Addison sauntered her way through the endless long aisles of Kaiser and Wiggins. She felt a bit more comfortable now while walking on her mother's high heels.
She knew her destination, she also knew the quickest route toward this destination, but she took a detour either way.
Receiving all those slithering greetings and stares of awe from the staff was just too pleasant to ignore. Addison was already used to subservient behavior. After years of service, the servants in her household had refined this dust licking to an exquisite art of the highest order.
Although Addison relishes with sniggering joy when whipping these thralls about, she also realizes that they did it primarily out of deference for her parents and the good money they were paying them. Her control over them stems from their influence. Eventually, Addison was nothing more than a snobby juvenile.
As long as she can remember, Addison always wanted to stand above others, to be able to impose her will upon as many people as possible – and preferably in a way that her reign was undisputed.
And that's where the shrink ray came in. The day she heard about its technology, when it was still in early development, Addison saw it as an opportunity to quench her insatiable thirst for control over others. Her eyes were glued to the screen when footages of handheld-sized people started to flood public television. The array of command Addison could hold over these shrunken people could only be limited by her imagination. Addison could hardly contain the burst of happiness she felt when – due to a sudden leap in technological advancement – tons of shipments came rolling in, filled to the brim with miniaturized cities. Shrunken property and people dwindled down to microscopic proportions to do with as she pleases!
Addison beamed back politely as several employees of Kaiser and Wiggins greeted her with the utmost respect and whispered her name with reverence. Being named as the company's successor definitely has its perks.

"You can carry on," she replied while passing two gawking teen employees.
"Thank you! You're not the worst I've seen today either!" she said after receiving an extensive compliment about her decked-out appearance from some section manager.

Nevertheless, not all employees were so lenient with this course of events and treated her with a blank stare instead, or just straight-out ignored her existence altogether.
Addison made sure to take mental notes of their faces. It did not surprise Addison to see that most of these people were from the same posse hanging out with Mayumi and Lindsy.
Opening a large oaken door, Addison entered one of the company's vast offices – which were primarily reserved for the upper layer – and was greeted by the sight of Mayumi sitting behind some broad desk with a handful of shrunken cities dotted upon its surface.
"

"Addison?"

