The Dangers of Daring Officer Dolly

Chapter 23. Crashing the Auction

by Skytower 

There were many advantages to being rich. Some of those advantages were obvious and meant for display. A large mansion, a car that seemed to be made for royalty, clothing that sometimes cost as much as a reasonably priced house; all of those were made for show. But there were some advantages that were private. Simone Stronghollow had been schooled in Europe, in boarding schools for the exclusively rich. Money alone did not get you into those schools. It took money and family history. And once you were in the courses officially taught were often the least of your education.

Merry stirred in her sleep and pulled against her bonds. Simone watched her lover as the sun rose and light filled the room. Merry McCormick was a tall, broad woman with skin drawn tightly over muscle. Her blonde hair had fallen away from a heroine's face. She had a strong jaw and full lips under a well-shaped nose. Her eyes when they were open were blue. Merry's wrists were bound to the bedpost by bungee cords, keeping her arms over her head. That caused her breasts to be fully on display and Simone marveled at the sight. Merry had a large pair of breasts with extra large nipples on them. They were magnificent. Her pubic hair had just started to grow back but it was blonde and silken when it was there. Simone knew that it irritated Merry when her pubic hair was gone, since it itched when it started to grow back. Simone felt her own red bush, just a shade darker than her bright red hair. She didn't like shaving it either. But a plant had torn out Merry's pubic hair. Simone shuddered as she remembered the cold way Merry had talked about it. It had been the fourth night that she and Merry had shared a bed. Merry had described her adventures with the superhero group Force Group J in a steady tone, as if she were talking about things that had happened to someone else. What she had gone through horrified Simone.

That night had also been when Simone had decided that until Merry learned some control safeguards were in order.

Simone smiled as she remembered the look on Merry's face when Simone had shown her the bondage cuffs. She had waited until they were just about to go to bed. The cuffs were black; fur lined and had bungee cords long enough to reach to the top post of the bed.

"Simone I'm just getting used to us…" Merry had protested.

"Yes but I'm not getting used to waking up every morning with an aching body." Simone said.

"I know I'm a little clumsy…" Merry started. "Merry I'm not a pretzel and we're not wrestling." Simone interrupted her.

"But you liked it… Didn't you?" Merry asked. "I mean you shout as loud as I do."

"In pain dear."

"Oh. But you said to be careful and I've been careful. Haven't I?"

"Until you get exited."

"Oh." Merry shrugged in helpless anxiety.

"No offense dear but, as one of my school girl teachers used to say, you make love like a man."

Simone's smile turned reflective as she remembered Merry's absolute puzzlement at the remark. In her private school days Simone had been taught her love making skills by her fellow students. It was one of the private privileges of wealth. One of them, Anna Blight, had been a confirmed man-hater. If any girl made love to her the wrong way Anna would always say that they were making love like a man.

Simone hadn't understood completely what that could mean until the first night she and Merry had made love. Simone reached Merry's jaw when they stood side by side. She was in good shape, but nowhere near Merry's league in strength. And Merry made love like she did everything else: with full power. Simone had realized that Merry had two settings in life, full on or full off. She made love with the kind of desperate enthusiasm that Simone-who had been taught that sex was a slow blissful experience-had only guessed was possible. Simone had made love to multiple partners and not encountered the raw energy that Merry produced. But it was an energy that wasn't controlled. Not one bit. So if Merry wanted to reach more of Simone's body she pulled and tugged or wrenched Simone's limbs, not hearing or miss-understanding the cries such moves pulled out of her partner. Simone had tried talking to her, had tried guiding her, but in the end Merry's passion always took over. Merry was simply too anxious, too impatient for the kind of drawn out technique that Simone excelled at. A technique Simone was sure Merry would come to love once she got used to it.

"I'm not bad." Merry protested.

"Merry you make love to me like you're going to be late for an appointment and we have to finish in a hurry." Simone said gently. "You're not a bad lover, you just need to slow down a bit."

Simone had held her patience as Merry's face went from wearing a sulking expression, to a worried expression and then back to a sulking expression. Her eyes and her mouth were the key to what Merry was thinking. When she was sulking the eyes looked away from Simone and the mouth pursed tightly. When she was worried her eyes darted about and she licked her lips. After a minute Merry looked at her with an expression that Simone had come to recognize as Merry feeling guilty. Merry's eyes grew a bit wider and her whole body tensed, as if expecting some massive punishment.

"But if I'm tied up…"

"Trust me." Simone said.

Merry had sighed and agreed.

It had worked. The cords were long enough to allow Merry to used her arms and her body, but with a lot less ferocity. When Merry had tried to bend Simone's legs too far backward-bending her lovers spine in the process-to get her tongue further in Simone had been able to push back hard enough for Merry to get the message.

It is working, Simone thought. It wasn't so much the bondage itself but the fact that Merry knew it was necessary.

Of course Merry still lost control now and then. Simone tenderly rubbed her sore nipple. Simone's breasts weren't as large as Merry's but her nipples were dark red and pointed. In her zeal to get as much of them into her mouth as she could Merry sometimes forgot not to bite.

Simone lay back and stretched and then groaned softly. At least her arms don’t pull my legs out of their sockets, she thought. Goddess I might have to go for the legs next. Merry had wanted to kiss her and had wrapped her legs around Simone's stomach and lifted her up so that she could. Merry lay flat on her back her arms above her head. Her legs around Simone's body she held the other woman above her and angled Simone's body so that they could kiss. The leg scissors hold had left Simone breathless and Merry had held her in that position for a good long while, kissing her mouth and then her neck. Simone had tried to balance herself with her hands but Merry had not let up on the hold. When she had finally let her back down Simone's ribs were sore.

Simone glanced at the bedpost. The wood was solid oak but the cords were starting to mark them.

"I'm simply going to have to order better equipment." Simone whispered. "Or a new bed." She sighed and stood up.

"You're not going to leave me here are you?" Merry asked.

"I was just going to get some breakfast and feed you." Simone said smiling.

Merry laughed and Simone's heart soared at that laugh. She had known Merry for months before the woman had even smiled.

{We hate to interrupt.}

The smile died on Merry's face. The communication was mental. The words appeared in her mind at the same time they appeared in Simone's.

{But there are things we must discuss, and Officer Dolly has a job.}

"Where do you want us?" Merry asked. Her body had gone stiff and her manner so deadly serious that Simone would never have guessed the woman had any emotions at all.

{Our place. Quickly.}

Simone reached over and started to un-strap Merry's wrist.

"Looks like you'll have to sleep alone for a while." Merry said sitting up as Simone released her wrist.

"Boring but restful dear." Simone said hiding her fear with a smile. "Boring but restful."

The living room of Pennytorch Mansion had been remodeled a few times since Merry had first seen it. That day had been the first time The Group had shrunk her. The first day of her enslavement. Back then and for a while afterward she had served them out of fear, now she served them out of… Merry wasn't sure. She didn't like to examine her own motivations too closely. It was enough that they were in charge and that they were worthy of being in charge. The Group was brilliant, with a grasp of science and the world that Merry could never hope to match. They wanted to rule the world and make it a better place. In her deepest heart Merry sometimes thought of them as gods.

