Macro/Micro GTS Vore stories by Gastric Aztec

[GastricAztec]

Deleted

[GastricAztec]

Deleted

[GastricAztec]

Deleted

[GastricAztec]

Deleted

[GastricAztec]

Deleted

[GastricAztec]

Deleted

[GastricAztec]

Deleted

[GastricAztec]

Deleted

[GastricAztec]

I'm writing this story for National Novel Writing Month 2021, There isn't a lot of vore and it is non-fatal, but in my opinion it is good when it is there.

This story is about a 13-year-old girl from Brobdingnag who journeys to Lilliput. The girl is on a scale 12 times bigger than humans, and the Lilliputians are 12 times smaller than humans, so from her perspective, the Lilliputians are half an inch tall, perfect for swallowing! There is vore in chapter 3.

"Surrender, Lilliput" (F/m, Macro/Micro vore)


Chapter 1: Galatcha of Brobdingnag

Five years after the departure of Lemuel Gulliver, it was the day before the Vernal Equinox. In a humble cottage on the outskirts of Lorbrulgrud, the capitol city of Brobdingnag, a 13-year-old girl with long blonde hair named Galatcha finished her porridge, and wiped her mouth with a napkin.

"Mom, I'm so excited for today!" said Galatcha. "At the town hall, a young woman is going to give a presentation. She is the girl who took care of Grildrig, the tiny man from England!"

Galatcha's mother took the bowl and carried it to the sink in the kitchen.

"You've been planning this ever since you found out about it," said the woman as she returned from the kitchen. "Why are you so interested in tiny people?"

"If I can figure out a way to acquire more of them, I can sell them and get rich! Of course, I plan on keeping one of them for my own, I won't sell all of them."

Galatcha exited her home, and walked to the town meeting hall. The young woman arrived, and gave a speech about her experiences caring for Gulliver, the tiny man who came to be known as Grildrig. A couple of dozen other kids were in attendance. The young woman had been known as Glumdalclitch, though that wasn't her real name. It meant nursemaid in their native language.

When the event was concluded, Glumdalclitch answered questions from the children. Galatcha waited her turn and asked Glumdalclitch about getting to the land where Gulliver lived.

"You would have to ask a scientist," Glumdalclitch replied. "The old man who lives in the lighthouse on the coast would probably know."

Galatcha thanked Glumdalclitch and went straight to the light house on the edge of town, on a cliff overlooking the Ocean. She knocked on the door, and a boy a couple of years older than her answered.

"Can I help you?" the boy asked.

"I'm Galatcha, can you introduce me to the scientist who works here?"

"I'm Mendocino," said the boy, "I'm his apprentice. The scientist is named Mendigar. I'll take you to him."

Galatcha followed Mendocino up the spiral staircase, until they reached the top floor, where the light was located. Because it was daytime, the light was off.

"Professor, a girl is here to see you."

Mendigar was older, but still fit enough to see and move around easily.

"What brings you here?" Mendigar asked.

"I just met with Glumdalclitch, she was the girl who took care of the tiny man from another land. I would like to know how to acquire more of them. Where do tiny people come from?"

"There are three realms, Brobdingnag, Earth, and Lilliput. Brobdingnag and Lilliput were engineered by people a million years more scientifically advanced than we are. The designer left a book in each of the three realms. My job as the custodian of this knowledge is to train my apprentice Mendocino. I have a book left by the designer of this realm that explains the science of the three realms."

"Is Earth where Grildrig came from?" Galatcha asked.

"Yes," Mendigar replied. "And Lilliput is a land where even tinier people dwell. Grildrig was as big to them as we were to him. The people of our race were engineered, we couldn't exist by nature."

"Why not?" Galatcha asked.

"The square-cube law of mathematics states that mass increases eight times every time the size doubles. In order for people our size to exist, anti-gravitons are suspended in a sub-dimensional matrix within the atoms of everyone and everything on our world."

"If we don't exist naturally, who created us?" Galatcha asked.

"Our civilization was once only in the mind of an author from Earth named Jonathan Swift," Mendigar replied. "About a million years in the future, a scientist forged a new set of realities. Ours is a world of giants, and another is a land of tiny people. In the original novel, we spoke a different language than the people of Earth. When the scientist created this reality, he made it so that all of us speak English, including the tiny people."

"How would someone from Brobdingnag reach the tiny lands you mentioned?" Galatcha asked.

"Only during a solstice or an equinox," Mendigar replied. "And you would need this," Mendigar reached for a twenty-sided shape the size of a softball on the same scale of the Brobdingnagians.

"What is that?" Galatcha asked.

"It is known as the Icosahedron, it is a device that allows people to travel from one realm to another. Sometimes, people can pass into a different realm without one, as Grildrig was able to do."

"Why can we only travel during a solstice or an equinox?" Galatcha asked.

"The designers who created our world and the realm we dwell in did so in a way so that the three realms intercept each other four times a year. The world of Brobdingnag has a more elliptical orbit, and Earth and Lilliput have more circular orbits."

Mendigar went to a chalk board and drew an ellipse, with two circles superimposed on it. He made four X's at the points where the orbits of the three worlds converge.

"When is the next equinox?" Galatcha asked.

"Tomorrow morning, just after dawn," Mendigar replied.

"What would I need to journey to another realm?" Galatcha asked.

"You would need a small boat, a blanket, food, water, a knife and utensils, and several changes of clothes."

"If I left tonight to set out for Lilliput, would you allow me to borrow the Icosahedron?" Galatcha asked.

"I can allow you to use it, if you make contact with the scientist in that realm, my counterpart. He also has an Icosahedron, but it is smaller, on their scale. When you return to Brobdingnag, I want you to bring it with you and give it to me."

"I can do that," said Galatcha. "But why is the other Icosahedron so important to you?"

"With the other Icosahedron, I will be able to travel through time. I could journey to the future and return with technology that will make us powerful beyond all comprehension! Additionally, a second Icosahedron will allow me to harmonize the orbits around the suns of our world and Lilliput, so someone could journey there any day of the year!

Mendigar shifted some of the gears on the outside of the Icosahedron.

"The dimensional portal isn't big enough for a full sized adult as well as the boat from Brobdingnag to pass through. Even Mendocino would probably be too large. With the other Icoshedron, I would have more power and I could open portals large enough for someone my size to pass through. This is why the boat must be small, you are just the right size and mass to pass through the portal."

"I can retrieve the Icosahedron from Lilliput," said Galatcha, "But I need your help with the supplies and the boat."

"I have waited many years to find someone willing to embark on this journey. I can have Mendocino give you the supplies you need. Just get your clothing and menstrual supplies and be here this evening. You need to leave tonight so you will be out on the open Ocean when the sun rises tomorrow. Whatever you do, don't tell your parents that you are about to embark on this journey, or they might forbid you to go."

"I'll do as you instructed!" said Galatcha, and Mendocino took her downstairs and showed her to the door.

Later that afternoon, Galatcha had a knapsack with changes of clothing, a blanket, towels, and personal hygiene supplies. When she knocked on the light house door, Mendocino answered and took her down to the marina where Mendigar was waiting. There was a small boat with oars, and many ceramic jugs of water. There were baskets of food, as well as other supplies she might need when arriving in Lilliput.

Mendigar held the Icosahedron in his hands. "This is programmed to take you straight to Lilliput. Don't tamper with the settings. I wrote instructions on parchment showing you how to reverse the settings to bring you back here when you wish to return. Remember, you won't be able to come back until the day of the summer solstice, so you must leave the night before, just as you are doing now before the equinox."

Mendigar ushered Galatcha to a scale, and weighed her while she held her knapsack. "You're within the weight parameters. I've already weighed the boat and the supplies, you could probably bring about a hundred Lilliputians with you and not be over the weight limit. As far as your other supplies are concerned, when you return to Brobdingnag during the summer solstice, don't bring anything other than what you see in the boat."

Galatcha indicated that she understood, and departed. She used the oars to propel the small boat out into the harbor. Within twenty minutes, she was out at sea. She rowed well into nightfall, until she was too tired to row, and fell asleep.

She awakened early the next morning, and ate some food and drank some water, then began rowing again. The planet came into alignment at a specific time, and a dimensional confluence surrounded her. She was pulled into another realm, and soon spotted land.

She rowed toward the land, and came ashore. She got out and pulled her boat in, and pulled it up onto the beach until it was high up enough not to get pulled out when the tide rose. She took her supplies in two knapsacks, and carried them onto land.

She spotted a small cobblestone road with cobblestones the size of small pebbles. Two of the tiny inhabitants saw her. They stood about half an inch tall, by the system of measurement that Galatcha's people used.

"Ahoy!" said Galatcha, as she lifted her right foot up onto the hill where the tiny people stood. They ran off in fear, toward the nearby settlement.

A group of teenage boys were spying on her. One of them was Galatcha's age, a boy named Iota.

"I want to make first contact with the giantess!" said Iota.

"She could swallow a hundred people our size and come back for more!" said Iota's friend.

"She's already here," said Iota. "Maybe she's not here to conquer. If she's not a cannibal and I can make friends with her, I'll be hailed as a hero! We can use her to fight the Blefuscans!"

The other two boys ran back to town while Iota introduced himself to the giantess.

Galatcha looked down and saw the boy. She set her knapsacks down and collected him in her hands, and smiled down at him.

"I'm Galatcha, what is your name?"

"I'm known as Iota! What brings you to Lilliput?"

"I'm an explorer," Galatcha replied. "I need to find a scientist who posseses a device known as an Icosahedron."

"The king can track him down for you, but first you need shelter," said Iota. "I know of a large cave that will be just big enough for you to use. It's the biggest cave in all of Lilliput!"

"Can you direct me to the cave?" Galatcha asked.

The boy directed Galatcha to set him on her shoulder, then she picked up the two knapsacks and carried them. Within an hour they arrived at the cave, after trekking through the wilderness outside the city limits of Lilliput.

Galatcha entered the cave, and set her friend down on the floor of the cave. She emptied her knapsacks and began organizing her belongings.

"I'll have to go back to my boat to retrieve all of the water bottles," said Galatcha. "But I've got enough supplies with me to last me through the night."

Galatcha left Iota behind and went out to scour the countryside for rocks suitable for a table. She found three of them, two that could serve as supports, and a long horizontal rock that could serve as a table. She set them up inside the cave, and set a towel down on top to serve as a table cloth. She got out some of her food, and a goblet she filled with water. She lifted Iota up onto the table.

"Would you like to dine with me?" Galatcha asked.

The two teens ate and discussed their worlds, and the differences between the two.

"My friends were worried that you were going to eat us!" said Iota.

"You're certainly small enough," Galatcha replied. "But I don't want to hurt anyone."

"The king might want you to conquer our enemies, the Blefuscans!" said Iota.

"Who are they?" Galatcha asked.

"They have an armada of 300 ships," said Iota. "They are our mortal enemies!"

"I can capture them if that's what your king will want," said Galatcha. "But first I need to get the rest of the supplies from my boat and bring them here."

Iota remained behind while Galatcha returned to the boat. She made two trips, bringing her ceramic water jugs back to the cave. She set her blankets down and rested while Iota remained on the table.

"So tomorrow, can you take me to the king?" Galatcha asked.

Iota reassured her that he would. Galatcha lifted Iota and set him on the floor of the cave, at his request.

"I'll tell the royal family, and notify them that you are not hostile!" said Iota. "I'll come back tomorrow morning!"

Iota departed and returned to the royal city. He arrived two hours later at the front of the castle. The guards were uninterested in letting him inside.

"I've befriended the giantess!" Iota shouted to the guards. "She will be our most powerful ally!"

A count overheard what the boy was saying, and told the guards to let him through.

"So you've made friend's with the giantess, have you?" the count asked.

"Yes! Her name is Galatcha!"

The count brought Iota before the king in the royal court.

"This boy claims to have charmed the giantess who arrived recently."

"Bring her to me!" the king told Iota.

"I can have her here before night fall!" said Iota, and he ran out of the castle and headed back up into the hills to find Galatcha.

To Be Continued!

[GastricAztec]

"Surrender, Lilliput"

Chapter 2: Forge of Lilliput

While Iota made his way back to the giant cave where Galatcha resided, the Count explained the logistics of having the giantess in Lilliput to the king.

"That giantess may be of use to us, your majesty, but if she turns on us, we need to be prepared. There are many fields of hemlock groves, we need to have some of that hemlock put in barrels so the archers can tip their arrows in it, in case we need to kill her."

"That sounds like a good plan, Count Champurrado! You are thinking ahead, and I like that!"

"You do realize that we are going to have to feed her, don't you?" the Count asked the king. "Despite her young age, she can eat as much as an army in one meal."

"Do you have any suggestions?" the king asked.

"I suggest you put her to work, to earn her keep!" said the Count.

"What type of work would you suggest?' the king asked.

"We've needed a canal to bring water from the highlands to the more populated regions for some time now. She is large enough and strong enough to get the job done in a matter of months. It would take our workers years to accomplish the same task!"

"My plan was to have her take on the Blefuscan armada, and utterly crush them!" said the king.

"She could do that first, your majesty. Then she could get to work on the canal. We would need metal workers to forge a large shovel for the giantess to use, it would be a momentous undertaking."

"Do we have enough metal to make such a shovel?" the king asked.

"We could take donations from everyone in the kingdom. You could issue a tax declaration that everyone must donate their bodyweight in copper. The giantess herself could help us dig the sand mold, and we have enough metal workers to melt the copper and work the metal."

"I'll put you in charge of this operation, Count Champurrado!"

"It will be done according to your will, your majesty!" said the Count as he bowed. "There is one more matter concerning the giantess we must discuss."

"And what is that?" the king asked.

"We need to get as much syrup of Ipecac as we can, and put it in barrels. It is an expectorant, if the giantess swallows someone of importance, we can have her drink the Ipecac syrup to vomit them up!"

"Do we have enough Ipecac to accomplish this?" the king asked.

"I have spoken to a farmer, and according to him, we have more than enough, it's just a matter of getting it into barrels that will be the most laborious aspect of the job."

"I will have my men do this immediately!" said the king. "In the meantime, get that giant shovel constructed."

Count Champurrado bowed to the king and said, "So as it is written, so let it be done!"

Meanwhile, back in the cave, Galatcha was setting up her belongings and getting accustomed to her new home. She had her blankets in the rear of the cave, away from the mouth of the cave. On the stone table she had set up, she had a towel as a table cloth, and a drinking vessel and utensils for eating. Her ceramic water jugs were set to the right of the table. Her spare clothing was folded and set on top of her knapsacks, which were neatly set at the head of where her blankets were, to be used as a pillow.

Iota arrived, out of breath.

"Iota, I didn't expect you back so soon!" said Galatcha.

"The king seeks an audience with you at once! You must take me to the royal palace!"

Galatcha scooped Iota up and carried him. She followed his directions and made her way to the capitol city of Lilliput. Once she reached the outskirts of the city, Galatcha's immense mass crushed the cobblestoned streets, leaving indentations.

"I hope I'm not causing too much damage!" said Galatcha.

When she reached the front of the palace, several dozen archers took aim at her, in case she tried to attack. The king was summoned, and he came out and told the archers to lower their weapons. The king then spoke to the giantess.

"My farmers and bakers will provide you with food while you're here, but you must work for us."

