Tales of Carrion Mansion

Chapter 31.

C.I.A. AND F.B.I.

TO

c.i.a. and f.b.i.

by Skytower 

Though the Central Intelligence Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation shared many things, affection was not among them. To the C.I.A., the F.B.I. was a collection of half-trained 1950s leftovers whose true glory days had passed with the great depression. The F.B.I., for its part, relegated C.I.A. agents to the roles of barely controlled psychotics. Joint operations between the two agencies, while not unheard of, were rare. This particular operation was even more extraordinary

Riddle MacFee leaned her long body back against the couch, put her feet up on the coffee table, and watched the monitors closely. There were 8 of them on the table at the far end of the room. Each was a flat screen display operating from a row of Macintosh computers. From this room she could see the apartment house across the street, it's entrances, exits, windows, and into apartment 3-G itself, though only through the window. Riddle took a sip from her coke and growled silently. Riddle MacFee stood five feet eight inches tall. She was a large woman, but carried the mass well with large breasts and wide hips. Very little fat stayed on her body thanks to her daily workouts. Her dark skin stood her well in her work, allowing her to blend into shadows when needed. She was dressed in a pair of hip-hugger jeans, tie-died t-shirt and boots. With her hair cut short and died orange, Riddle looked very much like the burned out reto-60's wannabe hippie she was pretending to be.

But why pretend anything if she never goes anyplace, Riddle thought.

The 'she' Riddle was silently cursing was Penny Robinson, or at least that was the name she was using at the moment. Gladys Crump was a small-time con artist, a thief, or just about any criminal type that came to mind. As long as it wasn't honest work, she'd do it. Essentially harmless, Gladys had stepped up to the majors in a big way in the past year. Ten women, daughters, mistresses, wives, and mothers had vanished due to her, as had the evidence in three high-level criminal cases and the plans for an ultra-advanced gyroscope. Gladys was responsible, everyone seemed convinced of that, but no one knew how. When searched ,she had no evidence on her, when questioned, she and her new high-level thousand-dollar-an-hour lawyer was cool as ice.

Currently, she seemed to be lying low, having just picked up ten million dollars after the gyroscope's theft. They knew she had the money, the accountants had traced into the labyrinth of Swiss banks before loosing it, but the sliver of information they had gotten from the banks showed an increase in Gladys account. But if she had it she wasn't using it at the moment. Gladys had settled into the middle class Miami Beach hotel room and did nothing each day. She didn't even go to the beach. The F.B.I. wanted her for the missing women and the C.I.A. wanted her for the gyroscope. After much yelling and some vicious memos, Riddle had been assigned to work with an agent. The plan was simple, Riddle would get close to Gladys, learn how she was committing the crimes, and join her. Then Riddle's "partner" agent Lucinda Chambers would be there to nab her. That way both agencies could claim credit. Riddle was an undercover specialist who could become almost anyone. Lucinda was the agent who had last arrested Gladys for smuggling. A paperwork snafu had freed Gladys that time, but the manner of the arrest (Lucinda had dumped Gladys into a cargo hold full of freshly caught fish after Gladys had pulled Lucinda's bathing suit off on a crowded beach) had engendered a permanent feud between them. On paper it worked. In reality Riddle and Lucinda had clashed from day one and living together hadn't helped.

"Besides the plan won't work if Gladys just sits in there watching TV all day." Riddle cursed. For two weeks Glady's hadn't left her apartment. People came in, she took phone calls, and people left, but Gladys herself seemed immovable. Worse, the only surveillance they could do was the non-intrusive type. No bugs or phone tapping was allowed because they didn't really have any evidence.

The front door opened and Riddle's hand dropped to her gun though she knew whom it was. A glance confirmed that her partner and roommate had returned, her arms laden with groceries and a large box.

"Anything?" Lucinda asked putting the groceries down on the kitchen table. The apartment had a small kitchenette that opened into a living room and a single bedroom branched off from that. The paint was lime green and the furniture early 80s punk.

"Nothing." Riddle said. "What's in the box?"

"Genie in a bottle." Lucinda said. "Some kid at the market was giving them away as part of a TV-Land promotion."

She put the box down and pulled out a large Arabian style bottle. It was made of stained glass simulated plastic and had a small doll in a harem costume sitting inside.

"Nice." Riddle said. "Something else for you to hang your bra on."

"Don't start." Lucinda said going into the bedroom.

"We're not going to get anything on her if the computers get clogged up with roaches." Riddle called moving to put away the groceries. The first of the many fights the two had was Lucinda's slovenly habits. She thought nothing of leaving food out for days or using the floor as a hamper. The other habit was wearing next to nothing or nothing at all, something that bothered Riddle intensely. At times she suspected Lucinda was even coming on to her.

"This things a bust, we're not getting anything anyway." Lucinda called back walking back into the living room. Lucinda was a petite Asian doll with died long grey hair that was beginning to grow out black once more. A head shorter than Riddle she was just as professional, though to irritate the FBI agent she hid that part of herself. Though as old as Riddle, Lucinda tried to act as if they were teenagers on an extended sleep over. In part, this was because Lucinda thought Riddle needed lightening up. Her obsession with the minutiae of life grated on Lucinda to no end, as did Riddle's bossy attitude. Who cared if the top was left off of the toothpaste, they both had their own tubes. Lucinda wore a pair of jeans and a T-shirt with a lightning bolt on it. Flopping down on the couch she gave the monitors a quick look before picking up a comic book from a pile on the coffee table."

"So should we call Superman?" Riddle asked folding up the paper bags and putting them to one side.

