistic? You’d eat me, then? If you could?” Jinshin asked, her curiosity getting to her.

“Eat you? Fuck no!” Deita giggled. “You’re my sister, I’d never kill you! But maybe eat your pussy if you were small… Yeah, I always thought you were hot. Anyways, I have shit to do. I’m eating Liz tonight, I’ll be sure to let you know how that goes!”

“I’m sure you will,” Jinshin shook her head, but before walking off looked at Deita one last time. “I want you to know, I may not understand you, but I have never thought less of you for it. You know that, right?”

“I know, I always have. It’s why I love you so damn much!” Deita cooed, and Ben felt a motion that could only allude to the idea that Deita and Jinshin embraced each other with a hug.

Afterwards they went their separate ways, as Ben was left grasping to the shoe of Deita as she walked at a brisk pace.

‘How could you accept Deita like that?’ Ben thought miserably. ‘I don’t understand you, Jinshin. You were a victim of the very product of this type of criminal underworld. Why are you making friends with these people? Why are you so loyal to them? I just don’t understand it. Perhaps if you were more cruel to me, I’d get it. But you were gentle, and kind to me… I don’t think you are like them, not completely. I hope I’m not wrong about you.’

The doors to the research wing opened, Deita entering swiftly as she continued to be unaware of a particular tiny passenger at her heel. As she walked down numerous aisles of tanks, monitors and various equipment, she approached her superior as she stood beside him at the chair of which he was laid in.

“Just in time,” Avaramix spoke, strapped to the table with variously attached pads, status monitors and IV drips in his veins.

“How are we looking scientist man?” Deita cooed, looking at the researcher across the chair who was prepping a formula solution in a separate mixing device.

“You will call me by name, miss,” the man retorted, lifting the solution and inspecting it carefully.

“Please, Deita, he came all this way to assist me in my research. Please show him the due respect of which he deserves,” Avaramix pleaded.

“Fine…” Deita sighed. “How are we looking, Auron? Auron Karn…”

“The solution is fading, the parameters the formula is based off of is only relative, ever degrading. We must hurry, activate the sequence.” Auron gestured towards a monitor, as he entered the solution into a test tube that was connected to a large needle of which was placed over Avaramix’s head.

“Sequence initiating in five… Four… Three…”

Auron pushed a button, as the needle injected into the skull of Avaramix and he gritted his teeth in pain. The solution injected into his skull, all that was left was for the sequence to initiate.

“Two… One… Sequence initiation a go.” Deita turned a key, and several mechanical sounds began to manifest.

A loud whirring noise echoed the laboratory, several lights blinking erratically as the status monitor showed the results of the experiment. As Auron and Deita watched in awe, Avaramix began to groan painfully, ultimately beginning to scream as the solution took effect.

“Gah! Ahhhh! Hnnng…” Avaramix fought to maintain his composure, and after a brief moment the sounds halted and he fell back into the chair with exhaustion and relief.

“Sequence ended,” Deita informed them. “Status?”

“Steady,” Auron studied the results carefully. “They’re metastasizing throughout his nervous system, so far so good…”

“I… I don’t feel so good…” Avaramix began to convulse, his eyes turning into his sockets as he began to enter a seizure.

“Damn!” Auron shouted. “It wasn’t enough! They couldn’t maintain their own mass, and imploded. This has caused a blood clot and it struck his brain, he’s having a stroke, hurry!”

Deita panicked, realizing the gravity of the situation. She grabbed an injection that was purposed for an emergency such as this. Jamming it into her superior’s chest, his eyes returned and he gasped for air before convulsing a few more times and then passing out completely.

“Shit! Is he alright?” Deita turned to Auron, who was studying the monitor.

“He’ll live, but he can’t take these experiments much longer,” Auron warned. “While we have made some progress, the amount of necessary experiments still required wouldn’t be enough. He’ll be dead long before the perfect solution is finalized.”

“What are my options, then?” Avaramix spoke, coming back yet again as he turned his head slowly towards Auron.

“That was fast, you have a strong resolve, don’t you?”

“Answer me…” Avaramix repeated.

“The issue is these subjects are a byproduct of the real deal,” Auron explained. “While their shrunken nature has indeed rendered them with incredible abilities, such as heightened senses, hearing, vision and smell; including enhanced resistance to blunt trauma… However, it’s only a byproduct of the fact they were shrunk at all.”

“So what does that mean exactly?” Deita asked, crossing her arms.

“It will take at least six months to a year to pinpoint the exact solution based on their DNA,” Auron revealed. “However, from what I can gather, a direct sample from whoever caused these people to be this way, well that could render a solution almost immediately, maybe two or three trials tops.”

“So you need Jacob, then?” Deita wasn’t sure how to feel about this. “Just a sample?”

