Day 05 - The Meeting

The pen hit repeatedly on the table of the Whotech meeting room while Gill moved her fingers nervously.

- Gill - Asami said looking at the pen.

- Excuse me. I'm just nervous about everything that has happened in the last days -  justified Gill to the Japanese colleague in front her.

Stacy entered the room carrying a handbag and a cup of coffee, all rose. The Whotech's CEO motioned to they sit down again as she settled in one of the plush chairs.

- Gill, Asami, Rafael, thanks for your punctuality. I know that 6 am is not the most common time for meetings. But my schedule was already taken and the matter can not wait.

The three employees slightly nodded, but said nothing.

- Asami, as you may not be fully informed, I will give a brief summary - the young CEO of 34 years took a sip of her coffee before continuing. - Five days ago the Whotech was invaded by two men, Steve Phill and Robert Colly. Steve is known for breaking into businesses and stealing research data or prototypes and selling them to competitors. Robert, according to his criminal record, is wanted for robbery and murder and other crimes less relevant at this time. The point is, they messed up an experiment that Rafael and Gill were conducting. Thanks to the intruders there was an accidental release of a new virus, whose origin is confidential, that we are studying. Are you following me?

- Perfectly - Asami said.

- Great. Continuing, the virus when released, luckily, does not survive long with exposure to oxygen. At the time of the accident, there was only Rafael using a mask, but he had not finished putting on the protective suit, resulting in a milder form of infection, but I will come back to the issue of Rafael in a moment.

Rafael was tempted to ask a few questions, but he held back. Stacy looked at her employee sympathetically and continued

- Gill was fully exposed, but we found that this virus only affects men. Gill has no infection at any level. Finally, our two attackers were directly exposed and the result was it cause then to faint and then suffered an immediate accelerated body reduction. After 135 seconds, their size had decreased to approximately 3 cm.

- Asami blinked a few times and frowned trying to understand what she had heard. She looked incredulously at her CEO - How?

- I understand your skepticism, so I want you to meet Mr. Steve Phill - Stacy took a test tube from her handbag. The tiny man in there was just wearing something that resembled a towel tied around his waist. Stacy turned the tube and the little man slipped as if was a toboggan to the black glass table. The other three people in the room came closer, curious to see better. Stacy retrieved a small microphone and placed in front of the tiny figure.

- You can not keep me here. I need treatment. I demand my lawyer. This is kidnapping. I demand that you release me now - Steve's voice was angry, he was clearly screaming, but even with speech amplified by the speaker in the middle of the table, you could only hear it with all the silence in the room.

- After the losses that Mr. Phil caused other companies with his industrial espionage, it seems to me a karmic justice he is now a valuable  guinea pig to this company. Asami, I'm putting you to lead this research. I want you to devote 100% of your time on it. You can use Mr. Phill here as you think is necessary.

- You can not do that. I am a person, not a lab rat - Steve shouted indignantly.

- Mister Phill - Stacy approached the little man's face and he felt intimidated. Stacy was a reasonably attractive woman and wore a big glasses on her face, she appeared to be younger than she was, and that was not good for the position of CEO. Her black hair was cut very short and contrasted well with her pale skin. The sound of her voice, for him, was as if she were using the microphones of a large stadium to speak - Because of your criminal activities and your behavior, the only thing that differentiates you from a mouse for me is your size. Before you were bigger than a rat and now you are smaller than a rat - The CEO joined her lips as if she were sending a kiss and blew. The tiny man fell backwards and rolled, blown by the wind that came from Stacy's lips. The two other women laughed, Rafael looked uncomfortable.

Asami took the test tube and grabed Steve between her finger and thumb. She felt the little man struggling fiercely between her fingers. She made an expression of someone who found the feeling interesting and released him into the test tube, which she then pocketed.

- You said there were two men, can I use the second in my research too?

- Unfortunately not. As soon as the accident occured Gill and Rafael did not know what had happened to the invaders and Gill unintentionally stepped on the other man who became a speck on the floor.

Gill looked extremely embarrassed

- Do not feel bad Gill. The world is better off without a criminal like Mr. Robert walking around - Stacy said. - He deserved his fate. Just like you deserve to get the things you crave. We have a job opportunity coming up in about five months, I intend to promote you for this job as leading research. But in the meantime, I have a job for you, which brings us back to the subject of Rafael.

- Do you have the results related to my condition? -  asked Rafael with the worried face.

- Yes, as I was told you've already lost four centimeters so far, right? - Asked Stacy.

- You can upgrade to five centimeters, measured before coming to the meeting – the discouragement in Rafael's voice was deep.

- Well, the results we have so far lead us to believe that, as this contagion was  through the skin  and not through the airway, the effects will be slower. But unfortunately projections indicate that after 115 days you will be with the same 3 cm as Steve.