"Mayumi! Long time! how are you doing?" Addison sauntered in with a big smile. She would not let her excellent mood be spoiled by this vixen.
Mayumi's attention was already sunken back into her laptop as she replied absently,
"If you're looking for Dr. Goof; he's in the middle of a meeting right now."
"Nah, who needs that dust coat?" Addison approached the desk and observed the shrunken cities. It hadn't escaped her notice that one of these cities was adorned with a stately monumental building — some sort of temple-like structure with rows of white columns.
"These the fresh batch?" Addison said as her eyes were glued to the monumental building.
"Mmm, and all allocated to section C," Mayumi replied as her eyes stayed focused on the screen of her laptop.
"By you?" Addison asked, cocking her eyebrow.
"By me," Mayumi finally looks up from her laptop. Piercing Addison with her eyes.
"So you finally got promoted! Congratulations! How long did it take? three years?"
"Less than a year," Mayumi said dryly.
"Even more impressing! Meager talent should always prevail over hard work. That's what I always used to tell my aunt... When she was still alive, that is…."
"My deepest condolences," Mayumi said with feigned sincerity.
Addison gave a simpering smile and bend over to inspect another shrunken city safely boxed between four plastic plates.
"Lindsy sends her regards, by the way," she said while scrutinizing the teeming chaos down below in the conquered city.
Thousands of scurrying Caspivurians saw the corners of Addison's youngish eyes wrinkling with delight when Mayumi looked up.
"You-you know where she is?" Mayumi said.
Addison shrugged, "perhaps." she casually tapped the nail of her index finger against the plastic plate. A giggle escaped from her lips when sirens started to wail throughout the shrunken city.
Mayumi eyed her for a long time, "You've kidnapped her, didn't you?"
Addison stood back up to her full height, groaned, and stretched her arms behind her head – unknowingly, unveiling the color of her underwear to the shrunken citizens down below when her dress crawled up her legs, "Maybe I didn't, who knows."
Mayumi narrowed her eyes, "I should report you to the committee,"
"Perhaps you should," Addison said and leaped her cute butt upon the desk, crossing her legs over each other.
"Careful!" Mayumi fumed
Addison ignored the warning, turned her attention toward the first city, and drooled in the sight of the monument dotted amidst blocks of infrastructures. All hell broke loose amongst the Caspivurians now that a humongous teen girl was leaning in close over their property like she was observing the movements of an anthill.
"That city is appointed to Princess Eliza, the Queen's youngest sprout," Mayumi said when she saw Addison's fingers drawing closer toward the city like they were under a hypnotized spell.
Addison leaped up, looking at Mayumi in consternation, "You just said that they were all allocated for section C?"
"Except this one."
"In that case, I'll take this one!" Addison reached out to another city adjacent to the one lying next to her legs.
"No, you don't!" Mayumi snatched the city away.
Addison's hands grasped air as her fingernails scratched against the plastic plates. "Hey! I hold the strings in this company!"
"No, you don't. Not yet, at any rate. You're just a vastly spoiled minority who tries to harvest rights she doesn't have."
Addison grabs a shrink ray, "How dare you talk to me like that." She cocked the gun.
"You wouldn't dare," Mayumi said darkly.
"Try me," Addison replied.
"Bitch–"
Bzzzzzzzz…
Addison's smile broadened as the shrink ray charged up with a high-pitched tone before releasing its full brunt on Mayumi's body.
"The hell?" Addison's eyes churned into a look of confusion when Mayumi still stood there, unaffected.
Mayumi merely chuckled as she stood there with one hand on her hip, "Something wrong?"
Bzzzzzzz…. BLAST! ….nothing
Bzzzzzzz… BLAST! ….nothing
Mayumi chuckled even louder now.
"Curse you, you… FUUUUCK!" Addison screeched as she threw the highly expensive Modifier to smithereens against the wall. One part of the smashed gun – a small spring or something – hurled through the air and wound up into one of the shrunken cities on the desk, where it caused significant damage as it toppled various buildings.
Thousands of shocked Caspivurians clutched their loved ones as they peaked in fear beyond the forest of soaring infrastructures where an enraged fourteen-year-old girl was looming like a retributive Goddess over their helpless city.
Addison's eyes were smoldering with anger as she watched Mayumi just standing there – laughing with delight.
"Oh, my," Mayumi chuckled, "hadn't had such a laugh since… since… actually, I think I never had a laugh like this before!" she chuckled further. "Are you done?" Mayumi asked when she was finally able to catch her breath.
"Well then," Mayumi brought up another shrink ray from a drawer, "I believe it's more than appropriate to state that it's my turn now, isn't it?"
Bzzzzz…
Addison's eyes bulged when she heard the shrink ray charging up.
Not this… not again… Addison thought.
CLICK… CLICK…
"The fuck?" Mayumi said as she squeezed the trigger, and nothing happened. The shrink ray seemed dead.
"Alright girls, playtime is over," a male voice suddenly spoke.
Both Addison and Mayumi turned around and saw a hunchbacked dwarf standing in the doorway with a remote in his hand.
"Dr. Goof?!" Both Addison and Mayumi said simultaneously out loud.
"The one and only," Dr. Goof sniggered. Addison felt uncomfortable when Dr. Goof's eyes scrutinized her body, just like last time – from top to bottom. It made her wish she was dressed into something other than the dress she was wearing that revealed her shoulders and the bigger part of her upper legs.
"She attacked me!" Mayumi pointed at Addison, breaking the awkward moment.
"She misuses her position by transferring new shrunken cities on her own account!" Addison said, pointing back at Mayumi.
"I did what?.... No! No, I didn't! You blasted brat! You've kidnapped Lindsy, didn't you?! Admit it!" Mayumi said.
"Proof it!" Addison replied.
Dr goof leaned casually against the wall – with a creepy smile upon his face – as he observed both girls throwing accusations against each other.
"And why do you have broken guns sprawled about here anyway?" Addison's eyes shot back to Dr. Goof.
Dr. Goof cocked his brow and turned his eyes toward Mayumi with a look that asked for some explanation.
Mayumi rolled her eyes and chuckled, "She tried to shrink me, and when nothing happened, she made the assumption that the gun was broken."
"Ah, I see." Dr. Goof rubbed his chin. "Give me the modifier," He reached his hand out. Mayumi gave him the shrink ray. Addison squeaked as he – without warning – blasted a chair standing right beside her. It shrunk down to nothingness. He now gave the gun to Addison.
"Shoot me," he said.
"Go on," he prodded when he saw some hesitation in Addison's eyes.
Bzzzzzz… BLAST… nothing happened.
"There's nothing wrong with the gun. It's just the effect of my latest invention."