"Batman deals with spies." Lucinda said sweetly. She kicked off her sneakers and let them fall behind the couch.

Somehow Riddle managed not to growl out loud.

"She knows we're over here." Riddle said walking over to the monitors.

"How?"

"I don't know. But if she doesn't know then what the hell is she doing?

"Dancing." Lucinda said gesturing at one of the monitors. On it Gladys could be seen through her window. She was wearing a black robe and dancing to some unheard music.

"I don't think she's wearing anything under that robe." Lucinda said adjusting the monitor view.

"Nope." Riddle said turning away.

"Well it is hot." Lucinda said pulling off her own T-shirt. Under it she wore a lacy white bra with the initials CIA stamped on both cups. Carelessly she tossed the T-shirt behind the couch.

"Most of your clothes end up behind this damn couch." Riddle said.

Lucinda shrugged.

"No they don't, you keep picking them up."

"I'm gonna take a shower." Riddle said standing up. "And I'm gonna lock the door this time."

Lucinda shrugged and went back to her comic book, though she kept an eye on Riddle as the woman entered the bathroom.

"Ohhh, nice butt." Lucinda whispered.

It was Friday. Later that night the two women preformed what had become a well-dreaded routine. Each called their supervisors and reported absolutely nothing. In Riddle's case, her boss was an overstuffed career hack who had a bad sense of humor. He could and did stretch a ten-minute call to a half-hour. This irritated Lucinda who then had to use her own cell phone, sacrificing her free minutes, or call her boss late. Both superiors responded by making sure the field agents knew that Glady's failure to do anything was their fault and that if the supervisors were back doing the field work they would have had the case wrapped up by now. The patronizing tone never failed to anger the two women and as usual they took that anger out on each other.

Once it was done Riddle ordered a pizza with mushroom/pineapple/banana topping from the pizza place next door. It was what she had been ordering every other day and she did so because just the sight of her eating it made Lucinda ill. She also made a point to ask Lucinda for tip money for the delivery boy a, handsome Cuban in his late teens, knowing that Lucinda would refuse. With the blame placed on Lucinda, the boy would go on his way with a resentful look on his face. For once, the boy didn't seem to mind though and Riddle was disappointed.

Lucinda retaliated by making herself a peanut butter sandwich in the kitchen, leaving the top off of the jar with the knife in it and the bread unsealed. Then she went to bed. From the bedroom came the sound of crickets as Lucinda turned the sound up on her effect machine. She used the machine to sleep and it never failed to exasperate Riddle. Growling Riddle turned on the TV and slumped onto the couch. She would watch the monitors from eight p.m. to two a.m. and Lucinda would take over from there.

The taste of cinnamon woke Riddle up. It called her from a light sleep filled with dreams of presidential commendations and talk show appearances. An instinct for danger that she'd gotten from 25 years in law enforcement snapped her awake instantly, but still not quickly enough to stop her from swallowing whatever had been put in her mouth. Riddle stood up grabbing her gun and looking around for her assailant. But there was no one there. Riddle looked around, licking her lips. As she stood up the Genie doll from the bottle fell from her lap onto the floor. Then it stood up and backed away from her.

"What..." Riddle asked wondering if she had been slipped an hallucinogen of some sort. Suddenly the world spun around and her gun slipped from her hand. If it made a sound as it fell, Riddle didn't hear it.

"Come here." She ordered the little doll. The doll ran and Riddle chased her. After a few minutes of Riddle stumbling around the apartment her body stopped listening to her. She fell flat on her face, her limbs were on fire but weren't burning, and her arms and legs twitched wildly but wouldn't respond to her commands. Her body seemed to be engulfed in flame. Wildly Riddle tore at her clothes. She tried to scream but all that came out was a choked gasped. For a few minutes Riddle lay in agony, then the pain subsided for a moment. Picking herself up Riddle stood and saw the doll near the couch. She started to go toward the doll only to have the pain return. Riddle pitched forward and fell onto the pile of comic books on the coffee table. Her body went limp and she hung over its side. Under the table she watched helplessly as the doll picked something up off the floor. Without a look at Riddle it headed toward the bedroom. Riddle strove with all her reserves of strength to do something. She failed. Bitterly she realized her mistake. She hadn't called for help when she woke up. She had let her dislike for Lucinda cloud her judgment. That knowledge followed her into the dark pit of pain that claimed her.

Clara Fallingtree eased through the crack in the door and looked around the room. It was not Clara's first time in the room. For weeks she had been sneaking into the apartment at night. Lucinda usually left the window open, and the screen was easy to push aside. After over a year of being 12 inches tall, the giant furniture no longer disturbed Clara. In fact the thing she found hard to adapt to now was wearing the genie costume. In her other life Clara would never have ever worn a flimsy purple harem outfit. That other Clara had preferred modest dresses or work clothes. Her black hair was growing long as well. She wore it now in a long loose ponytail.

Clara looked around the room, but there had been no changes from the last time she had been in it. The room had two beds separated by a nightstand. The beds were identical, low to the floor, wood frame models. The wood in each frame was chipped and scared from age, giving her ready-made hand and footholds as she climbed it. Once on the top of the bed she looked upon a large sea of blue fabric. Clara walked carefully along Lucinda's body until she stood on the woman's chest. Lucinda slept with the covers pulled up to her neck and a gun in her hand. But for all that she slept soundly, peacefully. Her face a pale mask of Asian beauty, she had no idea of the danger she was in. Buried deep within Clara was a small remnant of the person she had been. That part cried out for her to stop. Clara ignored that part as she had ignored it all the other times. She had her orders she served the Mistress. For Clara there was no other way of life. Clara carried two small vials with her. The mistress had been specific in her orders. The large black woman was to only get one drug. The delivery boy had put the first drug into the pizza. The Asian was to get two, since the Mistress knew she would not eat the pizza.