Individually they were not an obvious choice for world rulers. Deborah and Delilah Pennytorch were twins nearly as tall as Merry. They were slim with hair that changed color when they wished. Right now it was blonde and worn down to their waists. Their faces were sculpted in the manor of the aristocracy, with arched eyebrows, sharp noses and small mouths. The eyes were the only true way to tell Deborah and Delilah apart. Deborah's eyes were a little less intense, a little less threatening then her sisters were. They sat on either end of a Victorian couch as Merry and Simone walked in. Both sisters were wearing Edwardian dresses. Long gowns that were belted under their breast. Deborah's was patterned with roses, Delilah's with thorns.

The room was modeled after the style of an English country manor. Dark wood paneled the walls and large beams with gold lace graced the ceiling. Set into the far wall was a fireplace. Above it was a portrait of Queen Elizabeth the first. In front of the couch was a large round glass table. On the other side of the table there were two over stuffed Victorian comforter chairs. Behind the couch stood Tremont Coach and Molly Dolemont. Tremont was the twins' cousin. He was no taller than Simone and had a thin wiry body. His hair was black and slicked back against his head. He wore a white T-shirt and jeans. Merry was never really sure what color his eyes were. She didn't care to look at them long enough to find out. There was a creepy feeling around Tremont. A scary feeling. It was easier to look at Molly. Molly was a little shorter than Tremont. She wasn't fat, but her body was wide. Her dirty blond hair was cut into a bob with bangs across her forehead. Gray eyes looked out from a round face that looked far younger than it was. She was wearing a lab coat thrown over a gold jumpsuit.

"Sit down." Delilah said indicating the chairs.

Merry sat and so did Simone. Merry had dressed quickly, pulling on a blue T-Shirt and jeans. No underwear or bra. Experience had taught Merry that when she had a job to do either they would give her special clothing or she would wear nothing at all. She was glad that she had the next few days off. Merry had become very creative in her excuses for being away from work when The Group needed her, but she was constantly worried that someone would question them. Simone had pulled on a floral wrap-around dress. It was a short walk from the Stronghollow estate to the Pennytorch estate. They had walked quickly and hadn't spoken. Merry was gearing herself up, preparing herself for whatever was to come. She guessed that Simone knew that and she had stayed silent. Merry had realized only a short time ago that Simone could guess her moods, could in fact read her like an open book. They had become very close in the past few weeks, not just sexually but emotionally as well. Merry wasn't ready to call it love yet. She wasn't sure what it was, but she did know that every time she was with Simone she felt lighter, more contented. She could talk, even about The Group. She even enjoyed hearing about Simone's daily troubles in Dollopolis. And Merry had discovered that once she gave herself over to it, sex with a woman was just as good as any she had ever had with man. She had thought that Simone loved the way they had sex, it hurt to think that she'd been doing it wrong. For an instant Merry was worried that Simone was dumping her. She'd have agreed to anything Simone said to avoid that. So she let Simone bind her arms, and Merry discovered that it could truly be better if she slowed down a bit. That realization had actually shocked her. Merry's partners in love making had all stressed quick moves and rough and tumble action.

"The ripples that started because of your actions in the Nephilim affair are starting to solidify." Deborah said.

"My actions?" Merry said putting thoughts of passion out of her mind.

"It was fighting over you that split Force Group J." Tremont said.

"And has led to the formation of Earth Force." Molly finished.

"So Lucy did do it?" Simone said. "I didn't believe she could. A superhero group outside of the UN's jurisdiction?"

"There hasn't been one since the Super Force was destroyed by the Demon Lord." Merry mused.

"When was that?" Simone asked.

"October 31, 1970." Merry said.

"There have been others." Tremont said. "But none of them gained the fame of Super Force."

"Having three of a super groups female members become enslaved to a supervillain and kill their comrades did put them on the map as far as history is concerned." Delilah said. "And I don't think we've quite heard the last of them, despite what Goddess of Justice said at the time."

"Lucy might not have been able to form her new group without the release of the Earth Intelligence Agencies Black Files." Deborah said. "Since the E.I.A. reported to the UN, and since the E.I.A. committed crimes that even ICE would have balked at…"

"The UN does not have the clout it had a few months ago." Delilah said.

"Neither does Force Group J." Molly said.

"Or Captain Pharaoh." Tremont said.

"Force Group J has managed to hold onto its UN charter." Deborah said. "And the UN itself will survive. Barely."

"But the United States has decided a domestic group of superbeings would be a good idea." Delilah said. "And of course the conservatives have never liked the UN anyway."

"This is their way of throwing a pie into the UN's face." Molly said.

"Of course we helped." Tremont said.

"The biggest backer for Earth Force was Senator Tom Kenny." Delilah said. "He's put himself in charge of the group."

"More or less." Deborah said. "When you deal with people who wear costumes control is difficult."

"At the moment he and Lucy are getting along." Tremont said.

"And we control him." Molly said.

"And others." Tremont said.

Merry tried not to let her feelings show on her face. Even if she trusted them, even if she almost worshiped them at times, the scale of what they wanted to do; take over the world, terrified her.

"How many heroes joined Lucy?" Merry asked.

"That we don’t know yet." Deborah said. "As Goddess of Justice she has quite a following."

"Or did until it became known that she supplied the E.I.A. with the weaknesses of other heroes." Delilah said. "She redeemed herself a bit by helping to liberate Camp 04."

"She made a very good speech after that." Molly said.

"She's good at making speeches." Merry said. "And I don't think anyone could have guessed that the E.I.A. decided that some superheroes were better off locked up and tamed than allowed to roam free."

"It came as a shock even to us." Tremont admitted. "What they did to Hellfire Girl actually shocked me."

"At any rate you won't have to deal with Goddess of Justice for a while." Molly said. "She had twins."

"Twin werewolves." Merry said almost to herself. She remembered Goddess of Justice's rape and shuddered.

"She'll be busy for a while." Deborah said.

"Actually Dolly if you follow orders you won't have to deal with anyone like her on this mission." Delilah said.

"Hopefully you won't stumble into things you can't handle." Deborah said.

"I won't fail you." Merry said.

"We know that." Deborah said. Her smiled softened the hard knot that Merry felt in her stomach. Merry knew that she couldn't go on winning, succeeding, not forever. The odds would go against her someday. It was her greatest fear.

"One of the other things you've done Merry is to greatly increase the interest in shrunken women." Molly said.

"And Dollopolis." Tremont added.

"There is no greater picture of frustration than powerful beings not being able to get what they want." Delilah said smiling.

"Captain Pharaoh?" Merry asked.

"And Goddess of Justice." Delilah said.

"They have both been burning through historical databases and mythical ones. Miss Shadow has launched mystical probes into the dim past, into cultures that have been extinct for eons."

"They're all looking in the wrong place." Simone said.

"Of course they are." Deborah said. "That is why we sent you to get Merry. We knew that having you show up in a ship from a tv show would confuse them. They really have no way of finding out who Merry really is."

"And we are going to keep it that way." Delilah said.

"Until we decide otherwise." Deborah said.