The king spoke to her about the canal she would need to build, and asked her if she had any cutting implements she had brought with her from her homeland. Galatcha indicated that she had a knife, and the king explained that she would need to dig a mold with her knife so his metal workers could pour molten metal in the shape of a shovel that she could use. The king explained that it would take Galatcha several months to dig the canal.

Galatcha agreed to dig the canal. She told the king that she would immediately retrieve her knife from the giant cave to dig the mold for the shovel. While Galatcha returned to the cave, the workers began preparing the syrup of Ipecac as Count Champurrado had suggested.

The barrel workers had some empty barrels already constructed, but put in double time building more. A barrel half the height of a Lilliputian would only seem to be a quarter of an inch tall from Galatcha's perspective, so it would take dozens of them filled with Ipecac syrup to function as an expectorant for such a large girl.

Count Champurrado oversaw the operation, while simultaneously making sure the metal workers were gathering the copper needed for such a huge shovel. Tax collectors went door to door collecting copper, and put the collected metal in wagons hauled by horses.

The Count got the kingdom's most revered engineer, and had him scout out a piece of land on the perimeter of the royal city, to be used as a mold. Dozens of workers using digging tools marked off the areas that needed to be dug by the giantess, and they got to work. Within an hour, they had the critical areas marked where they needed Galatcha to dig.

Staffs were buried with flags tied to their tops, so the giant girl would know where to use her knife. For the men of Lilliput, it would have taken many days to dig the mold for the shovel, but because Galatcha was so huge, she would be able to do it in one afternoon.

By the time the posts were in where they wanted Galatcha to dig, she had reached the cave again. The young giantess retrieved the dagger they had told her to get, and returned to the royal palace. There, the king appointed someone to show her where the digging site was located. She carried the tiny man in the palm of her hand, and he directed her where to go.

When she arrived at the site, Galatcha was amazed at how industrious the Lilliputians were. They were already getting the furnaces set up to melt the copper that would be poured into the mold. There were hundreds of horse drawn carts full of copper. Count Champurrado explained where he wanted Galatcha to dig, and she got the job done within an hour.

When she was done, she watched as the workers got to the edge of the pit she had dug and got ready to pour the molten copper. When the foreman was ready, they all poured simultaneously, from every side of the mold. When the copper was poured, they stepped back to let it cool off. Dozens of workers had files they could use on the shovel, to cut off the excess that wasn't needed.

Count Champurrado urged Galatcha to pick him up and carry him back to the palace. Galatcha did as she was told, and soon they were in front of the palace. The cobblestones were crushed further into the ground than they had been before she had first arrived.

Someone summoned the king, and he came out to address Galatcha.

"I'm so sorry for the damage to your streets!" said Galatcha. "They weren't designed for someone my size!"

"Don't concern yourself with the damage to the streets, young giantess!" the king replied. "We have more pressing matters to deal with."

"Do you need my help with something, your majesty?" Galatcha asked.

"Yes," the king replied, "we need you to help us defeat the armada of the Blefuscans. We had a giant named Gulliver who attacked them about five years ago, but he left and never returned. During the interim, the Blefuscans have built an armada 300 ships strong!"

"What do you need from me?" Galatcha asked.

"Tomorrow at dawn, we will send a courier to awaken you. I want you to go out into the harbor and attack the Blefuscan fleet. Do you have any netting at all?"

"I have a net I brought with me from Brobdingnag, your majesty."

"Bring it with you when you attack the Blefuscans. I want you to retrieve their ships, and carry them with you back to Lilliput. We need to analyze their ship designs. When you bring the ships, carry them to high ground, so they won't have access to the Ocean."

"I'll gladly do that, your majesty!" said Galatcha. "But I have a favor to ask you. There is a device known as an Icosahedron. A scientist in Brobdingnag has one on my scale, and he asked me to retrieve the Icosahedron that a scientist here possesses and return with it to Brobdingnag."

"I will seek out the scientist who has such a device and give it to you if you do the things we ask of you. In the meantime, return to your cave, and I will send a thousand men with barrels and baskets of food for you. You need your rest if you are going to attack the Blefuscan fleet tomorrow at dawn!"

Galatcha thanked the king, and departed. About an hour after she returned to her cave, the workers arrived with the food the king had promised.

When she was done eating her dinner, Iota arrived. Galatcha scooped him up and set him on the table she had fashioned from stone, that was adorned with a towel for a table cloth.

"How do you like working for the king?" Iota asked.

Galatcha answered as she retrieved the netting she had promised the king she would use tomorrow. "I'm glad to help, but I never thought I'd be taking orders here, I thought I would be giving them. See the net I'm going to use?"

"Yes," Iota replied, "but you'd better get the idea of giving orders around here out of your head. A thousand archers with poison tipped arrows could easily kill you if they wanted to. You may be huge, but you're not indestructible. Even now, hundreds of barrels are being filled with hemlock in case you rebel. I could be killed if they find out I warned you!"

"Thanks for the warning," Galatcha replied. "I just want to collect some captives and return to my homeland. But I have to wait for the arrival of the summer solstice before I can return home. But don't worry, your secret is safe with me."

Galatcha gathered all of the barrels and baskets her food had come in and set them by the mouth of the cave.

"They sent me a lot of food, but still, by my standards, it wasn't a very big meal. I hope I don't go hungry here!"

"What is your plan in reference to attacking the fleet tomorrow?" Iota asked.

"I'm going to carry about twenty ships in the netting, and make multiple trips. Do you want to go with me?"

"I'll stay behind and wait for you to return. I don't want to get caught in the middle of a war!"

"That probably would be best," Galatcha declared.

"But what are you planning on doing with any Belfuscans you capture?" Iota asked. "Will you kill them?"

"I plan on swallowing them," said Galatcha. "I wonder how many could fit within my belly?"

"There's 300 ships, and about twenty or so men on each ship, I don't think even you could swallow that many, Galatcha!"

"I can sure try!" said Galatcha, with a sinister smile on her face. "I suppose I could enslave whoever I couldn't swallow."

"I'll leave you to get a good night's rest," said Iota. "Tomorrow you're going to make history!"

Iota departed, and Galatcha watched the sunset from the mouth of the cave before going to sleep for the night.

To Be Continued!

[GastricAztec]

"Surrender, Lilliput"

Chapter 3: Attacking the Blefuscan Armada

Galatcha was awakened by a large number of Lilliputians carrying baskets and barrels of food for her breakfast. The sun was just beginning to rise in the East. She quickly ate, then listened to the instructions of a Lilliputian military officer, General Pozole. He instructed her on how to reach the Blefuscan fleet.

"If you don't defeat the entire fleet today," the general explained, "they might find a weakness of yours and exploit it. I don't think it would be impossible for them to find a way to dip their arrows in poison and overwhelm you if you go back on a different day for a second attack."

"I understand, general!" said Galatcha.

When she had heard and understood the instructions, Galatcha took the netting that Mendigar had given to her and exited the cave, heading toward the coast. She remembered General Pozole's instructions and when she came to the cliffs at the beach, she headed in the direction she was instructed to travel. Because of her immense size, Galatcha could see the land of Blefuscu in the distance, so she wouldn't need to swim far.

In the center of the channel, the water was only slightly deeper than her height. Before long, she could stand and walk instead of treading water. She could see the port where the Blefuscan fleet was anchored. At this early hour of the day, the sailors were caught unaware when Galatcha attacked.

Galatcha grabbed the nearest ship and lifted it easily. She took her net, and tossed the ship into the net. Blefuscan sailors jumped overboard into the bay to escape the wrath of the giantess who was conquering them. Galatcha grabbed a second ship, and did the same, stuffing it into the net, then grabbed a third ship. Sailors jumped into the water, and yelled to alert the sailors on the other ships.

When she had collected about twenty ships in the netting, Galatcha returned toward Lilliput. When she reached land, she climbed the cliffs and headed to high ground, and retrieved the ships from the netting, and set them down. The Lilliputian army was waiting, in case there were still Blefuscans on board the captured vessels. There were, and the Blefuscan sailors were captured by the Lilliputians.

Galatcha took the netting and retuned for a second attack. This time, there were archers waiting for her on the piers. They shot hundreds of arrows in her direction. Galatcha swatted the archers with her right hand, while holding the net in her left hand. A group of archers were reaching for more arrows, so Galatcha grabbed a group of them and lifted them to her mouth. She tossed them in, and swallowed them. Some of the other Blefuscan archers saw this, and ran off in terror. Other archers were undaunted, and continued to fire arrows at her.

Galatcha blocked her face from a volley of tiny arrows, then reached down and grabbed the offending archers and swallowed them, as well. Before long, she had swallowed all of the remaining archers.

And so it went, she would capture about twenty ships, return to Lilliput and deposit them on high ground, then return to Blefuscu and capture twenty more. It took several hours to capture all 300 vessels, because it took about half an hour to reach Blefuscu and return to Lilliput with the captured vessels.

By noon, Galatcha had captured all 300 vessels.

The Lilliputian army cheered when Galatcha brought in the last of the enemy vessels. All of the captured sailors were gathered together and put in chains. One Blefuscan sailor was adamant that what the Lilliputians did was against their code of war.

"The giantess you have in your service swallowed Prince Churro! He was one of the archers she devoured!"

General Pozole heard of this, and told a contingent of his soldiers to retrieve a hundred barrels of Ipecac syrup, and bring it to the site where the enemy vessels were gathered. They left immediately, and returned less than an hour later with the barrels.

"Galatcha!" said Genreal Pozole. "When you swallowed the enemy soldiers, you swallowed a member of the Blefuscan royal family. We need you to vomit up the captives you devoured!"

The one hundred barrels of Ipecac syrup were opened, and the giantess took a swig from each one. When she had swallowed about twenty barrels full, she began to gag, and vomited in a canyon not far from the Lilliputian military.

She had swallowed about thirty Blefuscans, and they emerged unscathed.

"It looks like they're none the worse for wear!" said Galatcha with a sinister smile.

The Lilliputian soldiers gathered around the men the young giantess had vomited up, and apprehended them.

"We've found Prince Churro!" said one of the soldiers.

"On behalf of the armies of Lilliput, we thank you for your assistance, Galatcha!" said General Pozole.

"But now that I vomited, I'm hungry again!" said Galatcha.

General Pozole ordered his soldiers to retrieve enough food to feed the giantess. Within an hour, they returned with hundreds of baskets and barrels of food. Bread, meat, cheese, fruits and vegetables. Galatcha took the food and ate, grateful that she had enough to sustain her. After eating a hundred baskets of bread, a hundred baskets of meat, fifty baskets of produce and fifty baskets of cheese, she felt satisfied, though she could've eaten more if it had been available.

Galatcha excused herself and went to the site where the metal workers had poured the copper into the mold the day before, to make a shovel. The shovel was formed, but there were rough edges that were being filed down by scores of Lilliputian workers. Count Champurrado assured the giantess that the shovel would be ready the following day, so she could begin digging the canal.

"We have shifts of workers toiling around the clock!" the Count assured her. "You should be able to begin work after breakfast tomorrow!"

Galatcha excused herself and returned to her cave. When she arrived, Iota was waiting outside the cave for her.

"I didn't want to enter your cave without your permission!" said Iota.

Galatcha collected him and set him on her stone table.

"So did you devour any Blefuscans this morning?" Iota asked.

"Yes, but one of them was a member of the royal family, so General Pozole forced me to vomit them back up."

"So they all survived?" Iota asked.

"As far as I know," Galatcha replied. "I don't like being a cannibal, yesterday I was all for it, but after actually doing it, it feels different."

"If you change your mind, you could be a military machine for the Lilliputian army!" said Iota. "If you swallowed a hundred enemy soldiers a day, every day, you could defeat their army in a matter of weeks!"

"The general said it isn't a good idea to attack them again," said Galatcha. "They might figure out a way to kill me. And I don't appreciate being used as a tool for the military."

"But you're like a war machine!" said Iota. "You could destroy a hundred enemy armies, and they could fall prey to your titanic tummy!"

Galatcha grabbed Iota and lifted him into the air, above her mouth. "You want me to be used as a weapon of war? How about I swallow you, instead?"

Galatcha lifted Iota higher, and dropped him into her mouth. She closed her lips with him inside, then began laughing. She opened her mouth and lifted him out.

"I wouldn't really swallow you, Iota. I was just teasing you! The main reason I had a change of heart is because if I swallowed someone, I might have to vomit him back up, and I would waste precious food that way."

"So you're not going to swallow anyone any more?" Iota asked.

"I don't foresee it happening," Galatcha replied. "I have to get to work tomorrow digging that canal, and it will take many hours a day for months."

"Suppose General Pozole orders you to execute Blefuscans by swallowing them?" Iota asked. "Will you refuse?"

"I can only take so many orders," Galatcha replied. "There is a lot I would do for Lilliput, but they can't turn me into a killer for their needs. If they want me to attack Blefuscu again and force their army to surrender, then so be it, but I won't hurt any of them."

Galatcha set Iota down on the ground.

"I will return to the royal palace and tell the king of your wishes," said Iota.

"Tell them I want to be kept informed of their progress tracking down the Icosahedron." Galatcha grabbed it from the stone table and showed it to Iota. "It is just like this, but on a smaller scale."

"I'll find out, and bring you the news!" said Iota.

Iota made his way down the mountains, and into the capitol city. When he reached the palace, he drank some water from the fountain, and informed the guards that he had information about the magnificent maiden who had conquered the Blefuscan fleet earlier that morning.

Count Champurrado arrived, and asked for any updates.

"Galatcha doesn't want to kill anyone," Iota proclaimed. "The most she would do is command the armies of Blefuscu, and force them to surrender to the Lilliputian army, but she won't hurt anyone."

"The Blefuscans won't be a problem now that their armada has been captured," said the Count. "We need her digging that canal tomorrow morning. She will save our economy a great deal by getting that done, but with the amount of food it takes to feed her, it balances out. Still, it's worth it to us to have her here working for us."

"She wants to know the progress on tracking down the Icosahedron!" said Iota.

"I'll look into it right now," said the Count. "Come into the palace and have some food while you wait."

Iota followed Count Champurrado into the palace, and was led to a dining hall where he was served ample amounts of food.

Meanwhile, the Count went to the chief scientist of the Lilliputian royal court.

"I don't have the slightest idea about such a device," said the scientist.

Across the court, a group of Blefuscan sailors were being interrogated by the king. One of them heard the conversation between the Count and the scientist.

"It's in Blefuscu!" the sailor proclaimed. "If I tell you where it is, will you release me?"

The Count approached the Blefuscan sailor, and grabbed him by the collar. "If you tell me where to find the Icosahedron, we won't kill you, Blefuscan mongrel!"

"The Icosahedron is at the light house on the coast of Blefuscu, in our capitol city! The keeper of the light house is known as Sabio!"

Count Champurrado approached the king. "If we get the Icosahedron now, we can use it as a bargaining tool with the daunting damsel! She will do what we ask of her as long as we have it, but once we give it to her, we lose our power over her!"

"It would be foolish to send a garrison to Blefuscu now, so soon after our attack," said the king. "I want to send Galatcha to retrieve it, along with one ship of our soldiers, protected by her."

"If we send Galatcha now, so soon after the attack, they might have gathered enough hemlock to dip their arrows and poison her!" said the Count. "I say we send a group of spies by night to storm the light house in Blefuscu tonight! We'll have the Icosahedron by dawn tomorrow!"