This was the most dangerous part of the operation. One miss-step and Lucinda might wake up. If she woke up Clara would have failed her mistress. Emotionally, Clara knew she wouldn't be able to live long after that. Clara walked carefully until she stood at the sleeping woman's neck. Then she quietly unscrewed the top of the vial. Putting her foot on Lucinda's chin for balance, Clara eased her lips open slightly and poured the contents of the vial into Lucinda's mouth. Lucinda moaned in her sleep and licked her lips but did not stir. Relieved Clara poured the contents of the second vial into the Lucinda's mouth. Then she replaced the caps and climbed down the bed. Behind her Clara could hear Lucinda moaning. Experience told Clara the moaning would get louder.

Climbing up to the windowsill by using the string from the shade Clara put the vials down and took off the top of her costume. Though only 12 inches tall, Clara Fallingtree was a beautiful woman. She had the copper skin of her Cherokee ancestors and a proud full body. Her breasts were large and firm. She pulled her top off without any embarrassment or hesitation. Nudity was the norm for Clara; she was only allowed clothes on operations like this. Clara had been many dolls during the past year.

Taking the two cups from her top, Clara mashed them together, rubbing hard until she felt heat. Then she dropped them out the window. A few seconds later they burst into flame briefly. That bit of signaling done, Clara turned and climbed back down to the floor. The mistress had given her a list of tasks to complete before the night was done.

It was nearly dawn when Clara was finished. Though she worked diligently, she was still doll sized in a full sized world. From every corner of the kitchen, bathroom, living room, and bedroom Clara retrieved all of the hidden cameras and microphones that she had planted. Though Riddle and Lucinda had not realized it, the Mistress had been watching them as they watched her. Only the Mistress had been doing a better job of it. Their phones had been tapped, their every movement recorded. The Mistress had laughed with glee as she had put photos of both women showering onto the Internet. It was virtually no trouble at all to put a mild sleeping drug into the pizza's they ordered.

Clara took all of the hidden bugs, put them into a plastic bag, and lowered them out the bedroom window into the alley. Then she went to work on the computers. Each hard drive was examined for information the Mistress might desire, then that information was sent out by email. Using Riddle and Lucinda's passwords, Clara went on a shopping spree through the secure servers of both the CIA and the FBI. She pulled and transferred megabytes of files only stopping when the screen went dark and the phone started to ring. Clara left the computers and headed toward the coffee table. She didn't have much time left.

Life was falling away from Riddle MacFee. Her life played before her like a movie, but the movie became dimmer as it played on. She saw herself as a teenager having a titanic struggle with her father. He was a radical, a former member of the Black Panthers, enraged that his daughter, a daughter he named after Jimmy Hoffa, was joining the FBI. Even through the fog that enveloped her Riddle felt the pain as they fought. She saw her early days at the bureau, endless days of tedium filing papers. Her big break, getting caught in a bank robbery and using her wits to catch the robbers. Her rise through the ranks. The reconciliation with her dying father.

But constantly through it all was the feeling that it was slipping away from her. That the passion for her work was something that she had once, had but had no longer. Riddle felt like the person who cleans up after the crowds are gone from the circus. She couldn't connect with that other person. That other Riddle MacFee who was 43 years old, unmarried but with many friends. She knew her of course, but she wasn't the same person any more.

The smell of pizza, stronger than ever, woke Riddle. She was lying on her stomach, nude. Opening her eyes Riddle looked at a gigantic piece of half-eaten pizza. Puzzled she blinked and became aware of the rest of her body. Someone was tying her up.

Riddle tried to move but her body was sluggish. She couldn't move her arms at all. They had been pulled behind her back and tied securely. The person who was doing it sat on her back. Twisting her head Riddle saw a woman in a harem costume. It was the doll from the night before. But somehow she had grown to full size. Her top was gone as well and a pair of breasts bounced as she moved.

The doll finished tying her arms and got off Riddle. Riddle took the opportunity to roll over. As she rolled the agent looked around. By the time she was on her back Riddle's mind was too stunned to do anything. She sat up, an involuntary motion demanded by her sense of reality. As the woman in the harem costume tied Riddle's ankles together Riddle realized what had happened.

She was in the pizza box on the coffee table. She could see the remote for the TV, but now it seemed as large as a couch. The comic books were full sized posters that mocked her with illustrations of the fantastic. She had been shrunk to the size of a doll.

Stunned beyond speaking, Riddle stared at the doll that was tying her up.

Lucinda Chambers rarely suffered nightmares so she was unprepared for this one. She lay adrift on a life raft of paper in a sea of flame. It scorched the flesh from her body leaving her nothing but bleached white bones. She tried in vain to steer the raft but there was nowhere to steer it too. There was no land on the horizon. Lightning racked her bones as Lucinda tried to create a sail from another piece of paper that floated by. She recognized the papers as family pictures. Her family, but somehow different. Was that disapproval she saw in their faces? Disappointment?