“Assuming he’s not also shrunk, then yes, a sample,” Auron clarified. “Though it’d be nice to get more details…”

“Not yet,” Avaramix interrupted. “Deita has said enough already. You’ve done good work here today, Auron. We will reach you when the next experiment is inbound, until then, give O’Dias my regards.”

“Right, I see how it is,” Auron nodded. “I don’t need to know the details of this experiment, it seems you want a cure to your degenerative condition, and yet all we’ve managed to do is worsen it. I will continue to run programs at GenetiCo, in the meantime please take care of yourself. This research is beyond just your cure, it could mean great things for the world.”

“I’m sure it will,” Avaramix spoke callously. “Until next time, Auron.”

“Until next time, Avaramix,” Auron nodded, exiting the research wing and leaving Deita alone with her superior.

“Well, do you think he’s right?” Deita asked.

“Of course he is, that man is a genius from top to bottom,” Avaramix answered. “But I am not ready to use Jacob in such a manner, not yet at least. His DNA would be worthless without the money to finance the research. I don’t know how he will react, so until I know he can be trusted, I need him focused on doing what we hired him for.”

“I understand,” Deita nodded. “Let me help you back to your room.”

“Go, I’ll be fine,” Avaramix ordered. “I want to look over the data from this experiment. You’ve had a hard day's work, take the rest of the day off.”

“Master, you’re too kind…” Deita bowed slightly, thanking him before leaving him as he requested.

As Deita left the room, Benjamin was at a loss for words as he clung in terror to the ankle strap of Deita’s heel. It was one thing to learn that Liz had indeed still been alive, but now he only had until tonight to save her, and to make it worse Deita had been let off early. That was just the first issue he had to deal with.

Now Benjamin knew something even more nefarious was brewing, he had just learned that this man, Avaramix, was using shrunken people like him for tests and experiments. Based on how Deita questioned the man, Auron, it appeared that the shrunken subjects didn’t survive whatever it was that was done to them. This terrified Benjamin, would that be his fate if he were discovered?

As Deita walked down the hallway, Benjamin had a change of mind. He let go and jumped off her heel, falling from her pant leg and hitting the floor as Deita continued down the hallway. He watched her, and eventually she took a right turn down the intersection. He would use this fact to find her later, first he wanted to return to the laboratory and see what else he could learn about this place.

As he turned and began to run back towards the laboratory, the sight of a sudden shadow loomed above him. Realizing the worst, he looked up to see the sole of a boot. Before he could even scream, it came crashing down on him. He was forced flat into the harsh ground, the boot applying a painful amount of pressure but not enough to kill him. At first he thought a random person had mistakenly stepped on him, but he was quickly proven wrong.

“You are more crafty than I thought you were, I must admit,” Jinshin spoke from above, very angry in fact.

“Dammit!” Ben shouted. “If you’re going to kill me then just do it already!”

In response, Jinshin pushed her boot down even harder. This caused Benjamin to scream in pain, his bones nearly cracking under the forceful weight of her rubber sole. The imprints of the boot pinpointed him at sensitive parts, only adding to the torture.

“Why did you do this to me?” Jinshin asked, her voice filled with pain and anger. “Dammit Ben! You knew what I’d have to do! Why!? Why couldn’t you just stay in the fucking chest!? Do you really want to die that badly!?”

“Of course I do!” Benjamin screamed, trying to endure the pain as best he could. “You can’t imprison me forever! You better kill me now, Jinshin! I’ll never stop! Do you hear me!? I’ll never stop trying to run away!”

“So be it…” Jinshin whimpered, a tear actually forming in her eye as leaned into her foot and prepared to crush him flat.

The pressure was disastrous for Ben, he couldn’t breathe now as the force against him was unimaginable. While he may have been more durable, it only caused his agony to be that much worse. Being able to resist this kind of pain was not intended for man, no, this was a byproduct of his shrinking. It meant the pain he could feel was amplified beyond reason. He only hoped that Jinshin would end his life quickly, that she wouldn’t torment him like Deita would.

“Please make it quick…” Ben shouted painfully, starting to feel his lungs burst. “Don’t… Make me… Suffer… Please…”

“Dammit Benjamin! Damn you straight to hell!” Jinshin shouted miserably, lifting her foot and removing it from him entirely.

Benjamin hurled over and sputtered, gasping for air as he felt the sudden relief of his muscles and bones being spared. It had been certain in his mind that Jinshin would kill him, he was sure of it. However, once again she proved to be a mystery to him, as he looked up to see her crying above him.

“I can’t do it!” Jinshin cried, falling to her knees and tugging at her hair. It was like she was having a panic attack, and Benjamin was in shock.

“I can’t kill you!” Jinshin cried. “I just can’t do it!”