"We will do it your way, but if that doesn't work, we will send the giantess and a ship as I had instructed earlier."

"Thank you, your majesty!" said the Count, before bowing and leaving the royal court.

The Count entered the royal dining hall and waited for Iota to finish his food.

"Tell the giantess we have located the Icosahedron, but we need to travel a distance to retrieve it. We could have it soon!"

Iota promised to deliver the Count's message, and made his way back to the giant cave where Galatcha was staying. When he arrived, he told her what the Count had told her.

"Do they need help?" Galatcha asked. "If the Icosahedron is in a foreign land, I could offer assistance. It is very important to Mendigar that I return with that device!"

"I only know what I was told," said Iota. "They should have it soon!"

"I sure hope so!" said Galatcha with a look of concern on her face. "I can't fail on my mission!"

To Be Continued!

[GastricAztec]

"Surrender, Lilliput"

Chapter 4: Commanding the Armies of Lilliput

The king appointed a crew of six expertly talented military men, and sent them in a boat to Blefuscu under cover of darkness. When they got close to shore, they could see the light house where the captured Blefuscan officer had said the scientist named Sabio kept the Icosahedron that Galatcha was after.

They came ashore far from the light house, in an unpopulated area. Wearing black clothing, they made their way back to the light house, only to find it heavily guarded. There were at least twenty different guards surrounding the light house.

'What should we do?" a corporal asked the commanding officer. "Should we attack?"

"Twenty against six doesn't look good," said the commander. "I say we turn back and report to the king that they know the value of the device the young giantess is after, and are guarding it accordingly!"

The six men returned to their boat and pushed off, and headed back toward Lilliput.

When they reached the shores of Lilliput, they went straight to the palace, where the king was waiting for news of the operation. The men told him what had occurred at the light house.

"The best way to retrieve the Icosahedron is for Galatcha herself to attack, while a galleon of our soldiers storm the light house to retrieve it!" said the commander.

"I'll order General Pozole to train the giantess to command the armies of Lilliput tomorrow, so she can prepare to conquer the capitol city of Blefuscu. We might only need to send one ship with her to acquire the device from the light house that she needs."

"Excellent idea, your majesty!" said the commander.

The next morning, when Galatcha awakened, a thousand Lilliputians brought her breakfast in barrels and baskets. General Pozole was among them.

"We need to train you to help us strike the capitol city of Blefuscu!" said the general. "When you are done eating, the armies of Lilliput are awaiting you in the large meadow near the shore. You can carry me there with you so I can teach you how to command the armies of Lilliput!"

"So I will accompany a garrison to Blefuscu to attack them while your soldiers acquire the Icosahedron?" Galatcha asked.

"Yes," the general answered.

"When do we attack?" Galatcha asked.

"It depends on how long your training takes," said the general. "You might be an all-powerful giantess, but you're still a young girl, so we can't anticipate how long it will take for you to learn the ways of war."

"You need to ensure that the scientist who is the caretaker of the Icosahedron is taken alive, I need him to show me how to use the device."

"I will inform the king of your request, Galatcha."

After eating, Galatcha carried a ceramic water jug in one hand, and the general in the other as she walked to the meadow by the shore where the training would commence. She set him down carefully, then set the water jug out of the way and looked out at the vast number of the Lilliputian armies. There were thousands of troops, all standing in lines awaiting orders from the general or Galatcha.

The general briefly explained to her how to command the armies, and soon, she took to it like a duck to water. Galatcha stood at attention, with her arms akimbo, her fists on her hips. The troops marched in single file, and marched in front of the young giantess, beneath her and between her shoes, and in circles around her.

Iota came to the meadow to watch the military exercises. He sat on a rock on top of a hill overlooking the meadow. From a distance, Galatcha looked like an ordinary girl in her early teens commanding an army of toy soldiers.

The king rode up on his horse to overlook the spectacle. General Pozole informed him that Galatcha needed the scientist who was the caretaker of the Icosahedron to be taken alive. The king told the general to inform Galatcha that the utmost care would be taken to reserve his life.

After an hour of training exercises, the general let Galatcha and the troops take a break. The young giantess went and took a swig of water from her jug, and spotted Iota.

"How do you like commanding the armies of Lilliput?" Iota asked.

"It's like owning a horde of obedient toys!" said Galatcha.

"Just remember, what you're training for isn't a game. In order to invade Blefuscu, your life and the lives of the soldiers who accompany you will be at risk. You need to take this training seriously!"

Galatcha put the cork lid into the top of the jug and set it down.

"This operation involves conquering the troops of Blefuscu and forcing them under my command," said Galatcha. "I'm not training to command Lilliputians, it will be the Blefuscans who will fall under my power."

Galatcha and the troops got back to training. By the time of the mid-day meal, they were done with the operation. A large contingent of Lilliputians brought food to Galatcha, and the general declared the operation a success.

"Well done, Galatcha!" said the general. "The king had informed me that you have done well, and you may attack Blefuscu when you finish your lunch!"

As the troops dispersed, Galatcha took her food and went to the top of the hill where Iota was sitting and waiting for her.

"I'm so close to completing my mission!" said Galatcha. "I'm so happy!"

"I'm worried about you," said Iota.

"Why?" Galatcha asked.

"It's a dangerous mission, even for someone your size. I overheard some of the military officers talking about it, and they said you're too young and naive to understand the dangers they're putting you in. Even though you're 144 times bigger than a Lilliputian girl, the Blefuscans can still hurt you."

"My father was in the army before I was born," said Galatcha. "He told me the dangers of serving in the military. Besides, I'm a good swimmer."

"Just be careful," said Iota.

Galatcha shared some of her food with Iota, and looked across the bay toward Blefuscu. In the distance, she could see the vague outline of cliffs in the distance. She knew it would be more difficult this time, compared to stealing the ships like she did the day before. It was imperative that Sabio, the keeper of the light house, remained alive.

Galatcha returned to the cave to get changed. Her dress that she wore to attack the fleet was still drying in the sun, and she wanted to wear it so she wouldn't have too much wet clothing. When she was changed, she returned to the meadow and met up with the soldiers who would accompany her to Blefuscu.

The ship sailed off into the bay, and caught a good tail wind, crossing the channel with ease. Galatcha entered the water and headed off in the same direction as the ship. She overtook it, just as the general had instructed her to do, and swam toward Blefuscu.

When she reached the opposite coast, she spotted the light house where Sabio resided. There were no ships to counterattack the Lilliputian galleon, because Galatcha had collected all of them. Galatcha reached the beach and ascended up the cliffs. Blefuscan soldiers gathered as the townspeople fled in fear. Archers stood ready, until their commander ordered them to shoot at the young giantess.

The Lilliputian ship threw their anchor and awaited Galatcha's signal that the capitol city was contained, so they could disembark and storm the light house.

Galatcha used her left foot to swipe at the archers before they could fire their arrows at her. The armies of Lilliput and General Pozole had trained her so well, that she was able to do this without injuring the Blefuscan soldiers.

"I command you to surrender to me at once!" said Galatcha. "I will destroy all those who oppose me, but if you give me what I want, nobody will get hurt!"

She continued to sweep her feet at the archers. "I only want to retrieve Sabio and the Icosahedron! I don't want to hurt anyone!"

The Blefuscan soldiers refused to yield. There were some structures nearby, so the young giantess raised her right leg and stomped on one of them, utterly crushing it. The people who resided in that structure had fled long before she had arrived. Galatcha stomped on another structure, demolishing it, as well.

"I won't stop until I have the Icosahedron!" said Galatcha. She was so massive that she didn't need to shout to be heard, she simply had to speak and she could be heard for miles, according to the scale of the Blefuscans and the Lilliputians.

Galatcha could see the light house, and made her way there. She saw the twenty guards, and grabbed them. She walked to the edge of the bay, and tossed them in. They plunged safely into the water. The Blefuscan soldiers made their way toward the light house, but Galatcha stomped in the road hard enough to make an indentation deep enough to block their progress. She wrecked a couple of structures, then dropped the debris into the canyon she had created by stomping into the road way.

Galatcha turned and looked at the Lilliputian ship and aid, "Ahoy!"

This was the signal she and the general had agreed on to notify the Lilliputian soldiers that the area was secure. They came ashore in a life boat and headed up the cliff to the light house. Once inside, they went up the spiral stair case and captured Sabio, and collected the Icosahedron.

The Lilliputian soldiers brought Sabio to the life boat, and paddled to the galleon and boarded with him. The commander gave Galatcha the signal that it was time to leave. She followed them back into the water, and swam back to Lilliput.

Once they had returned, Sabio was brought to the royal palace, along with the Icosahedron. Galatcha stood there, still wet.

"I have an Icosahedron I brought with me from my world," said Galatcha. "The custodian of the Icosahedron on my world is a scientist named Mendigar, he told me that if it is united with the Icosahedron of your world, it will harmonize the orbits of the world of Lilliput and my world, making it possible for me to return to my world at any time, instead of waiting for the solstice."

"You must bring it to me at once, it takes time for their orbits to harmonize!" said Sabio.

"How long will it take?" Galatcha asked.

"I can't be certain until you bring it to me," Sabio replied.

Galatcha returned to her cave and changed into a dry dress, then set her wet clothing out to dry in the sunlight. She grabbed the Icosahedron and returned to the palace. She set it down next to Sabio, and he urged Galatcha to set him on top. She did so, and he held his Icosahedron in his hands and locked it into position on the top of the larger twenty-sided device provided by Galatcha. The two devices were designed to interact with one another. After shifting some gears on the larger device, Sabio was done.

"It looks like it will take a week before you can return to your own world!"

"Thank you, Sabio!" said Galatcha.

Count Champurrado stood their with the Lilliputian military leaders. "Tomorrow you can start digging the canal we asked you to dig for us, while you wait for your world and ours to harmonize!"

"I'll start immediately!" said Galatcha. "I won't wait for tomorrow."

"The king wants you to get rest," said the Count. "We don't want you falling ill from exhaustion, that water was cold! You need to return to your cave until the morning."

"I'll get some rest, thank you, Count Champurrado!" said Galatcha, and she rose to a standing position and returned to her cave. Iota was there waiting for her, at the mouth of the cave.

"So you're leaving us in a week?" Iota asked.

"Yes, or however long it takes to dig the canal," said Galatcha.

"Take me with you!" said Iota.

"Iota, I was only planning on taking prisoners with me back to Brobdingnag. They will be sold as pets!"

"You can keep me as a pet!" said Iota.

"I'll consider it, if you really want to go with me," said Galatcha.

When the Lilliputians brought Galatcha her dinner, she shared it with Iota. When she was done eating, the young giantess sat and watched the sunset from the mouth of the cave, with Iota on her left knee.

"You're a good companion, Iota. I would hate to see you mistreated, so I need time to think about whether or not I take you with me."

"Shouldn't it be my decision?" Iota asked.

"If you were the only Lilliputian I was taking with me, I wouldn't have a problem," said Galatcha. "But I will be taking prisoners with me, criminals who could hurt you when I'm not paying attention to you. I would have to keep them and you fed, and if they ended up getting access to you, they might try to hurt you, because I show you favor."

"That's a risk I'm willing to take," said Iota.

To Be Continued!

[GastricAztec]

"Surrender, Lilliput"

Chapter 5: Return to Brobdingnag

Galatcha was awakened by the Lilliputians bringing her food for breakfast. General Pozole was with them, as well as Count Champurrado. When Galatcha had finished eating, the general addressed her.

"The shovel is ready for you, workers have been plotting out the course of the canal for the past several days. There are poles with flags on them to guide you, we need a canal as wide as the width of two of your shoes placed side to side."

"How long will it take me to dig the canal?" Galatcha asked.

"We don't know," the general replied, "but after day one our engineers can make a forecast to predict how long it might take."

"Why is this canal so important?" Galatcha asked.

"We have more people living in the capitol city than five years ago, so we need an adequate water supply. If the population keeps expanding, we would run short of water unless we accessed another source. There is a large river up in the mountains, and if you can channel it into a canal, it should bring us enough water to last us for generations!"

"Carry myself and Count Champurrado to the site where we forged the shovel, and the Count will show you what needs to be done."

Galatcha did as she was instructed, and carried the two of them down from the hills to the place where the shovel was, as well as her ceramic water jug. She set the two Lilliputians and the water jug down. The shovel was made of copper, but it had rope tied around the end where the handle was, so she could grasp it more easily.

Galatcha could see the poles, which were as high as an average Lilliputian. There was a colored flag on the tip of each one, and they were placed about a foot apart from one another, according to her standard of measurement. To the Lilliputians, the poles were 144 feet apart from one another.

Galatcha picked up the shovel, and was surprised how it felt in her hands; it was just like any other shovel in Brobdingnag, and the rope tied around the handle made it easier to grasp. She plunged the shovel into the dirt, and tossed the debris aside. She did this several times, until the canal was started. Workers pulled out the pole nearest to where she had started as she worked her way there.

She made progress rather quickly, and within twenty minutes, she had dug about twenty feet, by her standard of measurement. The Lilliputian workers continued to help her by removing the poles that marked off the path of the canal that the engineers had wanted, and she continued until lunch time.

The Lilliputians brought her food for lunch, and after about an hour, she got back to work. She put in a total of about six hours, and made a lot of progress. She had the canal dug into the outer reaches of the capitol city, and had started making her way toward the hills.

When she was done for the day, she took a bath in the Ocean with her dress on, and changed into her other dress that had dried in the sun, and laid her wet dress out to dry. When the Lilliputians brought her dinner, General Pozole informed her of the estimate made by the engineers.

"It should take you several weeks instead of several months! You are far more efficient than we anticipated."

After the general left, she ate her dinner in her cave and watched the sunset with Iota on her knee.

"I don't want to dig a canal for three more weeks, Iota!" said Galatcha.

"What did Sabio say about the Icosahedron?" Iota asked.

"He said it would take about a week for the orbits of the world of Brobdingnag and the world of Lilliput to harmonize!"

"Then leave after a week, and take me with you!" said Iota.

"I just might do that!" said Galatcha, then went to sleep.

When she awakened the next morning, her whole body was sore from all of the exercise. She wasn't accustomed to exerting herself like that. After breakfast, she took her ceramic water jug and met the workers at the site where she had left off the day before, and continued her work. Because of her immense size and strength, she was able to pierce rocks that would've been impenetrable to the Lilliputians. She made about the same amount of progress as the day before, working for about six hours, as she had done before.

For five days this went on, and a lot of progress was made, but still, Galatcha was nowhere near the completion of her task. The general proclaimed that she could have two days off from working. Extra food was brought to her that night, at the end of day five of the job.

Iota was on her stone table, eating with her. When they were done eating, Galatcha picked up Iota and carried him into the town. The Icosahedron she had brought with her from Brobdingnag was still in the town square, near the royal palace. Sabio was making adjustments to the devices when she arrived.

"Sabio, how much longer until the orbits of our two worlds are harmonized?"

"Less than a day!" said Sabio. "The orbits should be aligned tomorrow!"

"So I would be able to return to Brobdingnag?" Galatcha asked.

"Yes!" said Sabio. "Once the orbits of our two world are harmonized, you will be able to leave at any time!"