Suddenly a demon-fish arose from the waves. Dark skin it had, with red eyes aflame and teeth that shone like polished metal. Lucinda grabbed onto a lightning bolt that struck her fleshless body and tried to climb it, only to be swallowed by the fish. She fell down the creature's throat landing in an elevator. Horrible music battered at her as the elevator took her down further. When it opened, Lucinda found herself looking at a normal street in her hometown of San Francisco. She walked out of the elevator into her childhood. Lucinda hurried to school and was late. Everything was on fire. Rushing into the flaming building she was confronted by her eternal nemesis the gym teacher. He took her skull and told her to sit on the sidelines while the other children used it for dodge ball. The world became a hodgepodge of images as the other children threw her skull around. One of them threw it too hard and Lucinda felt her skull shatter as it hit the wall. The children crowded around her, trying to stick the skull back together like some jigsaw puzzle. Suddenly they parted and a woman in a harem costume walked through the crowd. She picked up the pieces of Lucinda's skull and crushed them together like clay. Lucinda would have screamed if she had been able to. It was the worst of all headaches as her skull was compacted and re-shaped. When it was over the woman held up Lucinda's skull, but it was now a small skull. One of the girls handed the woman a Barbie doll. The woman tore its head off and placed Lucinda's shrunken skull onto the doll's body. There were cheers all around and Lucinda looked at her new body. Then one of the boys grabbed it and tossed it high into the air. Lucinda saw the floor rushing to meet her. When she hit the floor Lucinda woke up.

The world hadn't changed. Lucinda realized that instantly. She was the one who had changed. She had been shrunk. There was no panic in the realization, no fear that she might now be vulnerable. The knowledge hit Lucinda with all the weight of a feather thrown against a wall. She stood up gazing at the room. She had lost something besides her size Lucinda realized. She wasn't sure what it was, but it was gone. She decided to ask Riddle what it was.

Walking across the bed was like walking on wet sponges. She reached the edge and climbed down. The rug felt like a field of rye grass. It hit Lucinda suddenly that she was completely nude. Again the knowledge didn't bother her much.

The living room was empty. Puzzled Lucinda looked around. Then she heard a cry from the top of the coffee table. She climbed onto the couch, digging her toes into the rough fabric and looked across. In the middle of the table was the pizza box. Riddle was laying on her back, as small and nude as Lucinda was. Bending over her and tying her legs together was the Genie doll from the bottle. A small pile of ropes lay coiled at her feet.

Some part of Lucinda that was still and agent knew what to do. Moving on instinct she leapt to the table. Landing quietly she crept over to the Genie and Riddle. Just as the Genie was through with Riddle's legs Lucinda struck. A single quick thrust to the neck was all it took for the Genie to go down. Lucinda followed her thrust with a full blow to the belly to further incapacitate her opponent. Finally she slammed her elbow against the Genie's head. The Genie slumped down unconscious. Lucinda looked at her, the doll did not look even remotely Arabic. Her top was gone as well and Lucinda found herself staring at the breasts. Shaking her head she turned to Riddle.

"You too?" Riddle asked.

"I guess so." Lucinda said as if they were talking about the weather. "I wonder how she did it?"

"I don't..."

Riddle didn't finish her sentence and Lucinda realized why a split second later. She saw the string as it came down over her head. It tightened around her throat even as she was pulled off of her feet and twisted to her stomach on the tabletop. The Genie sat on her back. Lucinda had no chance of pulling the rope free and her attacker was too heavy to throw off. She struggled until blackness claimed her.

Riddle squirmed in frustration as Lucinda was tied up. She knew the Asian and, though it was a stereotype to say so, Lucinda was a martial arts expert. The blows she had given the Genie should have put her out for days. What were they dealing with here?

"Who are you?" Riddle demanded as the Genie tied Lucinda's legs together.

"I am who you are, who you will be." The Genie said. She took another string from the pile she wrapped it around Lucinda's head, pressing it into her mouth and gagging the woman.

"You're working for Gladys right?" Riddle demanded, her training telling her to keep the Genie talking.

"I serve the Mistress as you will." The Genie said walking over to her with another string.

Riddle tried to twist and turn her head away ,but it was no use. The string was passed around her head and forced into her mouth. Then the Genie rolled Riddle onto her stomach. Riddle strained her muscles in vain as her wrist and ankles were pulled together into a hog tie. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Lucinda being tied up the same way. Lucinda was awake but helpless.

Once the women were securely tied, the Genie dragged them over to the edge of the table and pushed them off. Riddle and Lucinda screamed through their gags, but landed softly enough not to be hurt. The Genie leapt down beside them carrying a pencil. Putting herself between them she stuck either end of the pencil under their tied wrist and ankles and then with a grunt lifted them off the floor. Slowly she staggered into the bedroom and over to the window.

Putting the captives down, the Genie tied a string to the pencil and then, still holding it, climbed up to the windowsill. Bracing herself ,she pulled and slowly Riddle and Lucinda were brought up to the sill as well.

We're three stories up, Riddle thought as the Genie took a moment to rest. She doesn't have enough string to get us down.

Sirens in the distance made Riddle and Lucinda's heads move in unison. Rescue, even if they were shrunk, seemed possible. Though a match for the two of them, there was no way the Genie could battle fully-grown people.

If the Genie heard the sirens she wasn't worried about them. After a moment the women saw why. The colorful logo of the Shrink Cola company appeared in the window. It revealed itself as the model Zeppelin rose into view. The Genie made a hand signal too it and the zeppelin sank bellow the level of the windowsill again. It hovered there silently as the Genie lept off of the windowsill. Riddle tensed, the Genie was still holding the strings that lead to her and Lucinda. She watched as the Genie sailed through the air and landed on top of the zeppelin. Then she climbed out of sight. After a few moments the zeppelin rose.