"If they haven't found me, what have they found?" Merry asked.

"An auction." Tremont said.

"If you look for something hard enough you might not find what you want, but you might find something close." Delilah said. "Miss Shadow working on her own found out that ICE is having an auction of a shrunken woman and a potion to shrink women. Earth Force, or some part of it, intends to be there."

"Miss Shadow?" Simone asked. "I understood that she had stayed with Force Group J."

"The second Miss Shadow." Deborah said.

"Someday one of those two are finally going to change her name." Delilah said with a little annoyance in her voice.

"Do they think I'm an ICE agent?" Merry asked.

"It would be something they would seriously consider." Deborah said. "You are capable, evasive, definitely trained…"

"But she's helped them." Simone insisted.

"When she had no choice." Delilah said.

"They're right Simone." Merry said. "I'm Mystery Woman. I'm smart enough to kill Sidonia, but I didn't take Esmerelda with me. ICE agents can't bring home strays. I helped them against the Nephilim, but ICE is only interested in profit, there isn't much profit in a world dominated by giants. If you stretch it enough, and ignore a few things I can see why they might think I was with ICE. Lucy and Prudence wouldn't buy me as an ICE agent. But Captain Pharaoh would. Hell I bet it would make him happy."

"It would vindicate his paranoia." Tremont said.

"But their information about the auction is incomplete." Deborah said. "They only know about the auction itself."

"We know its history." Delilah said.

"Thanks to Nora." Molly said.

"And Micky." Tremont finished.

Noragami Kamaguchi was a maid that had gotten in the way when Merry had gone to talk to Snowbell Stronghollow about being shrunk. Merry only vaguely remembered the small Asian maid. Micky was Snowbelle's alcoholic uncle. He had won Nora in a poker game. Merry hadn't thought much about either of them since she had knocked them out and brought them to The Group. She had been too busy.

"You'll recall Simone that Nora did not react well to being shrunk." Deborah said.

"She went into hysterics." Simone said.

"There was a good reason for that." Delilah said. "She'd been shrunk before."

"By ICE?"

"No, by archeologist." Deborah said. "Some years ago a group of archeologist in the South China seas found an island with the remnants of a Greek city. In the city they found mosaics of full-grown Grecian men and women and shrunken men and women with them. They thought it was just art, until one of them discovered the bones of a shrunken woman buried in a tomb together with a fully sized woman."

"A little more digging discovered how the Greeks had done it and why. It turns out they had escaped from an advancing Roman force. Led by a magician called Scalius, they had traveled to the island where Rome could not find them. They took with them Roman prisoners, men and women they had captured somehow. To make sure there was no trouble the magician used a plant on the island to make a potion to shrink them."

"Incredible." Simone said.

"Ancient shrunken women?" Merry said. "I knew I wasn't the first but… So long ago?"

"All ages have their shrunken women Merry." Deborah said.

"What did the archeologist do?" Simone asked.

"It was a small group of impoverished scientist." Delilah said. "A few of the lesser principled ones killed the others and set themselves up in business. For a price they would sell you the potion. For a bigger price they'd sell you the antidote.

"Antidote?" Simone asked.

"The potion can be made in many different varieties." Deborah said.

"The first one will shrink you for a day, then you grow back." Tremont said.

"The second one will shrink you and then you need the antidote to grow back." Molly said.

"The second one is the money maker." Delilah said. "It can shrink you and the antidote will grow you back. If you don't get the antidote you don't grow back. And if you don't get the antidote within a month you start to shrink again. And again the next month. Depending upon how tall you originally were you can shrink to nothingness in about six months

"Good lord!" Simone whispered.

"So you pay and pay and pay." Merry said recognizing the ages old scheme of the drug dealer.

"Monstrous." Simone said.

"That's the least of it Simone. You could keep your wife in line." Merry said letting her mind track the idea. "I know some men who would like the idea Simone. You don't have to hit her, just keep the second potion away from her. It's the perfect hold over someone. I…"

Merry looked up suddenly and a chill went through her. She swallowed hard.

"Hit's close to home?" Delilah asked smiling.

Simone's mind was still trying to grasp the implications of what they had told her. But she saw the change that had come over Merry. Her body was tense and her eyes now set like diamonds in a face that had become stone. Simone reached over and took Merry's hand. Merry gripped it tightly.

This was how The Group had taken Merry. This was how they had controlled her at first. They had used the fear of being shrunk down to nothing. For the first time it truly hit Simone how terrifying it must have been for Merry.

"There's a difference." Merry said gripping Simone's hand even more tightly. Simone winced but kept silent. "You've never abused me as long as I've obeyed you. You shrunk me to help you, to help the world, not to abuse me."

"And as long as you obey us we will never abuse you Merry." Deborah said.

Merry relaxed a little. She looked down and let go of Simone's hand. Simone smiled a bit and pulled the hand back, hiding the pain that Merry's grip had caused her. Merry tried to apologize but her voice failed and she just shrugged.

"Why hasn't Nora shrunk?" Simone asked trying to break into the tension of the room. "She's been with the Stronhollow's for more than a year?"

"Nora is one of the one in one thousand people whose body for some reason doesn't need to keep taking the potion." Molly said. "Her body simply grew back and stayed that way."

"When the archeologist realized that they merely kept her as a slave." Tremont said.

"The wealth they accumulated went to their heads." Deborah said. "They partied, then partied some more. Nora wasn't won by Micky in a poker game, she simply escaped and told Micky that he had won her. He was too drunk to know the difference."

"Then International Criminal Enterprises took over." Molly said.

"And they added a new option to the game."

"They sell permanently shrunken women too don't they?" Merry asked.

Delilah nodded.

"They pick the girls up from China, buy them in lots, drug them, train them and then sell them on a subset of the white slavery market."

"Some of the girls are permanently shrunk, others are kept variable." Deborah said. "It depends on the customers preference."

"They sell an average of four girls at a time." Molly said. "From what we have been able to deduce the drug takes a while to create and it can't be artificially synthesized."

"So they have to keep the numbers small, until the owners stop needing the antidote." Delilah said.

"What do you mean stop needing the antidote?" Simone asked.

"Simone the kind of people who buy on the white slavery market don't expect anybody they buy to last too long." Merry said. "They'd buy these girls like you'd buy a plant. I saw it in L.A."

"But…"

"Simone the people who buy these girls, mostly girls I'm sure, they're not people to them, they're toys. Just toys. What happens to a toy when it isn't new and cute anymore?"

"Good lord!" Simone whispered shuddering. The evil of the concept stunned her.

Merry turned to The Group. "Please tell me I'm going to stop it."

"You are." Delilah said.

"What ever it takes." Merry said.

Simone was chilled by the tone of her words even as she realized that The Group was manipulating Merry.

I'm sure they can manipulate me as well, Simone thought. I'm sure they have. They might be doing it now.

Strangely enough Simone didn't mind if they were or not. She wasn't as scared of them as Merry was, not as reverential toward them, but she recognized what they could do and so far things were turning out well for everyone. For Simone that was enough. Any larger issues she simply ignored.

"As we said shortly after Nora escaped ICE took over the operation." Tremont said. He gestured toward the glass table and a hologram appeared. "This woman was put in charge."