"What time tomorrow will I be able to leave?" Galatcha asked.

"Before daybreak, so any time after dawn, you will be able to leave!"

"Inform the king that I will be leaving tomorrow," said Galatcha.

"But you must finish the canal!" said Sabio. "You haven't even reached the halfway point yet!"

"I've done enough digging, I'm sure your workers can dig the rest. I must've saved the Lilliputians a lot of money and manpower by the progress I've made so far!"

One of the guards went and told the king that Galatcha was leaving. The king came out of the palace, and spoke to Galatcha.

"What is this about you leaving tomorrow?"

"I can't stay any longer!" said Galatcha. "I came here expecting to be treated like an empress, and instead, I've been put to work fighting your battles and digging your canal!"

"We can pay you more!" said the king. "Make us a request, and we'll meet it! You have been a great benefit to us, because of you, we avoided a dangerous war with the Blefuscans! If you could just wait until you finish the canal, we can offer you any price you name!"

"I don't want to dig for you for another two weeks, even if you could give me a lot of gold and silver," said Galatcha. "My whole body is sore!"

"Can't we make a compromise?" the king asked. "Can you dig for one more five day segment of time, instead of two?"

"I suppose I could do that," said Galatcha. "Just let me bring twenty prisoners with me back to Brobdingnag, and that could be my payment."

The king agreed to this, and Galatcha carried Iota back up into the mountains to her cave. When she had set Iota on the stone table, he asked her, "Why did you give in to the king so easily?"

"I couldn't make him look bad in front of his subjects," said Galatcha. "I was just trying to make him look like a good leader!"

Galatcha continued to dig the canal after her two days of rest were over. For five days, she toiled six hours a day. On day five of her second week of work, she had dug two thirds of the canal.

The next morning, She packed her supplies and made two trips to her wooden boat that she had ridden in from Brobdingnag. She went to the royal palace, where prisoners were waiting in metal cages. Galatcha informed the king that she would be getting ready to depart Lilliput.

There were twenty cages of prisoners, as well as a hundred baskets of food and a hundred barrels of food. Galatcha filled her ceramic water jugs, and took her prisoners to her boat. She made one last trip to the palace to grab the Icosahedrons, as well as Sabio the Blefuscan scientist.

When she made it back to her boat, she pushed off into the Ocean, then used the oars to paddle out into the open Ocean. Before long, the Icosahedron did its job, and she was propelled through a dimensional portal to the world of Brobdingnag. She saw the main port of Lorbrulgrud, as well as the light house where Mendigar and Mendocino worked.

She paddled up to the pier, and tied her small boat. She carried the cages containing the Lilliputian prisoners, as well as Sabio and Iota up to the light house. When she knocked on the door, Mendocino answered.

"I've returned from Lilliput, tell Mendigar that I have the Lilliputian Icosahedron!"

"Mendigar is in prison! Ever since you left, your parents have been searching for you, and Mendigar was blamed for your disappearance."

"We need to have him released!" said Galatcha.

"First, tell me what happened there, in Lilliput!" said Mendocino.

Galatcha told him of her experience, fighting the Blefuscans, living in the cave, and digging the canal.

"You should return home, and let your parents know that you're okay," said Mendocino.

"I'll leave the Lilliputians with you, but I'm taking my friend Iota with me," said Galatcha. She picked up Iota and carried him while she walked down the spiral staircase and exited the light house. She ran home, and returned to the cottage where her family was waiting for her.

"Mom! I'm back!"

Galatcha's mother dropped some dishes she was drying with a rag, and ran up and hugged her daughter.

"I was so worried about you! I thought you'd been kidnapped!"

"I was in Lilliput, a land of tiny people, mother!" said Galatcha.

The mother had a skeptical look on her face, so Galatcha showed Iota to her.

"Don't hurt him, just take him in your hand!" said Galatcha.

"Hi there!" said Iota, waving to Galatcha's mother.

"Then Mendigar was right!" said Galatcha's mother, as she handed Iota back to Galatcha.

"Right about what?" Galatcha asked.

"In court, Mendigar said that he sent you to a world of tiny people and that you would return some day."

"Mother, we have to set him free! They've imprisoned an innocent man!"

"We can go to the court house after you eat lunch, I'm sure the court will believe you when you show them that tiny boy."

Galatcha ate her lunch, getting filled up more than she ever had in Lilliput. "Mother, you wouldn't believe the food portions in Lilliput were so scant that I had been still slightly hungry whenever I finished my meals there, but I didn't want to insult the Lilliputians. This is more food than I've had at one time in three weeks!"

After Galatcha finished her lunch, she went to the court house with her mother. The magistrate was speaking to an attorney, then Galatcha's mother walked up and spoke to him. Galatcha stood aside, and couldn't hear them because they were whispering. A couple of words were spoken loudly by the magistrate that Galatcha could overhear.

"An innocent man?" the magistrate could be heard saying loudly.

Within an hour, a hearing was set up and Mendigar was brought from the prison in chains. Galatcha's mother showed Iota to the court, and that was all it took to convince them to release Mendigar. A jailer used a key on the manacles Mendigar was in, and he was released.

"Mendigar, I left the Icosahedrons at the light house with Mendocino. There are some Lilliputians there, too!"

Galatcha wanted to go with Mendigar, but her mother wouldn't let her go with him. When her father Vincentio returned from work that evening, he was informed of the whole adventure, and said that he forgave Mendigar. After dinner, there was a knock at the door.

When Vincentio answered the door, it was Mendigar.

"I need Galatcha to return to Lilliput!" said Mendigar. "There are forces beyond our control that we need to deal with!"

"Galatcha isn't going anywhere!" said Vincentio, about to close the door in his face.

"Father, can't we at least find out what the emergency is?" Galatcha asked, and her father acquiesced to her request, and allowed Mendigar to enter.

The scientist sat down at the dinner table, and Galatcha's father offered him a mug of tea.

"Now , what is this all about?" Vincentio asked.

"I've spoken to the scientist Sabio, he is my counterpart from Lilliput. After combining our knowledge, we found out that if the Lilliputian Icosahedron isn't returned to Lilliput, the orbits of our two worlds will destabilize, and Brobdingnag could be destroyed! Our world could become too cold if it is pushed away from the sun, or too hot if it moves too close!"

"Then why don't you return it?" Vincentio asked. "She explained all of the science to me, now that the orbits have been harmonized, you won't need both Icosahedrons to return to Brobdingnag once you return the smaller Icosahedron to Lilliput!"

"But I wouldn't be able to return!" said Mendigar. "With both Icosahedrons, I could reach Lilliput, but with only one I couldn't return. Your daughter has a small enough mass to pass through the dimensional portal, but I would be trapped there in Lilliput if I went there! I would need both Icosahedrons to return, but she would need only one!"

Galatcha looked at her father, and he looked back at her.

"Father, we have no choice!" said Galatcha. "You must let me return to Lilliput!"

To Be Continued!

[GastricAztec]

"Micromania" (F/m, Macro/micro, Non-Fatal Vore)

Piper and Lacey are junior high students on California's central coast who live in an age when neutrino dissimilators have made shrinking possible. Criminals are miniaturized and sold at auctions and stores. Join the girls on their quest for captives!


Prologue: Friday Night at Victoria's

In a small town on California's central coast, Latina seventh grader Lacey Brolin and her older sister Piper and their friend Chloe were at their friend Victoria’s home.

The girls were in Victoria’s bedroom. Chloe, Piper and Victoria were in eighth grade, and they wore blue and gold cheer uniforms. Lacey wore the schoolgirl uniform the girls of Lockwood Junior High were obligated to wear, unless they were cheerleaders. Victoria had long blonde hair, while Chloe was half Filipina and half white. Lacey and Piper had tan complexions, with brown hair and hazel eyes.

“Victoria, I thought we were the same age,” said Lacey. “Did you skip a grade?”

“My mom had me in GATE in the fourth grade. That stands for gifted and talented education. I chose to return to school one grade ahead of kids my age because I’m too social to be stuck at home studying by myself with no friends.”

They all had small transparent cubes, each cube containing a captive. The girls were crowded around Victoria's desk. Victoria had a twenty sided icosahedron die in her hand, and rolled it onto her desk. Victoria rolled a 12, followed by an 8. The other girls had less luck, until it was Lacey's turn; she rolled twenty on the first roll.

"Wow, Lacey!" said her sister Piper. "A natural twenty!"

"You win one of our captives," said Victoria. "I have three, so maybe you should take one of mine."

Lacey took one of Victoria's cubes, which contained a convict who had been miniaturized down to about an inch tall in height. Lacey dumped the shrunken captive out into her palm and smiled.

"I'm your new owner!"

‘Swallow him!" said Victoria. “It's part of the initiation!"

"I don't want to kill him," Lacey pleaded.

"He won't die, captives are immortal" said Victoria, holding up a hand held device. "This is a neural stimulator, it can make you puke. Now, if you want to be in our club, you have to swallow him or we'll kick you out! If you want, you can order him around a little bit first, so he can get used to you.”

Lacey held the shrunken man in her hand, and commanded him to march astride her arm to her shoulder and return to her hand, and he did. Lacey held the shrunken man above her head, and slowly moistened her anxious lips.

The other girls in the bedroom began chanting "Swallow him!" in unison as Lacey slowly lowered her captive toward her open mouth.

"Prepare to surrender to the belly of a sovereign seventh grader!" said Lacey assertively, then she let go of her captive, and he dropped onto her waiting pink tongue. Lacey closed her lips, and forced him to the back of her throat, then swallowed.

When he glided down her gullet, Lacey stood up and opened her shirt just enough to reveal her belly button, and stroked it with her other hand. Lacey and the other girls began laughing.

Meanwhile, Lacey's inch-tall captive slid down her gullet and splashed down into her stomach cavity. He tried to hold his breath to conserve air as he swam around in her chyme, but he could still smell the pizza Lacey had eaten for lunch earlier in the day. Though he was smaller and weaker than his mistress, his immortality would protect him from the savage depths of her stomach acids.

"I can feel him Tommy-knocking around in my stomach!" said Lacey, as she thought back to the events of earlier that week.

Part One: First Day of Junior High

Two Latinas were seated on a bed in a bedroom. The older girl was wearing her blue and gold cheer uniform, while the younger girl was wearing a schoolgirl uniform. The older girl said to the younger one: "Now that you're starting junior high school, I need to give you some pointers."

"Like what?" Lacey asked.

"At school, you should drink bottled water." said Piper.

"But if I brought a re-usable water bottle to school," said Lacey, "I could fill it up and save money."

"Then you'd look like a bum. Don't embarrass me, Lacey. I'm on the cheerleading squad, and all my friends are really popular. Mom was given a million dollars for volunteering for that apex athlete experiment, and she gives us a lot of money.”

The two Latinas sat down for breakfast while their mother served them. Their mother was in her 30s, fit, and beautiful. She was wearing shorts that showed legs that were so muscular that she could easily be a professional athlete or power lifter.

“How do you feel about your first day of junior high school, Lacey?”

“I’m nervous, but excited, mom!”

“Do you girls want me to give you a lift to school this morning?”

“No, I want to take Lacey to Zucky’s before school.” said Piper.

As they walked to Zucky’s about twenty minutes later, Piper asked, “Do you still have that hundred dollars you got on your birthday?"

"Yes," Lacey replied. “I have it in my backpack.”

"Then get it and let's go to Zucky's. There's something you need to get before you start seventh grade today."

They walked to Zucky's, a licorice and pop shop that sells other amenities. The girls walked in, and Lacey noticed a cuspidor.

"Why would they have a cuspidor in a licorice shop?" Lacey asked.

"You've never been in here before?" Piper asked.

"No," said Lacey.

"This is the hang-out where they sell shrunken convicts. With a hundred dollars, you should have just enough to afford one."

The girls looked through the window of the display area, and observed at least a dozen shrunken men who stood about an inch tall wandering around.

"Pick one!" said Piper.

"I'll take that Hispanic guy right there," said Lacey. The man behind the counter used a vacuum device to suck the shrunken man Lacey selected, and he was forced into a transparent cube. Lacey handed the man the hundred dollar bill, and he gave her the cube. It had a bed, chair, and a desk.

"Can I take him out of the cube?" Lacey asked.

"Of course!" said Piper. “He's your property now."

“How do I open it?” Lacey asked.

“The cubes are made out of a virtually indestructible transparent carbon compound that the captives can’t escape from. They’re like artificial diamonds. There are tiny air holes for them to breathe. The top slides open like this,” Piper showed her how it was done, “captives are too weak to do what I just did. For them, there is no escape from these cubes.”

Lacey dumped out the shrunken captive onto her open palm, and he walked across to her wrist, and up her forearm.

"How cute!" said Lacey.

"I'll buy a change of clothes for him," said Piper. "All food and water for shrunken people normally would have to be scaled down to their proportionate size, or the cells of their bodies can't process it. You could give them normal size water for a week, and they would die from thirst because it would pass right through their system."

"So we need to feed them?" Lacey asked.

"No, these captives are immortal," Piper replied. "We never need to give them food or water."

Once the girls reached the junior high school, they went to the auditorium and sat next to each other. Piper's friends Chloe and Victoria sat next to her on her left, and Lacey sat next to her on her right. When all the students were seated, a muscular man took the podium at the front of the stage. He spoke into the microphone.

"I'm Coach Contreras, some of the eighth graders know me from last year. I'm going to talk briefly about the stature statute, and how it affects some of the students here. As most of you know, our civilization changed dramatically not too many years ago when scientists developed neutrino dissimilators that can shrink people."

All of the students cheered when he mentioned the neutrino dissimilators.

"He's about to explain the theory of miniaturization," Piper whispered to Lacey, "that's what he did last year."

Piper proved correct. Mr. Contreras went on to say: "Shrinking is a lot more complicated than people realize. The atoms of all elements are made of protons, neutrons, and electrons. These three particles are made up of quark particles that are held together by gluon particles. The neutrino is the smallest particle known to man, with a mass equal to about one-billionth of that of a single proton. It is so small, that neutrino particles emitted by the sun could pass straight through the Earth at near the speed of light, without bumping into any atoms on the way through. The quantum neutrino dissimilator, converts over 99.9999 percent of the matter making up the quarks and gluons of protons, neutrons, into neutrino particles. Once these neutrino particles exited whatever or whoever the shrink ray has been used on, these particles shoot off into outer space at near the speed of light, never to be recovered again. There are also various dimensional fields involved, one of them regulates the body temperature of the shrunken person so they don't freeze to death at their smaller size."

"Now he's going to discuss safe handling of shrunken people," Piper whispered to her sister.

"Most convicts are reduced to a scale of one over seventy-two, which would make a six foot tall man exactly an inch tall. That makes it easier to ensure that your shrunken captives get things reduced to their proper scale. They've been genetically engineered with an immortality serum so they won't need food or water."

"Congress even altered the eighth amendment so that shrunken convicts can be sold as toys. You can swallow them, or do whatever you want to them. But I wanted to mention an experiment that is currently under progress with the mother of two of our students, Lacey and Piper Brolin. Girls, could you please stand up so everyone can see you?"

Piper and Lacey stood, and everyone clapped.