There had been times in their lives when Riddle and Lucinda had cursed themselves as fools. This was one of those times. The advertising zeppelin had been circling their neighborhood for nearly a week now. Two feet long, it advertised the reducing aspects of Shrink Cola. Both Riddle and Lucinda had thought it was just another diet drink.

They watched as the blue behemoth rose. On the underside between the two small carriage houses was a single seat with the Genie at the controls. When the zeppelin was just above the window she operated one of the controls. Riddle watched two winches on either side of the woman turn and slowly she and Lucinda were pulled off of the sill and into the air. They dangled on either side of the great blue thing, rotating at the whim of the wind like the pieces of a child's mobile.

As the ship rose into the air and its propellers started to turn, Riddle heard the sound of the apartments front door being kicked in. The airship moved slowly up and turned away from the street. Riddle and Lucinda spun slowly around, seeing the crowd of police cars surrounding their building. No one looked up.

The air ship stuck close to the building until it reached the roof. Then it moved quickly until it came to rest behind the large satellite dish. Tucked into the shade near the mount zeppelin was hard to see even if someone had been looking for it.

The day was a long, hot one for the shrunken captives. Their arms and legs ached from the hogtie position they had been forced into. The air was hot and humid and both captives sweated heavily. Insects, incredibly large and threatening hovered nearby. For the most part the Genie beat them off with a long pole with a small electrode on the end. But one dragonfly was particularly persistent. It seemed determined to get to Riddle and while the Genie beat it back a wasp buzzed around Lucinda. Once both insects were taken care of a pigeon decided to land on the top of the airship. To force it off the Genie took the ship out of the shade and landed it on the roof. The hot gravel and tar burned the captives skin as they landed and Riddle screamed through her gag as a large black ant scuttled toward her. Only the fact that pressure was taken off of their arms and legs made the burning endurable. But more ants came, red and black ones, and more pigeons.

Riddle and Lucinda both suddenly had a vision of what their lives were going to be like. They had been moved down the food chain by a factor of ten. As the Genie protected them from all comers, both women began to see captivity as safety. It was a thought both tried to deny but could not.

With the pigeon shooed away the Genie took them to the air once more, this time moving them to the next building and beside a spinning air vent. The smell of fresh pizza mocked Riddle. They could see the other building and their hearts ached when police came up to the roof to search it. The police never saw them. For the rest of the day the airship hovered beside the vent. The Genie was in shade but Riddle and Lucinda were not and the sun burned their skins.

When night fell, the airship moved, rising above the rooftops it headed west. Still bound Riddle and Lucinda suffered in silence, nearly unconscious from the heat of the day and the twisting of their bodies. They flew for about an hour. When they started to descend Riddle roused herself out of her stupor to see a colorful sign. On the sign a multicolored bird in a cage seemed to stare at her. Under the bird were the words "The Ultra-Exotic Pet Boutique".

The airship moved behind the sign and toward an air conditioning vent. The vent door opened and the ship moved in. Once inside the vent door closed. The ship descended. In each corner of the vent, blinking LED's followed it down. They started as red, changed to orange and finally white. When they were white part of the wall fell away revealing a large room. The Genie guided the ship into the room and set it down in the center of a circle of blinking amber LEDs.

The room was well organized. A bank of 4 computers stood at one wall, next to them was a worktable. Above the table was a world map with clocks noting the times in all time zones. The far wall was a wall of cages. Some of the cages weren't empty and held shrunken women. Web cams were placed on holders infront of the cages. There were no shadows on the floor thanks to the ten floor lamps spaced carefully around the room. The table with the landing pad was in the center of the room. Riddle looked around as much as she was able to but could see no door or stairs. The Genie set the craft onto a holder, waited for spring-loaded clamps to hold it and then shut the engines down. Getting out she stretched and then untied Lucinda. The CIA agent groaned as she was released but after a day in a hogtie it was all she could do to move her limbs. The Genie lifted her up easily and carried her over to a cross on the edge of the table. There were at least five crosses set in a row. Lucinda tried to push away but it was useless. The Genie sat her down at the foot of one of the crosses and then tied each wrist to either end. Then she came and untied Riddle. With all her strength Riddle fought and twisted, but she might as well have been fighting a robot. No blow she could land had any effect. She was brought to the cross next to Lucinda and secured there. The only bright spot was that the strings had been removed from their mouths.

"Lucinda." Riddle called.

"I'm here." Lucinda replied turning to look at her. "What the hell have we gotten into?"

"Nothing good." Riddle said.

Suddenly a part of the wall opened up revealing a set of stairs. A teenager stepped into the room. He was heavily pierced with a bald skull covered in satanic and astrological symbols. He wore a dark roman-styled tunic that fell to his knees and was belted at the waist, a pair of black boots and nothing else. Riddle had never seen a person with so much metal on them. His nose, eyebrows, ears and chin were filled with chrome and diamond studs.

"Rise and shine pets." He called out picking up something from the floor. "Feeding time."

Riddle and Lucinda watched as the teenager went to each cage, opened it and put in a small tray of food and water. The occupant of each cage stood to one side as he took away a small tray of sand, emptied it, cleaned and refilled it and then replaced it. Riddle watched the women in the cages carefully. There were seven in all, all young looking and all naked. Each stood perfectly still until he had cleaned all their cages and then closed the doors.

"Thank you servant of the Mistress." They all chorused. Then they ate. The sight of them tearing into the food without a thought or care for the way they looked chilled Riddle.

"Hail servant of the Mistress." The Genie said as he came over to the table.