- Sorry to ask so directly Stacy, but I am also to be a guinea pig of the company? - Rafael tried to hide the panic and the urge to vomit.

- No Rafael - Stacy said in an extremely gentle way - You have done well to ask. I want you to know that you are, and will remain, a company official, a respected person and, as before, a friend. Right now, no one can know what happened here and what is happening to you, but you will need friends to help you. And I think I can speak for the others in this room, that we will be your friends. - The other two nodded and CEO continued. - One of the main goals for Asami in this research, will to be find how to reverse the process, so do not give up yet, do not despair.

- Thank you - whispered Rafael.

- Be able to shrink a person and then bring them back to its normal size has numerous applications. The value of this is astronomical, so the research for your healing will have all the money Asami need.

To Rafael that made perfect business sense and left him with a little more hope.

- But it is more important that you understand one thing - Stacy's voice became more serious. - If news of a man shrinking leaks and is connected to the lab, we  will be suspect to some type of investigation, they will demand we stop the research that can help you. You will be able to talk with friends and family by phone or email, but no one can see you're shrinking.

- I understand the seriousness and consequences, but how do we do this? Should I moved into the lab? The idea of r03;r03;living in the lab bothered Rafael deeply.

- No. We will tell everyone you are traveling for work and you will remain at your home. But in fact  Whotech will pay your rent on the pretext that Gill will live at the house while you are 'gone'. For you, the house is still yours, with all its inside. I imagine it will be less stressful to go through the shrinking process in an environment you know and like.

- She will go come live with me? - Rafael asked awkwardly.

- At first it will just be spending the day. The information you find working together can help Asami to heal you. Do you agree?

- I agree.

- Your house has many bedrooms?

- Four, two suites.

- One of the suites you will need to vacate so Gill can have living space  there. Because there will come a time that it may be safer for you if she can spend a few nights in the house. Gill is this okay for you?

- No problem. I want to participate in that - said Gill without hesitating. - What about his girlfriend?

- No problem - said Rafael - ironically things were not right because she accepted an offer to return to work in London. So probably we would breakup anyway.

- Sorry Rafael, but will be better this way - said Stacy - As everyone will think you are in another country, do not leave home or even call here. Gill will make the communication bridge between us. It may be exaggerated, but it all started as industrial espionage. Anything else? I have another meeting in half an hour and I need to prepare myself.

- Nothing for now. Thank you Stacy - Rafael stood along with the CEO and reached to shake her hand. Stacy then did something she had never done with Rafael. She pulled and gave him a big hug.

- Hold tight. We will get you out of this - Stacy then turned away from Rafael and reached for Gill.

- Take good care of our boy, okay?

- You can count on it - said Gill saying goodbye and leaving the room along with Rafael.

*****

Stacy went to her office and locked the door, sat down at her desk and unlocked a drawer. Picking up an Iphone's box and opened it. The little man inside the box blinked with light.

- So Robert, you are a dangerous killer and a specialist at breaking in, right? - Stacy grinned looking at the little man. In the silence of the room and this distance, she could hear him low.

- That's right, girl. And you should not mess with me. Neither you nor that other little woman who brought me here yesterday. - He spoke with disdain.

- It wasn't yesterday, but this morning around 4am. You must have slept inside your little box, you dangerous criminal - Stacy felt like a child on Christmas day, nor the long meeting that would start in 15 minutes make her feel annoyed. - In addition, a 3cm man should not call any person a little woman, her name is Gill.

Robert showed the middle finger to Stacy.

- Someone needs to learn manners. - No stop smiling, Stacy lifted the little man by one leg level with her eyes. Robert struggled and cursed endlessly. - You are even handsome but you need to cool down - she let the bad guy who fell into a glass of water that was half full. - You know Robert, except for Gill, everyone thinks you're dead -  she said suspending the glass to see the little man swimming under the water line, just head out. - You should rethink how you talk to someone who can swallow you alive. In fact, I had no breakfast today, i was wondering if you taste good. - Stacy set the glass of the lips and slowly began to drink the water. Robert screamed in terror and tried to swim against the current. Stacy pulled the glass from her mouth and laughed watching the little man quietly swimming in the water now at the lowest level in the cup.

- I'll kill you - whispered Robert at a level inaudible to the giant.

Stacy took a pen and put the tip touching the water - Hold - ordered dryly. She hoisted the little man and tapped the pen on the edge of the box Iphone doing the little man fall ungainly inside.

- I will not kill you Robert, although you have been a bad boy and have made a lot of good people suffer. But the reason is that you do not deserve a quick and easy way out. In addition, it had to negotiate with Gill to have you all to myself and for her to take the blame of your death for the few people who knew you were here. I like to ensure the success of the investments that I make. You go home with me today.

Stacy closed the box. The small holes made with a needle by Gill would prevent the little man from suffocating. She put the box in the drawer, locked it and left for her meeting.