"ADP stands for adenosine triphosphate, and it is a chemical generated by the human body to provide energy for movement. Every activity you undertake requires this chemical. There are currently three methods of adenosine triphosphate production in the human body, but scientists have found another way, utilizing shrunken people as fuel. No shrunken people will be harmed by this process, but their bodies will cause a synergistic reaction that will generate this chemical while the normal-sized host exercises, giving her more energy. Mrs. Brolin, Lacey and Piper's mother, has volunteered to be the host for this experiment, so she is serving our country and humanity! You'll see and hear about this experiment on the news very soon."

Piper whispered in Lacey's ear, "We just became the most popular kids at our school!"

Part Two: Back to Friday night

That Friday night, at Piper's friend Victoria's home, the older girls invited Piper's younger sister Lacey to join their pantheon, as the cheerleaders who are part of the popular crowd at their junior high school. Now that she had swallowed a captive in front of the other girls, Lacey was ready to puke him back up.

"Can you use the neural stimulator on me now?" Lacey asked. "I think he's been in my gut long enough."

Victoria pointed it at her, and Lacey instantly grabbed onto her abdomen. She slouched over a large plastic bowl; her face becoming increasingly flushed. There was a subtle rumble as everyone looked on.

"Here he comes!" Lacey yelled, and she started to vomit into a large plastic bowl that Chloe provided for her. When Lacey fished out her unhurt captive from the puddle of vomit inside the big bowl, the other girls cheered.

"You're one of us now!" said Victoria. You're part of our pantheon!"

Each of the girls held a captive in their hands.

"My captive has a story to tell," said Victoria. "Okay, slave-toy! Tell them about your experience!"

Victoria's captive spoke up while standing on Victoria's palm.

"I was a police officer, and I was falsely accused of planting drugs in the vehicles of people I pulled over. I was framed by another officer!"

"My captive also has a story to tell," said Chloe. "Speak to the group, my loyal slave!"

Chloe's captive stood on her palm and spoke to the group. "I had gone to the bank to pull some money out, I had a large amount of hundred dollar bills because I owed money to someone who was exploiting me. While driving on a highway, a money truck had an accident and a large amount of cash was strewn across the road, and people were pulling over and grabbing the money. I was pulled over and accused of taking some of the money, despite the fact that the denominations I had were hundreds and only twenties had come out of the money truck."

"We have to get you exonerated!" said Lacey, and the other girls began laughing.

"My Aunt Suzette is a lawyer, she can help them!" said Lacey.

"I'm not giving up one of my captives just because he was falsely accused of a crime, Lacey!" said Victoria.

"Me neither!" said Chloe with a wicked smile on her face.

"Can you at least consider giving them a second chance?" Lacey asked.

"I'll do it," said Victoria. She turned her attention to the captive in her hand, and said: "Slave-toy, the Andromeda galaxy is hurdling toward our own galaxy at 250,000 miles per hour. If you can convert that to kilometers per hour, I'll set you free!"

"It's 402,336 kilometers per hour!" Chloe shouted. "I memorized the formula for converting from the Imperial system to the metric system."

"Interference!" Victoria shouted. "Sorry slave-toy, Chloe blew your chance at freedom!"

"They're having a drop party tomorrow," said Piper.

"What's a drop party?" Lacey asked.

"They drop captives in little parachutes from an airplane, and kids from nearby neighborhoods hunt them down. If you catch one, you can keep him."

"If I can capture two of them tomorrow, and I give each of you one of them, will you try to get your captive set free?" Lacey asked.

"Yes, I guess so," said Victoria.

"What about you, Chloe?" Lacey asked.

"If you can find a replacement for my captive, I'll get my original captive exonerated," Chloe replied. "But until then, he's going to surrender to my teenage belly!" Chloe lifted her captive, and dropped him onto her waiting tongue, and swallowed him. Once he was safely within her belly, Chloe lifted her arms in victory, and the other girls cheered. For Chloe’s captive, there was no escape from the predominant Filipina.

Her captive plunged down the length of her esophagus. At an inch tall, he fit very easily within the confines of Chloe's gullet and was soon dispatched to the depths of the belly of the fiery Filipina. He didn't remain there long, Chloe used the neural stimulator to vomit him up, and he soon found himself plunging up and out and into a large plastic bowl.

Victoria grabbed her captive and held him in her hand. "I like to role play with my captive. I have a fantasy I act out where he pretends to be a Lilliputian, and I'm a conqueror from Brobdingnag."

"He's an inch tall though," said Chloe. "If you were from Brobdingnag, he would be half an inch tall from your perspective."

"An inch is close enough," Victoria replied to Chloe, then turned her attention to her captive. "Lilliputian scum, you shall do as I command!"

"It is an honor to obey you, mighty one!" the captive replied. "I live to serve you!"

"You shall build a thousand statues in my honor, to appease me!" Victoria said assertively.

"I would consider it an honor to do so!" the captive replied. "And when I've finished constructing your statues, what would be your next wish?"

"Then I'll command you to build a thousand more!" Victoria said aggressively, then she lifted her captive and dropped him into her mouth and swallowed him.

"Hey!" said Lacey. "That's not fair! He was very obedient to you!"

The other girls laughed. "It doesn't matter," said Victoria. "I just love swallowing him. I've probably sent him crashing to my belly at least a hundred times, if not more. I've actually lost count!"

"What was the longest you've kept a captive inside of your stomach?" Piper asked.

"One time," Victoria replied, "I fell asleep with him inside of my stomach all night. When I vomited him up the next morning, he was still alive!"

The other girls laughed at this.

Part Three: Saturday Morning Drop Party

Somewhere in the central California valley at a prison facility, normal sized prisoners sat and waited for their meal. A guard pushed a food cart with dozens of boxes of pizza.

“Chow’s up!” the guard shouted.

Chuck Ward and several other prisoners were given pizza to fill up on, as they dug in and ate, the guard told them, “You need to fill up before the shrinking process because you will become immortal when you are miniaturized and will not need food for the rest of your lives. The only thing that can kill you is stomach acid. This is your last meal!”

“I was wrongfully convicted,” said Chuck.

“The judicial system is not known for making mistakes,” the guard replied. “You’d have a better chance of getting struck by lightning than being wrongfully convicted.”

“The prosecutor wouldn’t let me take a mind scan to prove my innocence!” said Chuck.

The guard chose to ignore him and continued giving them instructions. “You are all going to a drop party as soon as you are miniaturized. More than likely, most of you will end up getting captured by some titanic twelve year olds or some tyrannical teenagers. Once you’re captured, you’re their property!”

When the prisoners were done eating they were sent to the miniaturization chamber. Chuck and a group of about twenty prisoners were given parachutes to wear, and were standing around waiting for the inevitable. The sizing ratio was set to 1/72, so anyone exactly six feet tall would be reduced to precisely an inch tall. The circuit was closed and they were instantly reduced in size.

Within an hour they were strapped in an airplane soaring toward California’s central coast.

Earlier that morning, Lacey, Piper, Victoria and Chloe left their captives at home while they went to the drop party. Piper and Lacey were there, as well as Victoria and Chloe, and about twenty other kids.

There was tri-tip being served by the sponsors of the event, and the girls had plenty to eat.

The announcer told them to get ready, and a plane flew overhead. In less than a minute, shrunken captives in parachutes rained down on the children. Over twenty acquisitive adolescents stormed the area hunting for tiny people descending from the sky. Lacey captured one right away, she stood with her hands on her hips and a captive landed right inside her mouth.

Most of the captives were captured within the first two minutes, but Chuck Ward was more industrious. There was an abandoned car, and he ran and hid beneath it. Piper and her two friends surrounded the vehicle. Since Lacey had already captured a shrunken convict, she stood and watched.

“You’re surrounded on all sides by thunder children, you might as well surrender!” said Piper to the hiding captive.

“Whose belly would you like to end up inside of, you have a choice between a pair of titanic twelve year olds, or a thundering thirteen year old!” said Victoria, including Lacey in the equation.

“Why don’t you make it easier on yourself and just surrender to one of us? You’re going to end up in someone’s belly any way!” said Chloe.

At that point, other kids started to surround the vehicle, some of them were boys. Not wanting to be part of a sausage fest, Chuck chose to surrender to Chloe.

Lacey Piper, and Chloe had caught captives, but Victoria was unlucky.

“Are you giving me the one you caught, Lacey?" Victoria asked.

"I changed my mind," said Lacey. "I think you should try to win him from me in some sort of contest!"

"I know just the thing!" said Victoria.

Once they were back in Victoria's bedroom, Victoria had put up two targets used in dart games. There were numbers indicating points, with 100 in the center. Both targets were fastened to the wall of Victoria's bedroom. There were three shot glasses filled with liquid. One contained red liquid, one contained blue liquid, and one had green liquid. Duct tape was taped to the carpet about four feet from the targets.

"These shot glasses are filled with corn syrup that has been mixed with food dye," said Victoria. "Whoever spits closest to the captive, wins him. Lacey's captive is taped to one target, and Piper's captive is taped to the other. You have to stand behind the duct tape."

Victoria went first. She poured some of the red dye from her shot glass into her mouth, and swirled it around inside of her mouth. She stood a few feet away from the target, and spat. Her red-tinged corn syrup completely covered the captive.

Next it was Lacey's turn. She took a swig from the shot glass, and spat blue colored dye onto the target, but missed the captive.

"Victoria won that captive!" said Piper. "Now it's Chloe's turn with the other target and captive."

Chloe took some of the green colored corn syrup and spat toward the target, and covered the captive with the green dyed corn syrup.

Piper took a swig from the blue colored dye on the shot glass Lacey had used, and spat onto the target. She got close, but missed the captive.

"Chloe won!" said Victoria. "We both have an extra captive each!"

"Are you going to honor our agreement?" Lacey asked. "You need to get them exonerated of their crimes."

Victoria held her newly acquired captive in the palm of one of her hands. "Slave-toy, I am your new mistress. Tell me, what was your occupation before you got miniaturized?"

"I was a clown at a circus!" the tiny captive replied.

"Can you juggle?" Victoria asked.

The captive answered yes, and Victoria jumped for joy. "Do you know what this means? He can teach all of our captives to juggle, and we can have circuses where we can charge people admission to watch them perform!"

"That's a good idea," said Piper, "and we could split the profits!"

"Lacey, call your Aunt Suzette and tell her about my captive and his situation, we need to get him set free. Now that I have a circus performer for a captive, I can afford to give up my other captive."

"I'll let your Aunt help my innocent captive get freed, too!" said Chloe.

Over the next few weeks, it turned out that Lacey and Piper’s Aunt had too busy of a workload to take on the cases of the captives who had been wrongfully convicted. When their mom informed them of this after talking to their Aunt on the phone, Lacey made up her mind.

“How old do I have to be to take online college classes?” Lacey asked.

“Fourteen,” her mother replied.

“When I turn fourteen, I’m enrolling in junior college classes so I can become a lawyer! I’ll get those captives exonerated, even if it takes me ten years!”

To Be Continued!

[GastricAztec]

"Megan And Her Shrink Ray Gun" F/m, Macro/micro Non-Fatal Vore

Author’s Note: The best vore scenes are in chapter 7!


Chapter 1: Thursday, June 26th, 3321

Story Notes:

I started this story in 1999, and have worked on it off and on for many years. I've written and finished many giantess stories, and I decided to finally finish this story. There will be non-fatal vore, but it will happen in later chapters. I plan on writing 12 total chapters and then making it into a graphic novel, as I am also an artist.

********************************************************

Miniaturized military crew:

Captain Lobo Vargas

Commander Carlos Cody

Sergeant Desiderio Diego

Corporal Luis Lopez

Corporal Huan Hangchow

*********************************

Space pirates:

Scrapper

Gator

Slackjaw
***********************************

Normal-sized 21st century characters:

Megan Weiss, 13 years old

Margaret Weiss, Megan’s 35-year-old mother

Holly Krieger, Megan’s 13-year-old best friend

Leila Landa, 13-year-old school-mate of Megan and Holly

Christopher Krieger, Holly’s 16-year-old brother
***************************************

Chapter 1: Thursday, June 26, 3321, the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter

A cloaked, heavily armed warship hid somewhere inside the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. On board were three brothers, all three of them space pirates. Gator was the second oldest of them, the helmsman and astronavigator. Scrapper was the leader despite being the youngest of these three brothers, because he had military experience. Slackjaw was the communications and weapons expert.

“So what’s happening?” Scrapper asked Slackjaw. Gator sat at the piloting console.

“Every space pirate in the asteroid belt is concentrating on that convoy that’s heading toward Earth. Its transponder signal indicates a top-secret military payload.”

“What’s up with this little blip over here?” Scrapper asked, as he looked at the scanner console.

“The transponder says it’s hauling ore to a processing station orbiting Mars,” Slackjaw replied.

“I think that convoy is a decoy,” said Scrapper, “and that freighter hauling ore to Mars might be the ship carrying that new weapon prototype!”

“How can you be sure?”

“Why would a freighter from Titan haul ore through the asteroid belt?”

“You know, he’s got a point!” said Gator from the piloting console.

“Gator,” Scrapper ordered, “bring us around to intercept that freighter!”

“With pleasure!”

“Slackjaw, try to pick up any conversations inside that space freighter with your scanners.”

Meanwhile, in the cockpit of the space freighter, Captain Lobo Vargas sat in the command chair, while Commander Carlos Cody piloted the ship. Sergeant Diego sat twiddling his thumbs as he supervised Corporal Hangchow, who was repairing a conduit in one of the walls of the large cockpit. Corporal Luis Lopez sat at the scanner console.

“Captain Vargas,” Corporal Lopez asked, “what is it we’re hauling in this old rust bucket, anyway?”

“Space Command didn’t specifically tell me to keep it a secret from you guys, so I guess I can tell you. We’re hauling a new type of neutrino dissimilator cannon that was developed on a space station orbiting Titan. It’s supposed to be able to slice through a quantum force field using hyperspatial technology.”

“You guys should be quiet about that,” said Hangchow. “The walls have ears.”

“Oh, nobody’s going to pay attention to us, Hangchow!” said Sergeant Diego. As far as the rest of the solar system is concerned, we’re just another freighter hauling worthless ore to a processing station. Any space pirate in his right mind is guaranteed to ignore us!”

Corporal Lopez looked up from his scanner console. “Hangchow’s right, sir! Pirates could pick up the conversation without our equipment detecting it!”

“Commander Cody laughed and said, “You guys are getting worked up about nothing!”

Scrapper’s pirate ship closed in on the freighter, but Captain Vargas and his crew didn’t detect it because of the sophisticated cloaking device. Scrapper, sitting in the command chair, waited for an update from Slackjaw.

“We’re within radio range, Scrapper! But we’re too far to engage the freighter with our weapons system.”

“Slackjaw,” said Scrapper, “open an audio-visual channel to the captain of that vessel!”

In the cockpit of the freighter, Corporal Cody picked up the signal from Scrapper’s ship.

“Captain, we’re being hailed!”

Put it on the forward view-screen,” Captain Vargas ordered. “I didn’t expect any radio contact with Space Command this early in our mission!”

“The transmission isn’t from Space Command, sir,” said Corporal Lopez. “It’s coming from a nearby cloaked vessel, but I can’t pinpoint its location!”

“Put it on the main screen!” Vargas ordered.

Just then, an image of Scrapper, Slackjaw, and Gator filled the main forward view-screen. Captain Vargas stood up in utter amazement and whispered, “Scrapper?”