The hologram was a mug shot of a woman's head. Simone guessed that she was older than she wanted to be. Beside the mug shot was a stand up hologram of the woman. She was wearing a Goth outfit. Black knee high boots, black bodice and skirt belted with a wide gray belt that held a silver skull belt buckle. The close up of her face showed deep lines around her gray eyes. Her hair was shaved in the mug shot, in the stand up picture it was long and black. She scowled in both holograms. Across her face was a scar that ran from just under her left eye, across her nose and around her mouth and ended in the center of her chin.

"Lady Goth." Merry said. "I didn't know she was with ICE."

"We have surmised that they recruited her for this." Delilah said. "She is an expert in alchemaic potions."

"Excuse me but I don't know who she is." Simone said.

"Sorry." Merry said. "Ever since Count Intellect I've been reading up on supervillains. Lady Goth is an old foe of Ms. Dream. She's a potion fanatic."

"With an unfortunate fixation on Ms. Dream." Deborah said. "Perhaps the worst case of unrequited love the superhero set is ever going to see."

"She simply refuses to see that Ms. Dream is not a lesbian." Tremont said.

"Or interested in ruling the world by her side." Molly finished.

"You would think after ten different attempts that tried everything from drugs to hypnosis to magic spells she'd simply give up." Deborah said.

"But she won't." Delilah said. "She will no doubt be running the auction."

"What we need you to do Dolly" Deborah said "is to go to this auction. We want you to get us the potion, free what ever shrunken women are there and get them back to Dollopolis, find the island's location if at all possible. Once we know where the island is you are going to go there, rescue any shrunken people you find, get us that plant and a list of the customers, then we will make sure that no one ever uses that potion again."

"And we need you to do all of this without being seen." Delilah said. "We are not ready to battle ICE openly."

Simone was astonished at what they wanted her to do, but she knew what Merry would say before the words were out of her lover's mouth.

"If you need me to do it." Merry said. "Then I'll do it. I'll do what ever it takes."

Simone's heart dropped as she heard Merry's words. It wasn't so much the words as it was the tone of voice the set of Merry's body, the expression on her face. Her whole being was now focused on doing what The Group needed her to do. No matter the personal risk.

I could loose you, Simone thought looking at Merry. Goddess I could loose you!

"We of course have a good general plan." Delilah said.

"How do I start?" Merry asked.

Simone stayed silent as Deborah answered her. She desperately wanted to object, to tell Merry not to go, but she knew that would be useless. Instead Simone pulled into herself and forced herself to listen as Deborah talked.

"To help you on this mission we've created a stealth suit for you. A more advanced version of the survival suit that you used when you entered the Deep Pit."

"It has to be put on the same way doesn’t it?" Merry asked with a resigned tone in her voice.

"Yes." Delilah said. "Luckily Simone, Lizzie and Jessie won't need one."

"I'm going too?" Simone asked.

"No!"

The word was out of Merry's mouth before she could stop herself. Her stomach tightened and her heart nearly stopped as Delilah looked at her. The old chill was in the woman's eyes.

"Reasons." Delilah commanded.

Merry bit her lip and tried not to look away. From deep within a well of fear she forced herself to speak.

"This… this isn't like any other mission." Merry said. "Before I've always had one big thing going for me: ignorance. No one I've ever spied on, ever worked against has known that shrunken women exist. That's given me the chance to gain a lot of experience, when to move, when to stay still, how to hide, how to move. With every mission I've trained myself to do that better and better. Lizzie and Jessie have gone out twice, and failed both times, and Simone has only gone out once. And that was against people who didn’t know shrunken women were around. Lady Goth and ICE would know… it would be… dangerous… very dangerous…"

Merry's voice trailed off as her explosion of fear burned away. Somehow she found herself holding Simone's hand again and realized that she was nearly crushing it. Merry forced her grip to loosen.

"Valid points." Delilah said.

"Indeed." Deborah said.

"Simone what do you think?" Tremont asked.

"I think the only way to gain experience is to do something." Simone said. She looked at Merry. "I'm not helpless dear."

"You…" Merry faltered as her emotions choked off her voice. Forcing them aside she pressed on. "I know your not. But you've never been… you've never been tortured…"

"I was held captive by my brother for almost a year." Simone said.

"It's not the same." Merry said desperately wishing she could tell Simone what could happen and at the same time desperately wishing that she wouldn't have to.

"The question is moot." Delilah said. "We have decided."

Merry recognized the tenor in that command and stayed silent.

I won't let anything happen to you, Merry promised fiercely but silently.

"The risk will be minimal." Deborah said. "You Merry will go into the auction, Simone, Lizzie and Jessie will be waiting outside with a transport shuttle."

"Where will the auction be?" Merry asked.

"In Boston." Molly said.

"Tomorrow night." Tremont added.

Another hologram appeared on the table. It showed an 8 sided glass building.

"This is Hill Hall." Molly said. "It's located near the Charles River in Alston, across the street from Harvard University."

"Part of that colleges inevitable assimilation of that city." Delilah said. "The auction will be held on the fourth floor."

"How will I get in?" Merry asked.

"Professor Hirito Knashurmura is requesting a set of papers we have." Deborah said. "A few notebooks by Leonardo DaVinci."

"We'll FedEx you with the papers."

"You're going to FedEx me?" Merry asked.

"Why not send her in one of the ships?" Simone asked.

"She needs to get there hours before the auction starts and make her plans." Delilah said. "You and the others will go by ship, but if we send Merry in one of the ships she might be tracked at the speeds the ships will have to reach to get there in time. FedEx will get her there overnight."

"You'll be in suspension for the trip." Molly said.

"And well packed." Tremont said.

"When you get there professor Knashurama is under instructions to ignore you." Deborah said.

"You control him?" Simone asked.

"Like you Simone he enjoys twins." Delilah said. "And was easily hypnotized afterwards."

"Once I get out of the box I'll go to the fourth floor and figure it all out." Merry said. "Will I have any sort of weaponry for this one?"

"You're ship will, as will Simone's." Tremont said.

"You'll be using the Millennium Falcon from the Star Wars." Molly said. "Simone will be using our latest copy of Thunderbird 2. It will be armed with knock-out gas missiles and blasters."

"Officer Dolly will give us the position of everyone in the room." Delilah said.

"We'll use the stunners on the Falcon to take out any guards." Deborah said. "This is a low profile operation so there shouldn't be too much of a problem there. Then we'll use the knockout gas on the occupants of the room."

"Well as long as lightning doesn't hit it I should be able to keep this one in the air." Simone said. "But there might be a problem. Lizzie has developed agoraphobia, she's very shaky in the outside world."

"Your choice." Deborah said. "Talk to them, if you feel they are up to it bring them, if not then just bring Jessie."

"For now we have to get Merry suited up." Delilah said. "The FedEx delivery deadline is this afternoon. She will arrive tomorrow morning, you will arrive tomorrow evening."

"You should go and talk to Lizzie and Jessie." Merry said. "Suiting up… it can take a while."