"Hail to you, First Pet Clara." He replied bending down so that he was eye level with the table. He looked at the two captives. Riddle and Lucinda pulled their legs up and tried not to look at him, but it was hard. They each saw distorted reflections of themselves in the various metal studs on his face.

"You did well." He said taking each of Riddles legs in his hands. She screamed as he forced them apart. "The information you forwarded from the government databases has already enriched our Mistress."

"Thank you Metal." Clara said. "Your burning bra worked perfectly."

"That is good." Metal said. Holding her legs apart he poked at Riddle's pussy with his fingers.

"Stop that you son-of-a..." Riddle started to shout only to have Clara put her hand over her mouth. She struggled and cursed as Metal rubbed his fingers over her body and Clara wrapped string around her mouth.

"The Mistress will not be here until tomorrow." Metal said leaving Riddle and turning to Lucinda. "She commanded that this one be dealt with specially."

"Yes." Clara said untying Lucinda. Once she was free Lucinda slammed a side kick into Clara's head. Clara went down but the shrunken woman was grabbed by Metal.

"Let me go!" Lucinda screeched squirming for all she was worth.

Metal put Lucinda into a Mason jar and screwed the lid tight. Riddle was relieved to see holes in the top of the jar. Then he put the jar down on the table and went over to an aquarium Riddle hadn't noticed before. He wheeled it over to the table and Riddle's eyes went wide as she saw the squid in it. Though normal sized it looked as large as an elephant to her. Grey/green and slimy it's tentacles twitched in the water. Picking up the Mason jar with Lucinda in it, Metal put it into the tank. The squid immediately charged the jar and wrapped its tentacles around it. Riddle saw Lucinda scream and huddle in the center of the jar. The top of the jar was just an inch above the water line. She looked up when Metal tapped on the lid.

"This squid hasn't been fed in a while." He said. Taking a strangely shaped black dice from his pocket he put it on the table. "My Mistress has commanded that every two hours I will roll the dice. If a certain number comes up I am to feed you to the squid."

He turned back to Clara.

"Are you injured First Pet?"

"No, I'm alright." Clara said. She stood and took off her harem pants handing them to him. He took them, ignoring her nudity and walked over to a cabinet. He opened the door and Riddle saw row after row of miniature costumes on it. Metal hung the pants on a peg and then walked back to Clara. He held out his palm and Clara stepped onto it.

"I have prepared your cage and as a reward from the Mistress have put a chocolate kiss in it."

"Thank you Metal." Clara said.

They talked more but Riddle barely heard them. Her eyes kept shifting from the dice on the table to the squid in the tank.

What the hell had they gotten into?

When Gladys Crump walked into the room the next day Riddle, Lucinda got a glimpse of what they had stumbled into. Gladys was a tall woman with pale skin and large breast. Her hair could be virtually any color depending upon the scam she was running at the time. It was now pure white. Her skin was purple, darker than Riddle's. Her eyes were silver. She wore a dark red robe with a gold belt, and on her head was a gold and silver crown filled with jewels. Her hair parted slightly as she walked and Riddle saw the tips of her pointed ears. The reaction as she walked into the room was telling. Even Riddle, who knew it had to be makeup wasn't immune to the wave of fear that swept through the room. The women in the cages stopped whatever they were doing and stood at attention, looks terror on their faces. Gladys stopped and looked at each of them, her face betraying nothing. Then she walked over to Riddle. Behind her, almost un-noticeable, walked Metal. Riddle was tired and hungry, her arms ached from being tied above her head for so long.

"So tiny. So perfect." Gladys said in an accent Riddle couldn't place. It sounded vaguely Germanic, but softer at the consonants. She turned and looked into the aquarium. Lucinda hadn't moved in hours as far as Riddle could tell. At regular intervals Metal had come into the room, pulled the Mason jar out of the water and rolled the dice. Each roll of the dice had terrified Riddle, and her fear hadn't gone away when Metal put the Mason jar back into the water. The octopus always attacked the glass. Finally Lucinda stopped reacting. She huddled in the center of the jar in a fetal position and refused to move.

"Lucky Lucinda." Gladys said drumming her fingers on top of the jar. She picked it out of the water and set it on the table. Inside Lucinda was kneeling. Unscrewing the top Gladys reached in and took hold of Lucinda's legs. She pulled the shrunken woman upside-down out of the jar and put her on the table.

"Gladys!" Lucinda whispered. In the next second she jumped back as Gladys' slapped her palm down on the table next to Lucinda. The sound was like a thunderclap and the force of the impact knocked Lucinda flat.

"My name is Melandria." Gladys said coldly. "I am Melandria Painsworth of the house of Painsworth, eighth house of Menzoberezan. You will address me as Mistress Melandria when I allow you to speak."

Riddle shivered at the words and the way they were spoken. It was all an act, her mind told her that, but the words still struck a cord in her. Lucinda trembled slightly but from somewhere dug up courage enough to speak.

"You're no drow." She said.

"YOU DARE!" Melandria screamed causing a chill to run down Riddle's spine. She watched as Melandria picked Lucinda up and held her in one hand. Holding her helpless with one hand Melandria brought the other hand against Lucinda's bare butt. The spanks reverberated around the room and Riddle could hear the other shrunken women scream with fear.

Like a doll Lucinda squirmed and struggled in Melandria's grip. Her arms were free and she beat them uselessly against the hand that held her. She tried to pull herself free but found that was even more futile.

"You must obey me." Melandria announced coldly stopping for a moment. Lucinda started to sag in relieve only to have the spanking start up once more.