“Lobo Vargas?” said Scrapper. “I didn’t expect you to be in command of this vessel. It’s because of you that I was sent to that prison colony on Triton. Now I have two reasons to kill you!”

“There’s nothing of value on this freighter-” said Vargas, but he was cut off by Scrapper.

“Can the alibi, Vargas! I’ve got your entire conversation with your junior crew members describing the weapon prototype in vivid detail. Would you like me to play back the recording?”

“Corporal,” said Captain Vargas, “close channel, shields up!”

Corporal Lopez did as Captain Vargas ordered, and the cockpit of Scrapper’s ship disappeared from the main forward view-screen.

Scrapper's ship fired weapons.

"Captain, our freighter has sustained damage!" said Commander Cody. "Another hit like that, and we're through!"

“Commander, set a course through temporal space, then phase back and forth between hypertime and temporal space, it’ll be harder for Scrapper to track us!”

“Yes sir! It should take about thirty seconds!”

“We don’t have thirty seconds, commander! Activate the phase initiators now, that’s an order!”

Back on Scrapper’s ship, Slackjaw informed Scrapper that they were in firing range of the freighter.

“Hit them with about ten warheads, that ought to wake them up!”

Slackjaw fired the warheads, and the freighter was rocked with explosions. The shields held up until the last warhead hit. The shields were breached just as the freighter entered hypertime.

“We scored a direct hit with that last warhead,” said Slackjaw. “They must’ve phased into another continuum. If they entered hyperspace, there’s no way to track them. Either way, we caused a lot of damage!”

“Slackjaw, I want you to scan every trans-dimensional continuum for traces of their ship. I won’t be satisfied until Vargas is dead!”

“That might take time,” said Slackjaw, “but we should be able to track them down eventually. So far, I'm not picking up anything in any of continuums used by space command.”

“Time,” Scrapper muttered. “That’s the ticket! Scan temporal space, Slackjaw!”

Meanwhile, on the space freighter, Commander Cody was frantic. “Captain, we’re trapped in a dimensional flux pattern and we can’t break free! The direct hit we sustained damaged the phase initiators! We keep shifting back and forth between hyperspace and hypertime. If we don’t return to normal space before our power source is drained, we’ll end up ripped apart!

“Diego,” said Captain Vargas, “can you and Lopez come up with something? The two of you are the engineers of this operation!”

“I’ve got one option,” said Diego, “but it depends on whether or not we can get the dissimilator cannon online and functional.”

“I have the access codes to get it working,” Vargas replied. “Why? What’s your plan?”

“I say we jettison the main reactor, hold it in place with a tractor beam, and with a second tractor beam, we jettison the dissimilator cannon, and use it to shrink the ship with us on board. If we use the deflector shields to contain the neutrino dissimilator cannon, it should shrink along with us. With our decreased mass, the larger reactor should have enough power to return us to normal space.”

“You’re on!” said Captain Vargas. “Let’s do it!”

After the main reactor was jettisoned and held in place by a tractor beam, the cargo bay was opened, and the neutrino dissimilator cannon was jettisoned. A second tractor beam was used to hold it in place. Captain Vargas gave the command codes to Corporal Lopez to activate the dissimilator cannon, then he gave the order to activate it. The entire freighter along with the neutrino dissimilator cannon had decreased in size, weight, volume, and mass instantly. The reactor remained at normal size.

“We’re nine-sixteenths of an inch tall, captain!” said Corporal Lopez.

“Return us to normal space, Commander Cody!”

Soon the blackness of temporal space was replaced by a view of the Earth on the view-screen.

“We did it!” said Sergeant Diego announced. “We’re back in normal space near Earth!”

“Uh, captain?” said Corporal Lopez. According to my scanners, the positions of the planets and the constellations indicate that we’re in the 21st century. June 12th or 13th, 2008, to be exact. All that time in a hypertime shot us thirteen centuries into the past! Luckily, the navigation computer kept us on a trajectory that would take us into Earth orbit.”

“That’s only the half of it!” said Commander Cody. “We’ve entered the Earth’s gravity well! We’re heading on a course that will take us down near the coast of California!”

Meanwhile, back in the 34th century, Scrapper and his brothers were trying to figure out what happened to Captain Vargas.

"I picked up a neutrino signature in temporal space," said Gator, "but not enough to warrant a full-size ship!"

"Do you think they're shifting back and forth between temporal space and another continuum?" Scrapper asked.

"Like what?" Gator asked.

"Check hyperspace and hypertime and see if anything materialized there within the past couple of minutes."

Gator did as Scrapper instructed. "Yep! I detected a neutrino stream there! It had to be Vargas's freighter!"

Scrapper took a look at Gator's equipment. "Based on this trajectory, it looks like they are traveling backwards through time by journeying through hypertime! By shifting back and forth through hyperspace and hypertime, wherever or whenever they're heading, they'll get there a lot faster!"

"Let's follow them!" said Gator.

"Yeah!" said Slackjaw.

"If these read-outs are accurate," said Scrapper, "then Vargas and his freighter are stuck in a dimensional flux pattern. If we don't want to suffer the same fate, we need to get into a trajectory in orbit around the sun and reach a third of light speed before we breach temporal space, then follow the sun’s gravitational signature into the past. We're going to have to use our cryo-tubes and go into suspended animation! It'll take us a long time to get to the same destination as Vargas, but when we get there, we'll be the same age we are now!"

"Why don't we travel through hypertime?" gator asked.

"If we tried to enter hypertime," said Scrapper, "we could end up trapped in a dimensional flux pattern just as Vargas has done. My solution will take longer, but we'll get there!"

“The cryo-tubes are ready, Scrapper!” said Slackjaw.

“How close can we get to the time Captain Vargas emerges into normal space?” Scrapper asked.

“We should arrive less than a week after they do,” Slackjaw replied, “maybe a day or two after if we’re lucky.”

“Take us into temporal space!” said Scrapper.

Back in the 21st century, Vargas and his crew had their own problems. “Diego!” Captain Vargas ordered, “Pull the cannon back into the cargo bay and close it, then drain all on-board weapons batteries and divert all power into the inertia dampeners! We’re in for a rough ride!”

"We now stand less than an inch tall!" said Diego. "Are you sure you want us to divert all power from our weapons systems? We'll be defenseless!"

"Don't argue with me, Diego!" shouted Vargas. "Just do it!"

"Yes sir!" Diego replied.

About that time in Bullet Bay, a small town on the central coast of California, a girl named Megan who got up to get a drink of water in the middle of the night saw the miniaturized ship from her living room window, and assumed it was a meteorite. She didn’t suspect that what she saw streaking across the sky and slamming into a local hillside would affect her destiny!

To Be Continued!

[GastricAztec]

"Megan And Her Shrink Ray Gun"

Chapter 2: Friday, June 13th, 2008, 3:00 P.M.

Megan Weiss was walking home from school with her friend Holly Krieger, who was carrying a large present with her to Megan's house. Both girls were carrying their 7th grade yearbooks.

"You're so lucky!" said Holly. "Your birthday fell on the last day of school this year, and it's Friday the thirteenth! That's so cool!"

"I wonder how many people have celebrated their thirteenth birthday on Friday the thirteenth?" said Megan. "Maybe there should be a club for that at Yahoo or something."

Megan had dark blonde hair just past her shoulders, and gray eyes. Holly had long blonde hair tied into twin braids. Holly was Megan's best friend, and they had known each other since grade school.

"Two different boys wrote in my yearbook that you and me are the cutest girls at our junior high school!" said Holly.

"Were they cute?" Megan asked.

"Yeah," Holly replied.

"One guy wrote that I should end up becoming a famous actress in my yearbook," Megan replied. "But I think I want to join the military, like my Dad."

"That's cool," said Holly. "My older sister is in ROTC at UCLA."

"So what did you get me?" Megan asked as they turned up the walkway leading to Megan's front door.

"It's a surprise!" Holly replied.

Once inside, the girls were greeted by Megan's mother. "Just put that present over there," Mrs. Weiss instructed. "So, who wants pizza?"

Both girls said "I do!"

Mrs. Weiss pulled out the phone book, and asked the girls, "What kind of pizza do you want?"

"Order from Vito's, mom!" Megan said. "The pizza sauce is from an old family recipe, and Holly's older brother Chris works there!"

"So I see!" Mrs. Weiss said with a smile on her face, "Is Chris cute?"

"Mom, it's not like that," Megan said, "Chris is gay! He's cute, but he wouldn't be interested in me even if I was the hottest chick on the planet!"

After Mrs. Weiss ordered the pizzas, she looked toward Holly and said, "Let's sing 'Happy Birthday' to Megan!"

"Mom, that song is copyrighted!" said Megan.

"I'm sure whoever owns the copyright won't mind," said Mrs. Weiss.

"Mom, I'm totally serious, I don't want you guys singing 'Happy Birthday' to me this year! It's a childish ritual, and it would totally embarrass me!"

"Okay," said Mrs. Weiss, "you're the birthday girl, so it's your decision. I guess that means it's time to open your presents, then we can cut the cake."

When Megan opened her first present, the one from Holly, it was a microscope.

"Thanks, Holly!" Megan said.

"Holly," Mrs. Weiss said, "that looks like an expensive gift! I don't think we can reciprocate something like that!"

"Oh, don't worry, Mrs. Weiss!" Holly said. "My dad works for a company that manufactures medical equipment, and he got it dirt cheap!"

Mrs. Weiss got up and got a small present from a shelf in the living room, and brought it to the table. She handed it to Megan, who unwrapped it to find a silver dollar from the turn of the century. It was in excellent condition.

"Wow, mom! It's from 1903! That's the year the Wright brothers made their historic flight at Kittyhawk!"

"It's also the year Harley Davidson was founded! It belonged to my grandmother, and she handed it down to me. She instructed me to hand it down to my granddaughter, but I'm giving it to you, instead. It supposedly brought her good luck!"

Megan turned to look at Holly. "I was named after my mom's grandmother, that's who she's talking about. She was from Wales. On her deathbed she made me promise never to let anyone call me Meg, to always go by Megan, because it's a proud Welsh name. I swore to her that I would always honor that." Megan turned to at her mother. "Mom, if this coin is good luck, and great-grandma Megan told you to give it to your granddaughter, maybe you should hold onto it until I have kids!"

"What if you only have boys? She was senile in her later years, and I see it as an irrational demand. If you want, you can make up for it by giving it to your great-granddaughter, because that's who would've ended up with it anyway if the coin kept skipping a generation."

"I guess I could do that," said Megan.

Megan opened her next present, it was a laminated Megadeth concert ticket from 1987.

"That was the ticket to the concert where I met your father in Pismo Beach, in 1987!" said Mrs. Weiss. "I had it laminated. I figured you're old enough to take care of it."

Megan turned to Holly and said, "My Mom and dad met at a Megadeth concert in 1987, and my mom's parents met at a Doors concert at the Cow Palace in 1969!"

The next gift was a digital stopwatch. "Cool!" said Megan. "I can practice my mile. I'm already under six minutes!"

The next gift was a pair of loaded dice from Megan's Uncle Sam.

"I already have a pair of dice like these, Mom," said Megan.

Margaret took the dice from her daughter and looked at them. "Not like these ones, Megan, your other ones are regular dice. These are loaded dice, they always come up either 7 or 11. I wish my brother wouldn't buy you stuff like this!"

Megan took the dice out of the package and rolled them. One landed on five, and the other on two.

"How do they work?" Megan asked, turning the dice over in her hands. "One of these dice only has 5's on all six sides, and the other has three 6's and three 2's!"

"Just remember, it's dangerous to cheat people at gambling," said Margaret. "Only use these if you're taking turns at something and you want to go first, never bet people money or anything valuable with these, okay?"

"Okay, Mom!" said Megan.

There was a card with a $100 dollar bill inside from Megan's mother, as well as some other gift cards from other relatives who had mailed them to Megan.

After Megan opened up her other presents, Holly's brother Chris drove toward Megan's house, to deliver the pizzas. Chris worked for Vito, an immigrant from Sicily who had opened his own pizza parlor in Bullet Bay, the small central coast town Megan and her two friends lived in. In spite of making pizzas in the American style, Vito prided himself on his homemade pizza sauce, which was an old Sicilian family recipe.

Chris rang the doorbell, and Mrs. Weiss let him in. He set the pizzas on the dining room table and said, "That'll be thirty-three dollars and twenty-one cents, Mrs. Weiss."

Mrs. Weiss wrote him a check and gave it to him, then handed him a five dollar bill. "Here's your tip!"

"Thanks!" said Chris, pocketing the money. "It's too bad Vito's gonna end up with this money!"

"What do you mean?" said Mrs. Weiss.

"Vito repays me for my gas money out of my tips, and he pockets the rest."

"You're kidding me! I gave you that tip, and that's your money! It's not for Vito! Can't you just tell him that I didn't tip you?"

"I tried that once when a guy tipped me twenty bucks. Vito got suspicious and actually called the guy and asked him how much he tipped me. Vito made me cough up the money. He'll probably call you later tonight and ask you how much you tipped me. He does that to most of his customers. Whatever you do, don't tell him I told you that!"

"That's a unique dilemma you've found yourself in." said Mrs. Weiss.

"It's a living, I know people who have harder jobs than mine. I like the routine." Chris replied.

"Would you like to stay and have a couple of slices with us?" Mrs. Weiss asked.

"Sure!" said Chris, and he sat down at the table and took a slice.

"Chris," said Megan, "what would Vito say if he knew you were eating pizza with a customer?"

"Vito always charges me for any pizza I eat at the pizza parlor, but if someone offers me some for free, and it was paid for, there's nothing he can do about it."

"I just didn't want you to get in trouble," said Megan.

As Megan and Chris tore into their pizza, Holly said, "My brother's going out for football this year. In the Fall, he's going to be a junior!"

"Oh really?" Mrs. Weiss said, as she took a slice of pizza.

"Guess what, you guys?" said Megan. "I got up to get a drink of water in the middle of the night, and I saw a meteorite crash into the hills close to my house!"

"It probably looked like it crashed nearby," Chris said, "but it could've crashed in Arizona or some place!"

"No, I heard it!" Megan said. "It sounded like a Volkswagen engine exploding!"

"Well if you heard it land," Chris replied, "then it's probably close. You should go look for it!"

"Do you guys want to come help me find it?" Megan asked. "We could go look for it as soon as we finish our pizza!"

About an hour later, Chris drove Megan and Holly to the woods.

"Can you tell if we're hot or not?" Megan asked.

"What?" Chris asked.

"You're gay, but can you tell when girls are hot?" Megan asked.

"Yes, but I feel no attraction, like I do with guys," Chris replied.

In the woods not far from Megan's house, Captain Vargas and his crew were raising the miniaturization weapon above the cargo bay so Sergeant Diego and Corporal Lopezz could work on it. Each of them were about the same height; about nine-sixteenths of an inch tall.

"It took us all last night and all day to cut through the cargo bay door to get to the shrink-ray," Captain Vargas told Sergeant Diego. "How long will it take you to get the neutrino assimilator online so we can return to normal size?"

"It doesn't look good," Sergeant Diego replied. "I'd say it should probably take me about eight to ten hours."

"Commander Cody says we landed near a residential area," Captain Vargas said. "I hope nobody snoops through these woods and finds us!"