Simone read the look Merry gave her. For some reason Merry did not want Simone to see what happened next. Simone bristled at her lover's newly found protective impulse.

"I'd rather see what comes next." Simone said carefully.

"And it's a good idea that she get an idea of what is involved." Delilah agreed. "In case Simone ever has to be suited up."

Merry opened her mouth and then closed it again.

"OK." She said.

Simone had seen Merry in almost every emotional state but she had never seen her nervous. But she was definitely nervous as they walked into the laboratory. Not only was Merry nervous she was making no effort to hide it.

"Clothes off Dolly." Delilah ordered.

Merry complied, pulling off her cloths and handing them too Simone. Simone looked around the lab. It wasn't the same lab where she had been altered. This one was smaller. In the center of the room was a table with a long glass tube. The tube stretched about ten feet, just a few feet shorter than the table. There were solid brass rings set evenly along the tube. To the left of the table was a complex control console. Behind that console was an even more complex looking wall of lights, buttons and displays.

"Standard 12." Deborah called out.

There was a shimmer in the air around her and Simone watched as Merry shrunk down to 12 inches tall. Simone felt her stomach tighten. This was the woman she loved; what were they going to do with her?

Deborah picked Merry up and put her onto the table. Then she placed a small plastic tray next to her.

"We've improved the suit of course, and the helmet. The last one was a bit bulky."

Merry reached over and picked up what to Simone looked like a little diamond. It must have been hollow because Merry put it on and it covered her head completely. Only a little bit of her blonde hair stuck out from the edges. The diamond obscured Merry's face and head.

"Hold still Dolly." Deborah said. She picked up a small pair of scissors. With a few quick moves she cut away the hair, lifted the helmet slightly and cut some more.

Simone was still standing there holding Merry's clothes. She was a little stunned at how casually they all seemed to be doing this. Merry wasn't protesting, wasn't struggling, she wasn't doing anything. Such a completely passive manner wasn't like her.

"Come here." Delilah ordered catching Simone's eye.

Simone walked over and Delilah pulled a chair out from under the console so that she could sit down.

"Don't worry." Tremont said from one of the wall consoles. "We won't hurt her."

"I'm not worried." Simone said and hoped that they believed her.

Merry put the diamond helmet on. It smelled faintly of roses. There was a wide clear spot in the front of the helmet, but the rest of it was a kaleidoscope of images. She saw Simone walk behind the console and sit down. Merry wished she could have sent Simone away somehow. Her lover had no idea what was about to happen. Merry hoped Simone wouldn't react the wrong way. As valuable as they both were to The Group Merry knew that The Group did not take criticism well. If Simone objected…

"Here you go Dolly." Deborah said putting Merry next to the entrance to the glass tube. A small ring was inside the tube. "Go in there and take hold for a moment. The suspension field will take over and then you can let go."

Merry walked into the tube and looked at the ring. It was almost featureless metal but Merry could see the thin lines of electronic circuits. She raised her arms and took hold of the small handles she found.

"Spread your legs Dolly." Deborah called.

Merry spread her legs and after holding the pose for a moment suddenly felt lighter. She let go of the handles and floated in mid-air. She was actually used to the X position. The field held her body steady and kept her limbs rigid.

"A little bit of an adjustment." Molly said.

Merry forced herself not to fight as her legs were pulled further apart and her arms were pulled higher.

"Ready?" Deborah asked.

"I'm ready." Merry said. She felt the field lock in and her body was held perfectly still.

Merry started to move forward. The tube had no echo to it and there was no smell in the air. Merry felt like she was walking down an empty hospital corridor.

"First stage is to remove all your body hair." Deborah said. "And to prepare you're skin for the bonding. This may sting a bit."

"I'm ready." Merry called out. It suddenly occurred to her that she was hearing Deborah's voice through the helmet, not mentally. There had been no sign of a speaker.

Merry had a moment to think about that and then she passed one of the metal rings. It separated into many rings and they rotated around her body at a fantastic speed. From all directions a green/black liquid was blasted at her. Merry screamed as the freezing cold liquid hit every part of her body at once.

"Merry!" Simone shouted. She started to jump up but on either side of her Deborah and Delilah grabbed her arms.

"It is alright Simone." Deborah said.

"It is just cold." Delilah said.

Merry shivered as she moved away from the metal ring. She didn't need to look at her body to know that she was now completely hairless.

"Don't worry Simone." Merry called out a little breathlessly. "I'm fine."

"Next step is the interface layer." Deborah said. "This layer will got a bit deeper than before, so it will feel different."

Merry was ready this time. Ready and determined. As the white-hot liquid hit her body she didn’t scream. She gritted her teeth and held on even though it felt like a thousand needles were being pushed into her body at once. Her body felt like a pair of giant hands was crushing her. Giant hands made of pure red-hot flame. She could see the liquid fall off of the helmet. It was almost like being in a car wash.

Then it was over and Merry slowly felt her body begin to cool. She could feel the new layer of… what ever it was… on her. It felt like a wet towel that was rapidly drying.

"Are you alright!" Simone demanded.

"I'm… fine…" Merry said slowly. Then she screamed as a group of cold lasers tracked along her body.

"Bonding and osmosis layer finished." Delilah said. "Neural link established."

Merry could feel the layer now. It was as if someone was wrapping her skin in adhesive tape.

"Set for nutritional layer." Tremont said.

Merry was ready for it again. She didn't scream as the blue paste was sprayed onto her body. She wanted too though. It wasn't hot but it was slimy, it felt disgusting, as if she was being sprayed with mud or rotten fruit. Merry had once been pushed into a vat of dirty laundry and it had felt like this. An oily, repulsive slugs-crawling-on-her-body feeling. As soon as enough of it was on her an ice cold blast of air chilled her body so quickly and so thoroughly Merry wondered if her heart had stopped. She couldn't keep from shivering or keep her teeth from chattering. More lasers appeared and cut away the excess mud.

"Nutritional layer done." Tremont called.

"Outer layer ready." Molly called.

"Brace yourself Merry." Deborah called out. "This layer will have more tactile feedback then before. This will hurt."

It suddenly felt like a pair of giant hands, one made of flame the other of ice, picked Merry up tossed her into the air and slammed together against her. Merry felt all of the air leave her lungs, she felt her body crushed under the impact. There was no chance, no way for her to scream, her body felt like a crumpled mass of flesh with all of the bones removed. Try as she might Merry couldn't stay conscious.

Then it was over and she was lying on the table at the other end of the glass tube. The Group was clustered around her but Merry only saw the look of agonized worry on Simone's face. Merry's muscles felt like jelly, her bones and joints ached and her head swam. But she wasn't going to let Simone see any of that. Slowly she got to her feet and looked at them all.

"Next step?" Merry managed to gasp out through the pain.

Great Goddess who have I fallen in love with!

The question rang through Simone's mind as she walked into Dollopolis. She had seen the readouts and while she hadn't understood them she had understood it when they jumped up and down. From her perspective Merry had barely survived the process. She could only guess at the pain Merry had endured.

And she stood up and acted like she was fine, Simone thought. Just as if she went through it every day.

There was a little comfort in the knowledge that Merry's act had been for Simone's benefit, that Merry was hiding her pain. But only a little comfort.