Smack after smack echoed in the room until Lucinda could do nothing more than hang limply in Melandria's hand and sob.

"You will obey me in all things." Melandria said carrying Lucinda over to the fish tank. Lucinda screamed as Melandria started to lower her into the water. At the last moment Melandria pulled her back up and with an almost careless gesture tossed Lucinda back onto the table. Lucinda lay there crying.

Melandria turned back to Riddle and the agent realized that she no longer thought of the woman as Gladys. This close Riddle could see that the silver eyes were contact lenses, but that didn't diminish the pressure she felt when those eyes held hers. She swallowed in fear and had to look away.

"Put this one in a cage." Melandria said. "I will deal with her later."

"Yes Mistress." Metal said.

Riddle didn't protest this time when, after he untied her, Metal ran his fingers all over her body. He took her over to one of the cages and placed her into it. The smell of food and water (and how was she able to smell water Riddle wondered?) revived her somewhat. Metal closed the door and locked it. From a pocket in his tunic he produced a small spray bottle. He sprayed Riddle and the shrunken woman had only an instant to recognize the smell of ether before she was asleep.

Lucinda Chambers had never felt like this. She was an agent of the CIA, with over 20 years experience with terrorist, drug dealers, spies, and killers. But try as she might, Lucinda couldn't bring any of that to mind. All that was in her mind was the fact that Mistress Melandria was displeased with her. She couldn't even bring herself to think of her as Gladys anymore. Lucinda couldn't stop herself from crying either and the sting in her ass wouldn't fade.

"Stand up." Melandria ordered.

Riddle didn't move. Running through her mind was the childish thought that Melandria would go away if she didn't pay attention. The sound of the palm slamming down on the tabletop shocked Lucinda enough to get her moving. She jumped up and faced Melandria. A cold smile was on the dark face, a smile of malice and promised pain. Her eyes caught Lucinda's and held them.

There were no words spoken but Lucinda could feel a growing pressure. Her universe seemed to shrink until it was just those large silver orbs. Lucinda suddenly started to feel her knees bend. She fought it, knowing that if she knelt now she'd be kneeling forever. But the weight of Melandria's mind pressed upon hers. It was a larger, more powerful mind than she had. Lucinda knew that, but she had no idea how she knew.

Melandria reached over with her hands and began to run her fingertips softly over Lucinda's body. Lucinda's body was slim. Her breasts had small brown nipples. Her penchant for ultra-small bathing suits forced her to keep her pubic hair shaved. Lucinda was gay, but had hid that fact all her life. It would have been a death knell for her career. She was discrete with her lovers and had found few that could satisfy her.

As she felt the first stirrings of lust in her small body Lucinda realized that Mistress Melandria could satisfy her. The knowledge pounded at what was left of the agent's defiance. Mistress Melandria ran her fingertips over Lucinda's nipples, just barely touching them. Energy seemed to crackle off of Melandria's fingertips and Lucinda's body shuddered under the erotic onslaught. When flesh actually touched flesh Lucinda nearly passed out. Her breasts were pushed in and out and rubbed in a circular passion that formed some intricate design.

A magical spell.

Lucinda's eyes went wide with shock and her mouth dropped open. She started to lift her arms but a slight shift in Melandria's eyes held her still. The giantess moved one finger between Lucinda's legs and slowly forced them apart. She ran her finger up and down the shrunken woman's legs, using her finger and then the fingernail. Melandria kept moving her finger ever higher until she reached Lucinda's pussy. Soon Lucinda was balancing precariously on her toes as the other woman rubbed her finger onto and nearly into her body. It became wet instantly. Melandria pressed just hard enough to press inward just enough to reach Lucinda's clitoris.

For the first time Lucinda was able to moan. Her body trembled and her mind reeled under the assault, but Melandria's silver eyes held her in place. The rubbing became harder and faster and sweat stung Lucinda's eyes. When Lucinda started to come Mistress Melandria pulled back slightly and started to mouth words. Almost unable to believe what she was doing Lucinda found herself mouthing those same words. After a few minutes she found a voice for them.

"You are my mistress." Lucinda said, following Melandria's mouth. "I must serve you."

She kept saying the words over and over again as Melandria used her little finger to push past the intimate lips between her legs. She found Lucinda's key, the small pink cluster of pleasure that the agent had successfully hid from many an attacker and not a few lovers. Lucinda loved and hated that part of her body and the way it took away all of her self-control. Melandria trapped it on the edge of her finger between the fingernail and the skin.

Lucinda reached orgasm, her eyes never leaving Melandria's and her voice never stopping the phrase that was being riveted into her mind.

Before she realized the battle was over, Lucinda was on her knees before Mistress Melandria. And as she knelt there Lucinda realized she'd never truly stand on her own again.

Riddle wearily viewed her new home. The cage was two feet high and wide with a cloth for a bed. Toward the back was a tray filled with sand. Two small metal bowls held food and water. The food was Tender Vittles. On the cage to her right the Genie slept. On her left was a woman with long blonde hair that went down to her knees. She sat on her cloth and ate quietly.

A scream made Riddle look up. Melandria had placed a rat down on the table and was letting it chase Lucinda.

"The Mistress will not let her die." The Genie whispered.

"What?" Riddle asked looking at her. Pale tied black eyes looked back at her with a despair Riddle had never seen before.

"She will let you die, but not that one. That one committed some wrong against the Mistress. She craves vengeance."

"Who are you?" Riddle asked.

"I am the First Pet."

"Who were you?"