Meanwhile, Chris had met up with Megan and Holly and had given them a ride to the woods, then returned to making his deliveries. Megan and Holly were making their way into the outer perimeter of the woods where the miniaturized time travelers were.

"Do you think you can narrow it down where you saw the meteorite crash?" Holly asked Megan.

"I think I can take us to within a couple of hundred yards of where it is," Megan said.

Back at the wrecked starship, Diego was putting the finishing touches on a lever connected to the miniaturization device.

"What's the point of that lever?" Vargas asked. "It's as tall as we are!"

"I designed it so when the first of us is normal-sized, he can use the lever to un-shrink the rest of us. Right now, all it does is activate the shrink-ray. I also programmed the display screen of the sizing scope to be big enough so it's convenient for a normal-sized person to read."

"So you'll have the neutrino assimilator online some time after midnight tonight?" Captain Vargas asked.

"That's the plan!" replied Sergeant Diego.

"Look!" Commander Cody shouted, and Captain Vargas turned to see a two normal-sized girls in their early teens entering the small clearing where the crash-site was.

The two girls stopped, and as they surveyed the situation, Vargas and his crew split up and ran off in different directions. Their quick movements caught the eyes of the girls, and Megan said, "Little people!"

"Let's get 'em!" Holly said.

"Yeah!" Megan agreed.

Megan was drawn to the black ray-gun that was propped up above the cargo bay of the shrunken starship. She drew closer, and picked it up.

"No!" Diego shouted, but he was quickly engulfed in Holly's fist.

Megan turned over the device in her hands, and noticed the small lever on one side. Megan instinctively knew the device was a weapon, so she pointed it at a boulder and threw the lever. The boulder was swiftly reduced to the size of a small pebble, and Megan returned the lever to the 'OFF' position.

"Its a shrink-ray!" Megan said, and she knelt down and picked up the miniaturized rock. Holly had captured all five of the miniaturized astronauts, and they now drew their attention to Megan.

"Are you serious?" Holly asked.

"Yes," Megan replied, "I just shrunk a boulder the size of a basketball down to the size of a marble! How many little people did you catch?"

"I caught five," Holly answered.

"Are there any more out here?" Megan asked.

"I don't see any more," Holly replied. "But even if there are, I doubt our captives would tell us."

"Let's get them and this shrink-ray back to my bedroom!" said Megan.

"Should we take this space-ship with us?" Holly asked.

"It's too heavy," Megan replied. "Let's just leave it here, and we can come back and get it some other time. Your brother can help us retrieve it with his car."

"You could shrink it!" Holly said.

"I don't want to," Megan replied. "I don't even know if this shrink-ray has a reverse on it, and I don't want to risk damaging something valuable that might be inside the space-ship."

The two of them started off back toward Megan's house; Holly had the captives cupped gently within her closed hands.

"This is starting out to be the coolest summer vacation ever!" Megan said.

"The only bad thing for me is I have to go to summer school!" Holly said. "And it starts this Monday! They don't even cut us a break!"

"I was supposed to go to summer school, too!" Megan said. "But I threw away the notice that came in the mail, and my mom never found out I was supposed to go!"

"Typical Megan!" Holly said. "You're always getting away with something!"

"My English teacher was supposed to be Mr. Sorenson," said Megan.

"Hey, I have him too!" said Holly.

When the girls got back to Megan's, Mrs. Weiss was busy in the kitchen, so Megan and Holly snuck into Megan's room without showing her what they'd found. Megan set the shrink-ray on the shelf of her desk, and instructed Holly to set the captives on the desk.

"Now," Megan said, addressing the five miniaturized captives, "who are you, and where did you come from?"

Captain Vargas stepped forward. "I am Captain Lobo Vargas, and I and my crew are from the 34th century. This is Commander Cody, Sergeant Diego, Corporal Lopez, and Corporal Hangchow."

"There was a band called Commander Cody," Megan replied. "They have a song called Hot Rod Lincoln, my dad loves that song. So how did you get shrunk?"

"We were attacked by space pirates," Vargas explained, "and we were caught in a dimensional flux pattern that simultaneously catapulted us back in time to your century, and we had to shrink down to a fraction of our size to return to normal space!"

"What's a dimensional flux pattern?” Megan asked.

"I can explain that later," Vargas said, "right now I need one of my engineers to reprogram that shrink ray-gun you found so it'll only work when it detects your unique chromosome pattern!"

"I don't want to let you near that shrink-ray," Megan replied, "because you might use it to re-enlarge yourselves!"

"The assimilation function doesn't even work right now, so we can't return to normal size! But right now, there are space pirates after that shrink ray-gun, and they won't hesitate to kill you in order to get it!"

"I think you should listen to him, Megan!" Holly said. "It's worth the risk! You should let them fix the shrink-ray so you'll be the only one who can use it!"

"Okay," Megan said, "I'll let you do it. Just tell me what you need me to do!"

Somewhere in deep space, Scrapper’s warship emerged from temporal space. The onboard mainframe computer awakened the three space pirates from cryo-sleep.

“Status?” Scrapper asked.

“We’re in the 21st century,” said Gator. “But we’re really far from Earth.”

“Lock onto a trajectory that will take us to Earth, and take us into hyperspace,” said Scrapper.

Back on Earth, Diego was finishing up with Vargas's plan to reprogram the shrink-ray so only Megan could use it. "And that's it!" Diego said.

"You are now the only one who can operate the shrink-ray device!" Vargas said.

"Here, Holly," Megan said, handing her the shrink ray-gun. "Try to use it on something!"

Holly aimed it at Megan's trash can and flipped the lever, but nothing happened.

"Now give it to me," Megan said.

Megan pointed it at the trash can and fired, and the trash can was reduced to less than an inch high. Megan returned the lever to the 'OFF' position.

"Cool!" Megan said.

At that exact moment, in Earth orbit, the Warhawk emerged from hyperspace.

"We are within 24 hours of the time they emerged into normal space," Slackjaw informed Scrapper. "According to the positions of the planets and constellations, we've arrived on June 13th, 2008.”

"Excellent," Scrapper replied. "Do a quick orbit, and keep the scanners on the look-out for a nuclear fusion reactor. That technology did not exist in this era, so it could only be coming from Vargas's ship!"

After a quick orbit, Slackjaw said: "Neutrino emissions coming from a coastal area in California."

"Take us down and land about a hundred yards away."

The Warhawk landed in the woods where Captain Vargas and his crew had crashed. Scrapper, Slackjaw, and Gator disembarked and headed to the crash-site. Slackjaw held a scanning device in his hand that directed them to what was left of the miniaturized starship.

"No life signs," Slackjaw reported.

Scrapper knelt down and examined the damaged cargo bay. "The weapon isn't here!"

"There's footprints!" Gator said as he pointed at the ground. "There's more than one pair! Someone must've found Vargas and captured him!"

Scrapper stood up and said, "Then that means they have the shrink-ray! This complicates things! Gator, when we get back to the ship, launch a cloaked satellite into geosynchronous orbit above this position. If and when this person activates the shrink-ray, we'll be able to pinpoint their position by detecting neutrino emissions the first time they use it!"

To Be Continued!

[GastricAztec]

"Megan And Her Shrink Ray Gun"

Chapter 3: Saturday, June 14th, 2008

The next day, Holly came over to Megan's house. She wanted Megan to use the shrink-ray on someone.

"You should use it on my brother's boss Vito," Holly said, "he's a jerk!"

"I'd have no way of getting over there," Megan said. "We need to find a way for someone to come to us!"

"You could prank call a pizza to be delivered a couple of blocks away," said Holly, "and hide the next house over. Then you could shrink the driver!"

“That actually does sound like a good plan,” said Megan.

"You'd better shrink his car, too!" Holly advised, "That way, there's no evidence!"

Megan pulled out her cell-phone but Holly stopped her. "Cell-phone calls can be traced! We have to use a payphone!"

Since it was Saturday, Mrs. Weiss didn't have to work, so Megan had her mom drop her and her two friends off in town. After Mrs. Weiss left, Megan found a payphone and ordered a pizza to be delivered to a nearby house.

"Don't order too much pizza," Holly advised, "Or it will look like a prank call."

"Yes, I'd like an extra-large pizza with sausage and mushrooms," Megan said into the phone. When she was done ordering, she told her friends, "It'll be here in twenty-five minutes!"

The girls hid between two houses that were one house away from the address Megan had given over the phone. Holly and Megan periodically checked the time as they waited. Megan pulled out the shrink ray device from her pink and blue backpack when the time drew near.

"Here he comes!" said Holly, pointing at a car with a pizza sign attached to the roof. When the car pulled over and the man got out with the pizza, the girls approached him.

"Extra-large sausage and mushroom?" Megan asked.

"You got it!" the young man replied, handing the pizza to Megan. Megan motioned to Holly, and she took the pizza.

"How much do I owe you?" Megan asked, as she pointed the shrink ray at the pizza delivery driver. Megan flipped the lever, reducing him to about the same height as Captain Vargas. Megan then pointed the shrink-ray at the car, reducing it to the same proportionate size as the driver, then flipped the lever to the 'OFF' position,.

Back in the woods not far from Megan's house, on board the Warhawk, all the alarms went haywire.

"Scrapper!" Slackjaw yelled out, "Someone used the miniaturization weapon! They fired it twice!"

Scrapper stood behind Slackjaw, and said, "Use the satellite to focus on whoever is using it!"

An image of Bullet Bay, California appeared on the screen, and the camera closed in until Megan and her friend could be clearly seen.

"She's just a girl!" Scrapper said. "Keep her under surveillance until you see where she lives. I want her address!"

Megan's mom picked Megan and her friends up after Megan had called her on her cell-phone. After pulling up in the driveway, the girls and Mrs. Weiss got out and went inside. Scrapper, Slackjaw, and Gator observed this from the Warhawk.

"Slackjaw," Scrapper said, "hack into the Internet and get me everything on the name 'Weiss' at this address in Bullet Bay, California!"

Meanwhile, Megan and Holly piled into Megan's bedroom and closed the door. Megan pulled the shrink ray device out of her backpack and set it on her shelf, and pulled out the miniaturized pizza car out of a separate compartment, and set it on her desk. The pizza guy was inside the car, afraid to come out. Megan tapped on the door, and he opened it and stepped out.

"What should I do with him?" Megan asked.

"I think you should swallow him!" Holly said. "Or you could shrink him to micro-size and look at him through your new microscope!"

"Can people survive at that size?" Megan asked.

"Ask the shrunken space guy," Holly said.

Megan dumped out the box containing the five captives from the future. Megan addressed Captain Vargas. "If I shrink someone down to microscopic size, will he survive?"

"The miniaturization weapon you have was designed as a humane alternative to the destructive weapons of the past. It genetically modifies its targets so they can survive at any size! Shrunken people are effectively immortal, they don't need food or water."

"Cool!" Megan said. "I want to create a shrunken city that fits on a microscope slide! I think I'll call it Microtopia!"

Meanwhile, back at the Warhawk, Slackjaw found some useful information. "Scrapper, her name is Megan Weiss, and she's enrolled in summer school at the local junior high school. She's supposed to start this Monday!"

"Excellent!" said Scrapper. "I can pose as one of her teachers, and ask her about the device!" Scrapper turned his head and addressed the computer. "Computer! Provide me with identification and credentials so I can pass myself off as a teacher, as well as a working cell phone according to this time period!"

A replication console normally used for food and beverages produced the paperwork Scrapper requested.

"Computer," Scrapper said, "show me the names, photos, and addresses of teacher of Megan Weiss."

On the main computer monitor, three images appeared, two women and one man.

"I think I'll take over this guy's position," Scrapper said, pointing at the man. "Computer, print out his name and address." Scrapper turned his head toward Slackjaw and Gator. "I'm going over there right now. Slackjaw, get me that mind control device from the storage area! I want you two to come with me!"

It took nearly twenty minutes to reach the town, and a man in town informed them it would be another twenty minutes before the RTA bus arrived.

"That teacher lives close by," Scrapper told Slackjaw and Gator, "but we're going south first to score some transpo, to a city called Santa Maria. Before we left, I had the computer replicate one of these," Scrapper showed them a credit card. "I created a fake account, and by the time the feds figure it out, we'll be long gone with the shrink-ray prototype. I have a device that can siphon fractions of a penny from tens of millions of accounts, so nobody will know they've been robbed until it's too late!"

Scrapper's plan worked, and soon the three of them were sitting on brand-new Harley-Davidsons.

"Kind of reminds me of Martian rocket bikes!" Scrapper said. They revved up their engines, and headed north.

In a neighborhood in suburban Arroyo Grande, three motorcyclists pulled up and parked on the front yard of an older man, a teacher named Mr. Sorenson. When Scrapper rang the doorbell, Mr. Sorenson's Lhasa Apso started yapping, and the elderly teacher answered the door.

On the porch stood three men who looked like they wouldn't look out of place in a biker bar. From their collars to their boots they appeared to be wearing black leather (it was actually a synthetic material a thousand times stronger), and the man who appeared to be their leader asked, "Are you Richard Sorenson?"

"Yes," the teacher replied, and Scrapper lifted a silver-colored metallic device to his face.

"Say cheese!" Scrapper said, and within three seconds, the transaction was complete, and Slackjaw and Gator carried the man to a recliner in his living room. When Slackjaw and Gator had returned, Scrapper held up the small mind control device.

"All of his knowledge, and every memory he ever had has been suppressed. He won't be able to access his memories for many years!"

The three space pirates headed back toward their motorcycles. "What now?" Slackjaw asked.

"We go get a motel, I'm going to need an address if I'm going to get hired as one of Megan's teachers!"

To Be Continued

[GastricAztec]

"Megan And Her Shrink Ray Gun"

Chapter 4: Monday, June 16th, 2008

Monday morning dawned, and Scrapper sat at a table in the motel room where he and his two brothers were staying. He looked though a genealogy file on a portable computer that was linked to the Warhawk. He saw something that concerned him.

“Slackjaw, Gator, come here!”

The other two space pirates walked over to where Scrapper was.

“According to this genealogy file, Megan Weiss is our direct ancestor. If we kill her and take the weapon prototype, we would cancel ourselves out!”

“Maybe you could use that to your advantage to get her on your side,” said Slackjaw. “If she knows you’re her descendant, she might cooperate with you.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Scrapper replied. “It’s always good to have an extra ace up my sleeve. There's something else I found out, something I might be able to use to my advantage."

"What?" Slackjaw and Gator asked in unison.

"Megan's grandparents met at a concert in 1969, and her parents met at a concert in 1987."

"How can you use that to your advantage?" Slackjaw asked.

"According to our files, there will be a concert of local bands at the local grange hall this Friday night. I can convince Megan that she will meet her future husband there! Then, the two of you can take the shrink ray from her while I'm out on a date with her mother! I can bring up a map of this local area, so you guys will know where to go."

"Did she really meet her future husband there?" Slackjaw asked.

"No!" said Scrapper. "Of course not! But I can lead her to think she will!"

Nearly an hour later, Scrapper pulled up to the local junior high school on his Harley Davidson. He went in, and introduced himself to the staff.

"It's my understanding that you need a new English teacher?" Scrapper asked. "From what I've heard, Richard Sorenson suffered some kind of a stroke."