Simone walked out of her castle in Dollopolis and looked around. It was just mid-morning and that meant that everyone should be in a field just past the houses on the left side of the shoe. 'Left Street' as they girls had started calling it. The Group had built Dollopolis with a little input from Simone. They had built it under her swimming pool and built it specifically for shrunken women. Set on a raised platform her Duchy (as Simone liked to think of it), was shaped like a horseshoe. Simone's castle was at the apex of the curve. On either side of the horseshoe were houses. On the outer edges were mountains and waterfalls that fed into streams. Those streams fed rivers and those rivers emptied out into a large tank that followed the inner shape of the horseshoe. The houses were all different architectural styles but they all had the same thing in common: they were dollhouses. From one side they were complete houses, but the other side was open. This allowed anyone of The Group to have access to any of the shrunken women in Dollopolis any time they wanted. Only Simone's castle was a complete structure.

Simone approached the field as quietly as possible. Overall Simone was pleased with the way the community of Dollopolis had taken shape. Monica had taken to farming and with a little encouragement was starting to write poems and songs. At Simone's direction Jessie and Lizzie were building Monica a piano. She was still months away from her first crop but she was enjoying the work. Snowbelle had a workshop and was working on things as directed by The Group. No one, including Snowbelle knew exactly what they were or what they did. She usually worked with Tremont or Molly standing over her or directing her mentally. Jessie and Lizzie had become the general suppliers of Dollopolis. Clothing, furniture or just about any house modification that needed doing they could do. Simone had made it a point to be in Dollopolis at least once every two days, more when she could manage it and she made sure they all had a meal together at least once a week. Usually she sat in one of the castles in her tower, looking out as she studied a book on economics or ancient kingdoms. She had yet to get Merry to come into the Duchy. Simone wasn't sure why, but Merry constantly avoided the place.

Of course that was not the only problem. In the months that she had brought Lizzie and Jessie, and then Snowbelle and Monica to Dollopolis problems had developed between the girls. More than once Simone had been forced to break up an all out catfight between Monica and Jessie. The problem was partly their natures and partly Jessie's desire for Snowbelle, something that had caught Simone completely by surprise. Snowbelle for her part seemed interested in Monica, but their relationship was so far platonic. Snowbelle was young, naïve and idealistic. She hadn't settled on a sexual orientation yet and while Monica respected that Jessie did not. Monica, like Lizzie and Jessie and Simone herself was fairly free thinking about sex. Man or woman made no difference to her. She thought Jessie a bit of bully and often said so, leading to the fights between them. Simone suspected that Snowbelle did not mind being fought over. Something was also bothering Lizzie. Simone wasn't sure what it was, but something was eating at her.

Simone had tried a few punishments to stop the fights and they had worked, if only for a few days at a time. Musing that maybe too much energy was the problem Simone had started the girls playing sports. The latest one was soccer. She knew from experience that a few hours running around after a soccer ball usually wore a person out.

As she came out of the woods onto the field Simone realized that the game had only been partially successful. All four girls were rolling on the ground in a semi-naked heap. Staggered curses came from the pile.

"By royal command." Simone called un-hooking her robe and raising her arms in a deft movement. "I wish to be taller."

By now she was used to the change. As the last words left her mouth Simone grew from 12 inches to 24 inches. The hardest part about the growth was the way her eyes took a few seconds to focus again and the way her ears sometimes popped. Her robe-purple as befitted royalty-was specially made and grew with her; more fabric unfolding from specially made breakaway seams as it was needed.

Now twice as tall as all of them Simone strode out onto the field.

"What is the meaning of this!" Simone demanded in the regal tone of voice she had worked so hard on perfecting.

All at once the tangle of arms and legs on the ground stopped moving. It was almost a comical picture. Jessie had Monica in a headlock, Monica was holding Lizzie's arms behind her back and Lizzie's legs were wrapped around Snowbelle's neck. Simone stood and glared and slowly the tangle un-tangled into the four young women. Monica was the only black woman in Dollopolis. She was slim and she was still a little bit of skin and bones, malnutrition left over from a lifetime of neglect and abuse. The shrinking process had erased her physical scars but not her emotional ones. Her dark eyes held a strength that she was only beginning to understand and accept. Snowbelle was slightly heavier than Monica was and her black hair was done into a ponytail. Snowbelle was a child in many ways, Simone knew she thought of Dollopolis as a grand adventure. Lizzie and Jessie were twins, or close enough. They were a little taller than Monica and Snowbelle but just as slim. Lizzie and Jessie had both cut their hair into bobs and had straight bangs across their foreheads.

"I'm waiting." Simone said. Lizzie and Jessie adjusted their tops. Snowbelle and Monica were topless. A glance on the field told Simone that at least two of them had been wearing tops at the start of the fight.

From complete silence Simone was suddenly battered with sound as four voices talked at once.

"She started it!" Monica shouted pointing at Jessie.

"Like hell!" Jessie responded.

"She had her hands all over me!" Snowbelle said pointing at Lizzie.

"No I didn't!" Lizzie shouted back.

"It was her then!" Snowbelle shouted pointing to Jessie! "It was… Someone!"

"It's called a tackle princess!" Jessie shouted back. "And your hands were pretty active too!"

"No they weren't!" Snowbelle shouted.

"Well someone's hand was up my…"

"Enough!" Simone shouted. They all stopped talking and for a moment Simone just looked at them. "Normally I'd deal with this now." Simone said. "But we have a mission."

"We do milady?" Snowbelle asked brightly.

"Not you or Monica, Snowbelle. Just Lizzie and Jessie."

Simone didn't miss the look of fear on Lizzie's face; one matched a moment later by Jessie.

"I don't want to go milady." Lizzie said in a small voice. She took a step back. "Not again."

"It should be a simple mission." Simone said.

"It's never a simple mission milady." Lizzie said. "Please, please don't make me go."

Simone smiled gently and stroked Lizzie's hair.

"You don't have to if you don't want to. I'll take Jessie."

"Me?"

"Well I need someone and the Giant's said I could take you alone if Lizzie didn't feel she was up to it."

"Oh great." Jessie said.

"Wait for me in the castle."

Jessie looked at her sister.

"We'll wait." Lizzie said tiredly. "I'll go too."

"Don't worry dear." Simone said kissing her forehead. "This one should be better than the last one."

Lizzie's shoulders sagged and she nodded

"Go into the castle and wait for me." Simone ordered.

"Yes milady." Lizzie and Jessie said together. They grabbed their tops and headed off toward the castle.

"And wear something warm." Simone called after them.

Once they were gone Simone turned to Monica and Snowbelle.

"I want you two to make up some beds and get some clothes ready, we may be getting more people here soon."

"Yes milady." Snowbelle said.

"Yes milady." Monica echoed.

"You do that tomorrow." Simone said. "For now I want an answer, who was groping Jessie in that little huddle? The Truth." Simone added sternly.

Shyly Snowbelle raised her hand.

"I was just… and her hand was… and she was… and I felt…" Snowbelle stuttered and blushed.