"I was Clara Fallingtree." She sighed and stood up walking over to bars that separated them. "She might let you live if you're of use to her."

"Or she might sell you." Said the woman on the other side of Riddle. "She sold me yesterday."

"Who are you?"

"I used to be Morgan Fairman." She said. "My names is Rupuzel now."

"Golden hair, I get it." Riddle said. "But, the movie star? You're older than I am."

"Older than you were." Clara said. "Do you think shrinking is the only thing that has happened to your body?"

"Mistress." Metals' voice caused them all to look up. Riddle wondered how he had managed to sneak up on them. "Talking in the cages."

"I expected as much." Melandria said. "Bring the new pet and the First Pet to me."

Riddle didn't bother fighting as her cage was opened and she was pulled out. The trip to the table was dizzying and it was hard to hold down panic. Metal put both Clara and her down on the table.

"Very good Metal." Melandria said. "Now go and finish Rapunzels tower."

"Yes Mistress." He said. Riddle looked over to the worktable and saw a half finished medieval tower built to scale.

"Lucinda come here."

Riddle was shocked when Lucinda walked over to Melandria from the edge of the table. The self-assured, almost cocky agent that she knew wasn't there anymore. Lucinda walked as if she was walking on cut glass. She knelt in front of Melandria.

"Yes Mistress Melandria."

From her sleeve Melandria produced a small glass vial filled with an amber liquid.

"I want Riddle to drink this. Beat her into submission and force it down her throat."

"Yes Mistress Melandria."

Shock gave Lucinda a few more seconds than it should have to launch her attack. The sidekick caught Riddle on the side of her head and knocked her down. Riddle rolled away and started to come up only to have Lucinda follow up her first kick with another to the chest.

"Metal." Melandria called. "Get a web cam on this fight."

The sound of Melandria's voice took Lucinda's attention away from the fight for a moment. Riddle took advantage of the distraction. She rose and drove her fist into Lucinda's stomach then swept her off of her feet as Lucinda bent double.

As she had countless times before making an arrest Riddle twisted Lucinda's wrist behind her back and sat on her. But she had no handcuffs and Lucinda was far from beaten. Her leg came up at an impossible angle and hit Riddle between the shoulder blades. Riddle was pushed forward and Lucinda was on her feet again.

Riddle didn't bother trying to talk to her former colleague. The look in Lucinda's eye was the same as the look in Rupunzel's and Clara's. Total despair combined with fear. Instead she knew her only hope was to beat Lucinda and hope for luck afterward.

Lucinda moved in almost to quickly to see and jabbed at Riddles throat with one hand. Riddle blocked that blow only to have Lucinda'a other hand hit hard on her breast with a stinging blow. Lucinda was suddenly a blur of motion as she landed blow after blow on Riddle. In desperation Riddle tackled the Asian and took them both to the ground.

It was almost a cliche as they fought, wrestling against karate. It was an even fight as well, for while Riddle wasn't as skilled as Lucinda she had height and weight on her side. They had been shrunk to their relative sizes and that gave Riddle an advantage. She was a head taller and at least a few grams heavier.

But Lucinda was more determined. All it took was a look at Melandria for Lucinda to find some inner reserve of strength. It was strength born of fear but strength non-the-less. As long as Riddle could keep Lucinda on the ground she put her in a wrestling hold, but not for long. And try as she might Riddle could not land a finishing blow on the other woman.

Gradually the fight wore Riddle down. It wore down Lucinda as well and at last both women faced each other barely able to stand. Sweat poured off of their bodies and Lucinda's pale skin was covered in bruises.

"You will beat her pet." Melandria ordered. "NOW!"

Riddle braced herself for the attack she knew would come after Melandria's shouted order. But it was the end of the fight. Moving faster than she should have been able to, Lucinda drove her foot into Riddle's vagina and then into her stomach and finally into her chest. The blows had come within one second of each other and Riddle buckled gasping for air. Lucinda followed up by grabbing Riddle's ankles and pulling back hard. Riddle pitched forward onto her face. Lucinda leapt up and came down with all her weight onto Riddle's shoulder blades driving her into the tabletop. She did it again and again until Riddle lay motionless.

Riddle couldn't get any air into her lungs. Her limbs felt like jelly as Lucinda turned her over and forced her to sit up. Clara brought over the vial and Lucinda grabbed Riddle's forehead and pulled it back, bracing her knee into the back of Riddle's neck. Too stunned to resist Riddle swallowed as Clara poured the potion into her mouth. She recognized the taste of vanilla. Then her soul fell into a deep dark hole.

The alarm in front of Riddle was the most sophisticated on the market. A large panel filled with electronics that were state of the art and hideously complicated. Had anyone opened the door to the panel, it would have set off the alarms instantly. But Riddle and Lucinda had just used a Metal-designed solvent on the top of the casing and made a hole big enough for themselves. Now they stood looking at the small rectangular black IC's and began to work. Slim wires were connected from one lead to the next, forming a hole in the network of sensors. Clara would be able to use that hole to steal the gems.

That part of Riddle and Lucinda that could still think of such things had realized that the Mistress had not taken them for vengeance. As Melandria's reputation grew, she had been called upon to steal things from places with ever-higher levels of security. Clara faced alarm systems that even a 12inch tall person could not get past. Melandria had needed people who knew alarms systems and how to defeat them. And who better than agents of the very law enforcement agencies who helped set up those alarms systems.

As Riddle made a hole in the system, Lucinda unslung the pack from her back and began setting the bomb. It would destroy the panel and a good portion of the wall. By then off course they would be far away.

...End.