You are not as naïve as you'd like us all to think are you, Simone thought. Either that or Snowbelle was learning fast. Or was there more? There was no way to fake the blush on Snowbelle's fair skin.

"It was shirts and skins milady." Monica said.

"With just four of you? Who suggested that?"

This time it was Monica who slowly raised her hand.

"So you were teasing her?"

"Well…" Monica shrugged.

"I need some time before the mission!" Simone called out.

{Twenty minutes.}

"Perfect." Simone called. "Thank you."

Simone took hold of Snowbelle's and Monica's shoulders and turned them around.

"Come on you two. You know the penalty for fighting. No, don't bother." Simone said when they started to pick up their tops. Leave your skirts here too. Monica and Snowbelle sighed and then the girls pulled down their skirts and left them next to their tops.

One of the features of Dollopolis that The Group had added, over Simone's objections at the time, was a set of stocks. They were set on a wooden platform on the left side of Dollopolis. Simone marched the two girls up to the top of the platform and then strapped them in. The stocks were made so that a person had to kneel down and rest her stomach on a pad. She then put her head and wrist into two half holes and the board on top with matching half holes was lowered and secured. Once that was done a set of straps held the persons legs down. The stocks were wide enough so that a person's weight rested on the shoulders, not the neck. As Simone strapped Monica and Snowbelle into the stocks she heard a sound. Simone looked up and saw a cat walk up to the platform. The cat brought home to her again how small Dollopolis was. She was a full sized cat, tall enough to ride on if she ever let anyone ride on her. Her fur was a glossy combination of black and gray.

"Yes they are being punished again." Simone said to the cat. The cat yawned, took a few steps back and then sat down on her haunches and stared.

"She comes every time." Snowbelle said.

"I think she's still mad that we tried to ride her." Monica said.

"That was… OUCH!" Snowbelle interrupted herself as Simone spanked her.

For the next few minutes Simone alternately and randomly spanked both girls. She was careful to spank them hard enough to make her point but not hard enough to make it too hard. Simone also watched closely for any sign that they were enjoying it. They weren't. Neither was Simone. Or rather she was trying hard not to. The feeling of power that came with her royal title, extra size and the way they meekly submitted to the spanking; all of it filled Simone with very troubling emotions. She could feel the sadist within her, just out of reach of controlling her actions. That scared Simone. It made her realize that the line between benevolent monarch and tyrant was a very thin one. It was a line she had sworn never to cross. But she could not deny the satisfaction that seeped into her spirit each time Monica or Snowbelle cried out from the impact of wood on flesh. The fights had at least slowed in frequency since she had started spanking as a punishment.

The cat watched as cats watched all human activity: enigmatically. Simone hadn't really intended to let cats into Dollopolis. But this cat and her kittens had come along at the right time. In the chaos of Merry's abduction by Force Group J The Group had been so busy that they had simply dumped the cats into Dollopolis and left them there. By the time anyone remembered where they were the cats had settled in. When she had checked on everyone in Dollopolis Simone had found Lizzie and Jessie curled up against the mother cat and Monica and Snowbelle each curled up against a kitten. As an experiment The Group had decided they could stay. In the back of her mind Simone suspected that The Group had changed the cats somehow. They had healed them, the mother cat's ear was not torn now, but she wondered what else they had done. There seemed to be more than normal intelligence in the green feline eyes that watched as she spanked Snowbelle and Monica.

"Right." Simone said hanging up the wooden paddle. She was sweating and breathing hard and the temptation to keep at it was there. But Simone had set the limit at 30 whacks and she held to that limit. "Do either of you have anything more to say?"

"You're going to leave us here milady?" Snowbelle exclaimed.

"You know the penalty for fighting." Simone said. "One day in the stocks and a full spanking."

"But what if you get stuck out there milady?" Monica asked.

"Then the Giants will see to you." Simone said. "Now I want you two to think about what happened and how it can be avoided in the future."

"They started it!" Snowbelle said.

"They are going on a mission." Simone said stressing the first word. "If not I'd have all four of you up here. I mean it girls, figure out a way to stop this fighting or I might just let The Giants solve it for you."

Both of the girls stiffened at the threat. Neither of them had much to do with the Giants, but Jessie's and Lizzie's tales of the early days in Dollopolis were full of fear. Simone hated to use the threat; she felt it was a failure of her leadership, but at times there seemed to be no other way.

I have got to convince Merry to act as a sheriff, Simone thought. I might not scare them but she does.

She reached over and took a set of cloth straps off of a hook and started to fasten them around Snowbelle's head. Snowbelle was used to this by now. The straps fitted around the bottom of her jaw and once they were secured kept her from talking. Monica didn't object as Simone did the same to her. Simone hadn't silenced the prisoners when she first instituted the punishments, but she soon found that if she didn't a constant stream of chatter would fill the air. She wanted them to think about their actions, not gossip away the time.

"I will be back." Simone said making sure the straps were secure.

The captives nodded and then sagged into the stocks. The cat yawned.

Being in suspended animation was the best sleep Merry had ever had. She had been packed in a plastic bag, then put into a box half filled with packing snow. After that she had been covered in packing snow. Merry was able to see the vague outlines of a smaller box placed on top of her and then all light ceased when the box was closed and sealed. All visible light anyway. Thanks to the helmet she was wearing Merry was able to see perfectly well in the dark. The suit also allowed her complete freedom of movement and didn't stop any of her senses. She could feel the smoothness of the plastic and smell the faintly chemical scent of the bag.

{We labeled the box 'this end up', but there is no way to tell if that is going to do any good.}

{Close your eyes Dolly and don't open them until we tell you too.}

Merry had closed her eyes and then she had heard a tone in her ears. A low hum, very much like the busy signal on a telephone. She was only aware of it for a second and then she wasn't aware of anything at all.

{Open your eyes Dolly.}

Merry woke up instantly. Strangely Merry knew that she had been asleep, she had been aware of being asleep even while she was asleep. The feeling wasn't like hypnosis. It was more like the times when Merry had woken up a few moments before the alarm could wake her. It was a strange, unreal sleep that was refreshing even as it was unsettling.

Above her a fluorescent bulb reached through the packing snow. Merry reached up and opened the bag and then sat up. It took a few moments for her to climb her way out of the packing snow. She was in a large office. To her right was a large window that looked out on the Charles River. The office was cluttered with books; papers, old furniture and the walls were covered in notes and articles. It all seemed strangely out of place. The room was not made for it; it was made to hold conferences with executives in expensive suits using laser pointers with crisply printed posters.

Shaking off her impressions Merry climbed out of the box and onto the desk.

A corner of her helmet lit up as a display screen and Merry looked at it. A floor plan of the building appeared and she was a blinking blue dot on it.

{You are directly under the room where the auction will take place.}

{FedEx was a little late. You only have a few hours before it starts.}

First thing is to get up there, Merry thought. Stairs and elevators were out of the question. This new suit could grow with her, but only if she took an hour or so to grow. Merry looked around. Then she looked up. Above her was a white paneled drop ceiling.

"Best way is up through the vent, but I'm sure they have it covered."

{Keep looking.}

Merry held her head steady and the drop ceiling faded showing the steal ceiling above it. Pipes and electrical wires ran across it.

"I have x-ray vision!" Merry whispered.

{Limited.}

{This suit Officer Dolly is directly from a design based on what you needed on previous missions.}

{With Snowbelle's nimble little fingers building some of the components in the helmet.}

{We can't have you living in the Stone Age of shrunken women forever now can we?}

{You can also climb walls.}

"Thanks." Merry said and felt an incredible surge of love and gratitude.

{Now: look, where is the best way up?}

Merry looked at the ceiling for a few minutes. She followed the electrical wiring, the plumbing pipes and the heating vent.

"There." Merry said pointing to a corner where four large pipes went up into the ceiling. "I can dig my way through the insulation around the pipes and come up between the walls in the next floor. From there I can climb up the pipes into the drop ceiling."

{We agree.}

{Go.}

Thunderbird 2 flew through the air with at a speed nearly close to that of sound itself. The craft hummed with power as its engines pushed it through the air.

Lizzie felt that power flow through her body, as if she were flying through the air without the aid of the aircraft. She sat in Thunderbird 2's pilot seat. Lizzie's hands were on the control wheel and her feet were on the pedals. More amazing than anything else to Lizzie was the fact that she knew how to fly. The Giants had told her to sit in the seat and close her eyes and when she had opened them she knew everything she needed to know.

"This is better than sex!" Lizzie whispered as she moved the wheel and Thunderbird 2 responded by moving slightly to the right. Her body trembled with the power. She had never even learned to drive a car!

"I thought you might like it." Simone said. She was sitting in the seat behind Lizzie. Jessie had the co-pilot's seat and waited her turn. Lizzie didn't need to turn around to know that Simone was smiling.

"Thank you milady!" Lizzie said.

"That's alright dear." Simone said. "You do deserve some fun now and then."

"I can't believe I know all of this!" Jessie said. She pointed to a control. "That's the engine air intake pressure! I know that means! I know what that means!" Jessie nearly jumped up and down in her seat.

"It has missiles and blasters too!" Lizzie said fingering the red button on the control wheel. A thrilling shudder went through her entire body as she did so.

"Well I can't have my second and third Knights not having any skills at all can I?" Simone said.

"I'm second!" Jessie shouted a split second before Lizzie could.

"Damn!" Lizzie swore.

A beep sounded from behind them.

"I know what that is!" Jessie shouted.

"So do I!" Lizzie shouted a second later.

"So pipe down and let me talk." Simone said laughing as she turned on the communicator.

"First Knight to Thunderbird 2." Merry's voice came in clearly. Lizzie sobered a little. There was a tone in Merry's voice that sounded wrong.

"Go ahead First Knight." Simone said.

"I've scouted the location milady." Merry said.

'Milady', Lizzie thought. I bet she doesn't call Simone that when they're in bed together. Lizzie felt a surge of jealousy. Since Merry had gotten together with Simone there had been no three-way giant-to-shrunken woman sex with Simone, Jessie and Lizzie. Jessie didn't mind; she wanted a guy, but Lizzie missed Simone. She missed guys too, but compared to her other partners Lizzie felt that Simone really did care about her. That affection made it special. Also she loved roaming around Simone's giant body, playing with the oversized nipples and drinking an endless supply of fluid from between Simone's legs. She loved to rub her body against Simone's full lips and then have Simone lick her clean. Trouble was Lizzie knew she could never compete with Merry's body. Not even if she was at full size. Lizzie wanted to talk to Simone about it but wasn't sure how.

"You're best place to wait is across the street." Merry said. "There's a new building going up and the steel skeleton will give you good cover."

"Right." Simone said. "Not to worry, I have two excellent pilots."

Lizzie and Jessie smiled at each other.

"You can put the Falcon on hover mode over this building." Merry said.

"No problem dear. Is there anything else?"

There was a delay of almost a half of a minute before Merry replied.

"No. Nothing to worry about. Be careful though. First sign of trouble get out of there at full speed."

"We will dear." Simone said.

"First Knight out."

"Well things are going well." Simone said. "How about pushing the speed a little bit higher Third Knight of Dollopolis?"

Lizzie wasn't sure what gave her more joy, the feel of the engines at her command or Simone using her title for the first time.

"No. Nothing to worry about. Be careful though. First sign of trouble get out of there at full speed."

"We will dear."

"First Knight out." Merry said.

{Transmission stopped.}

Merry knelt down and looked at the bodies. It had taken her nearly an hour to climb up through the insulation, digging her way through the yellow fiberglass. When she had finally emerged into the space between the drop ceiling and the roof Merry had taken a good look around. What she found had done more than shock her. To the left of the pipe was a tragedy. Merry had seen crime scenes before. She could read them.

The first shrunken woman had tried for the shelter of the pipes. She had failed and the nail from the nail gun had gotten her through the chest. The impact had spun her around and she had fallen back against the wall. The second shrunken woman had gotten hit in the stomach and had still managed to crawl to the first. They embraced and died in each other's arms. In the wall around them were at least a dozen nails. Someone had sprayed the space between the drop ceiling and the roof with a nail gun. The shrunken women had fallen a little behind the pipes. Just enough not to be seen easily unless you looked the right way. Not that it looked like anyone had looked very hard.

Merry swallowed hard. The dry air of the crawlspace had mummified the bodies. When alive they were Asian, average size and weight. Their faces though covered with dust and distorted from the dry and cracked skin still had readable expressions. The shrunken woman lying in the lap of the other shrunken woman had died first. The one sitting up had stayed alive long enough to cry. Their faces were etched in anguish and that pain reached out to Merry.

There was nothing special about them that she could see except their size. They had worn no clothing but around their waists were bone shaped dog tags. Merry reached over and carefully lifted one of the tags.

"Subject SW-05" read one side of the tag. The other side was writing that Merry couldn't read.

"What does it say?" She asked.

{Property of Professor Boudocia Margaret}

{The language is ancient Greek.}

{We know who she is.}

A display came up in Merry's helmet. It showed a handsome woman with iron gray hair and soft blue eyes.

{She is a behavioral scientist.}

{Her work was mediocre until about a year ago, then she started getting incredible insights into the working of the mind under stress.}

{Mazes aren't just for mice.}

Merry let the tag fall back and then stood up. She wanted to cover the bodies but she didn't have anything. She forced herself not to look away. Merry wanted to remember this sight, remember this pain.

"Is there anyway to know who they were?"

{We can try.}

{The records from the island might tell us.}

"I'd…" Merry's voice caught in her throat. "I'd like to ask a favor."

{Go ahead.}

"When this is over let me take them to Dollopolis. They deserve a grave and stone at least. A name too. Anything but this."

{If it will be possible then we shall do it.}

That could be Simone, and me Merry thought. Or Jessie and Lizzie. We're so small against the world, without The Group…

"I'd better get ready." Merry said shaking her mind loose from the fear. She took one last look at the bodies and then turned around. She had to find a way to see without being seen.

This stops, Merry promised the two bodies. Whatever it takes, this stops tonight! And if The Group lets me I'll deal with Professor Boudicia Margaret personally.

…To be continued.

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