"Is that true?" the woman behind the desk asked. "If he doesn't come in today, we'll be short staffed. So you're a teacher?"

"Yes, I have a master's degree in English composition from Berkeley." Scrapper replied, handing her the relevant paperwork.

After calling Richard Sorenson's home, she verified that he had suffered a medical emergency, and accepted Scrapper as a new recruit.

Meanwhile, at the Weiss residence, Mrs. Weiss was getting ready for work. While still in her bathrobe, a co-worker showed up at her home and rang the doorbell.

"Joseph?" Mrs. Weiss asked. "What brings you here?"

"Margaret, I just wanted to know if you wanted to go out on a date this Friday night," said Joseph.

"Sorry, you're just not my type," Mrs. Weiss answered.

"What's your type?" Joseph asked.

"My daughter's father is a United States Marine, he's missing in action in the middle east." Mrs. Weiss replied. "You look more like a shady car salesman."

"Is there any way I can be his equal in your eyes?" Joseph asked.

"Yes, gain thirty pounds of muscle and lose sixty pounds of fat." said Mrs. Weiss, as she closed the door.

Later that morning, Holly made her way to her classroom for summer school. She sat down with about twelve other students. When Scrapper entered the classroom, she was surprised.

"Where's Mr. Sorenson?" Holly asked.

"He had some kind of a stroke, I'm Mr. Scrapper, his replacement."

"Mr. Sorenson ran 5 k's all the time, he was the picture of perfect health!" said Holly.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Scrapper replied, "but in the meantime, does anyone know where Megan Weiss is at? She's enrolled in this class."

Holly tried to lay low, but a boy in the class raised his hand, and Scrapper called on him. "Holly Krieger is Megan's best friend," the boy said, as he pointed at Holly. “If anyone knows where she is, it's Holly."

"Is that true. Ms. Krieger?" Scrapper asked. "Are you Megan's best friend?"

"Yes, but I don't know where she is." Holly replied.

"Then maybe I need to make a house call," said Scrapper.

Meanwhile, at the state lottery office, Mrs. Weiss arrived after making a delivery of lottery tickets to one of the stores. Her co-worker Joseph approached her, and said, "Margaret, you sure look different than you did when I saw you in your bath robe this morning!"

Margaret Weiss cringed as she imagined what her co-workers were thinking at what Joseph had implied.

After school ended that day, Holly ran to Megan's house right away. When Megan answered the door, Holly said, "Mr. Sorenson had a stroke, and there was a substitute teacher there for the English class. He was asking about you! He said he was going to come over to your house!"

Just then. Megan's mother pulled up in the driveway. As she was getting out of the car, Scrapper pulled up on his motorcycle.

"Can I help you?" Mrs. Weiss asked.

"Yes, I'm Mr. Scrapper, your daughter Megan's English teacher. I was concerned when your daughter wasn't in school today."

"My daughter is on summer break," Mrs. Weiss replied.

"She has summer school," said Scrapper. "Her friend Holly was there, but Megan wasn't."

"Megan!" Mrs. Weiss shouted.

Megan and Holly exited the front door.

"Did you ditch summer school today?" Mrs. Weiss asked.

"Mom, English was the only class I didn't pass, I'm much better at math! You know how much I hate reading and writing!"

"That's not the point!" said Mrs. Weiss. "You need an education! You can't just take math classes, life doesn't work that way!"

Just then, Joseph, the co-worker of Mrs. Weiss, showed up. He got out of his car and headed toward Mrs. Weiss and Scrapper.

"Can we talk about this over coffee?" Mrs. Weiss asked Scrapper.

"Sure!" Scrapper replied.

Joseph approached Mrs. Weiss and asked, "So who is this guy?"

"He's a biker," Mrs. Weiss replied, "I'm dating him!" Margaret Weiss turned to Megan. "We'll discuss your punishment later, Megan."

Margaret Weiss and Scrapper got into Margaret’s car, and she drove to a nearby coffee shop. They went in and waited in line. When Margaret got to the counter, she ordered a drink, then watched as Scrapper ordered his drink and pulled out his debit card.

“Can I use my card to get some Bobs?” Scrapper asked.

“Excuse me?” the woman behind the counter asked.

“Paper Bobs?” scrapper asked again.

“Do you want cash back?” the cashier asked. “Just key in your password and hit cash back in the screen.”

“Bobs?” Margaret asked. “Did you mean bills?”

Scrapper snapped his fingers. “That’s it! I knew it was a man’s name that started with a B.”

After they ordered their drinks, they sat down at a table.

“You really did me a solid getting me away from Joseph, my co-worker,” said Margaret. “He is obsessed with me and won’t leave me alone. I would date a serial killer just to get away from him!”

“Where is your husband?” Scrapper asked.

“He’s in the Marine Corps. He got captured in Afghanistan a few years ago. My daughter Megan thinks he’s still alive, so she discourages me from dating again.”

“Do you think he’s still alive?” Scrapper asked.

“I don’t know what to think,” said Margaret. “My mind tells me he’s dead, but my heart tells me I’ll see him again.”

“Why wasn’t your daughter in school this morning?” Scrapper asked.

“She’s really slick. I didn’t even know she had summer school. I don’t know why she would ditch. I’ll be sure to make sure she goes tomorrow.”

Meanwhile, back in Megan’s bedroom, Megan and Holly were interrogating Captain Vargas.

“Can you please tell me exactly what is going on?” Megan asked. “Why are criminals after you, and what is a dimensional flux pattern, and how does the shrink ray work?”

“We are from the year 3321,” said Captain Vargas.

“That’s exactly 1,313 years in the future!” Said Megan proudly. “I’m an ace in math.”

“We were hauling a miniaturization weapon prototype from a facility orbiting the Saturn moon Titan,” Captain Vargas continued. “In order to haul it through the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter to reach Earth, a convoy set up a decoy ship so space pirates would think something valuable was being hauled in it, so pirates would concentrate their efforts there instead of on us.”

“Tell me about the miniaturization weapon prototype,” Megan asked.

“Miniaturization weapons have been around for a long time, but quantum force fields were developed that can shield people from them. This new weapon is more advanced, and can pierce a quantum force field.”

“How do shrink rays work?” Megan asked. “How can someone weigh less as they get smaller?”

“A dimensional field surrounds the person or object being miniaturized. The gravitational signature of each quark and gluon are detected, and a singularity opens in the center of each quark and gluon particle that compose the protons and neutrons of the atoms being shrunk. Most of the matter composing the quarks and gluons are discharged into another dimension. This causes the atoms to decrease in size, weight, volume, and mass.”

“What about the electrons?” Megan asked.

“The electrons stay normal sized, but the strength of their charge is diminished to correspond with the decreased charge of the miniaturized protons.”

“So what happened when you were hauling the weapon?” Megan asked.

“A space pirate named Scrapper who was once in the military and his two brothers figured out that we were hauling the true weapon prototype. I helped get him court martialed and dishonorably discharged from space command. They attacked us, and we escaped into hypertime.”

“What is hypertime?” Holly asked.

“It is like hyperspace, but you travel rapidly through time instead of space. Because our vessel was damaged, we were caught in a dimensional flux pattern. We were switching between hypertime and hyperspace and we couldn’t return to normal space because it would've drained too much of our power supply. The only way to escape was to jettison our reactor and use the shrink ray to reduce the size of ourselves, the shrink ray weapon, and the freighter, while keeping the reactor normal sized. When we emerged into normal space, we found ourselves here, in the early 21st century at nine-sixteenths of an inch tall.”

“What do you want from me?” Megan asked.

“We need you to allow us to program the shrink ray so we can return to normal size. If Scrapper tracked us back in time, he is very dangerous. You and your mother are in danger. We also need you to keep the shrink ray out of the hands of those space pirates.”

“If I do that, what can you do for me?” Megan asked.

“Captain Vargas looked hesitantly at his crew members, then back at Megan. “What do you want?”

“I want you to use your technology after you return to normal size to find my Dad. He is a prisoner of war in Afghanistan.”

“I doubt I can do that, I would be in violation of a directive that prevents us from tampering with history. But I can make you immortal! We have amazing medical technology in the 34th century.”

“I want that too,” Megan replied. “But unless you promise to find my Dad, you’re staying at nine-sixteenths of an inch tall!”

To Be Continued!

[GastricAztec]

"Megan And Her Shrink Ray Gun"

Chapter 5: Monday afternoon, June 16th, 2008

Scrapper sat with Megan’s mother Margaret at the coffee shop. He had just finished telling her a joke, and she laughed.

“You should get a P.O. box so your daughter can’t hide your mail,” said Scrapper.

“That’s actually a good idea!” said Margaret.

“How would you like to go out on a date this Friday evening?” Scrapper asked.

“I would love to!” said Margaret. “Between my co-worker hitting on me, and my daughter holding out for her father to come back from Afghanistan, I think I could use a night out for a change!”

“We could take a taxi,” said Scrapper. “I wouldn’t want you getting arrested for drinking and driving. I’ll pay!”

Scrapper and Margaret exchanged phone numbers, then she drove him back to her house so he could take off on his motorcycle. When Scrapper was gone, Margaret confronted her daughter. who was with her friend Holly in Megan’s bedroom.

“What made you think you could get away with ditching school? Just because you get home before me doesn’t mean you can hide my mail. Scrapper gave me a good idea, I should get a P.O. box and get all of my mail delivered there, so you can’t pull something like this again. I want you to pick a consequence.”

“More chores?” Megan asked.

“You have two choices,” said Margaret, “No Internet for a week, or you can’t go anywhere for a week.”

“No Internet,” said Megan.

“Get your computer and all of your cables and bring them to my bedroom,” said Margaret. “You can have your computer back a week from today, no sooner! This includes getting on the Internet at your friend's house, too! Or at the library!”

After Megan and Holly did as Megan’s mother asked, and the two of them were alone in Megan’s bedroom, Megan said, “It’s a good thing you were here, or my punishment would’ve been more severe.”

Holly closed Megan’s bedroom door, and Megan retrieved the shrunken astronauts from the hiding place where she kept them. She had them in a spot where they could hide behind some objects on the desk if Megan’s mother came in.

“Don’t let my mother see you,” said Megan.

“We need you to use the shrink ray device on our reactor, the one I told you we jettisoned in hyperspace,” said Captain Vargas. “The current setting of the shrink ray will reduce it down to our exact scale.”

“Where is the reactor?” Megan asked.

“It’s near the crash site, where you found us,” said Captain Vargas. That’s why we got the shrink ray out, so we could reduce it down to our scale and utilize it. That’s when you found us and captured us!”

“We need to have my friend Holly’s older brother Chris drive us out there,” said Megan.

“He’s at football practice right now,” said Holly. “He should be done in about twenty minutes.”

Meanwhile, at the local high school, Chris Krieger was sitting on the bleachers along with other football players as the coach gave them advice.

“Chris, I don’t know why you’re wearing an ear ring, there are only two types of people who wear them, and there haven’t been pirates in these waters in over two hundred years!”

The other players started laughing. The coach dismissed the players, and Chris went back to his car. Just then, his cell phone rang, and Holly was on the other end.

“Holly?” Chris asked.

She asked if he could take her and Megan back to the crash site. When Chris picked them up, Megan told him the truth about the whole situation.

“So you see?” Megan asked. “We have space pirates from the 34th century after us, and one of them is dating my mom. You have to help us!”

When they got to the area of the woods where the crash site was, Chris pulled over on the side of the road.

“Can you prove it?” Chris asked.

Megan pulled out Captain Vargas from her purse. He stood on her open palm, and waved at Chris.

“How do I know he’s not a toy?” Chris asked.

“Ask him something,” said Megan.

“Who am I?” Chris asked.

“You’re Christopher Krieger, Holly’s brother.” said Captain Vargas.

“That’s amazing!” said Chris.

“We need your help to carry the shrunken space freighter and the reactor away from this area,” said Megan.

“My mom is out of town for five days, and my brother is watching me,” said Holly to Captain Vargas. “We can bring the shrunken freighter to my house.”

“That sounds like a good plan!” said Captain Vargas. “With Megan’s mom dating Scrapper, I think the shrink ray device should be left there as well.”

“I think that’s a good idea,” said Chris.

Megan, Holly, and Chris marched through the woods until they reached the crash site. The reactor was still there, as well as the shrunken space freighter. Megan did as Captain Vargas had asked, and used the shrink ray device to reduce the size of the reactor down to the same scale as the shrunken astronauts.

“Wow, you weren’t lying about that thing!” said Chris. “You really do have a shrink ray gun!”

Despite being smaller than the freighter, the miniaturized reactor was still kind of heavy. Megan carried it, while Holly carried the shrink ray and Chris carried the freighter back to his car.

“It’s a good thing you have a ’57 Chevy Nomad station wagon,” said Megan. “There’s plenty of room for this stuff.”

The trio rode back to Chris and Holly’s home, with Chris driving.

“So, what are you planning on doing with that shrink ray gun?” Chris asked.

“We want to shrink people and make toys out of them,” said Megan. “Holly wants to swallow people.”

"I do not!" said Holly. "She's lying, Chris!"

“You should only use it to shrink criminals, if you’re gonna do that,” said Chris. “You can go online on Holly’s laptop and look them up on the sheriff’s website. You could get some bad people off the streets!”

When they arrived, they unloaded the futuristic cargo and set it all in the garage, which was nearly empty, except for a weight set, a tool chest, and an old doll house.

Megan took out the shrunken astronauts and set them with the freighter.

“Do you guys have everything you need?” Megan asked.

“Affirmative!” Captain Vargas replied.

Megan and Holly went to Holly’s bedroom, while Chris went to the living room to watch a baseball game on television.

“Let’s do what Chris told us, and find some criminals to shrink!” said Megan.

"From now on, don't tell my brother that I want to swallow shrunken people!" said Holly.

"Why not?" Megan asked. "What's he going to do, tell your mom? She would never believe him!"

"There might be a way for them to find out we really have shrunken people," said Holly. "I just don't want them thinking I'm some kind of a cannibal. If you tell them about me wanting to swallow people, I'll tell your mom you're over at my house on the Internet!"

"I won't say anything, Holly!" Megan replied.

Meanwhile, Scrapper pulled up on his motorcycle at the motel where his two brothers were.

"Did you get the device?" Slackjaw asked.

"I should be able to get it this Friday," said Scrapper. "I'm going out on a date with the girl's mother, and I should be able to get access to it."

"Why didn't you just storm in and take it?" Gator asked. "Then our mission would be accomplished, and we could return to our own time."

"I don't want to create an incident that could get the government in our own time to draw attention to us and think they have to travel back here. The better we can blend in here in this primitive time, the better. If that means staying here a little longer, then so be it!"

To Be Continued!

[GastricAztec]

"Megan And Her Shrink Ray Gun"

Chapter 6: Monday evening, June 16th, 2008

"We need to get my old doll house out of our garage and bring it to my room and clean it up," said Holly. "It used to belong to my older sister, then it got passed down to me. We can keep the shrunken people inside of it."

The two teens went into the garage, ignoring the miniaturized Captain Vargas and his shrunken crew as they repaired their miniaturized space freighter. Holly and Megan carried the doll house into Holly's bedroom and set it on her dresser, which was longer horizontally than it was vertically. Holly got cleaning supplies and rags from under the sink in the kitchen so they could clean it up. Within ten minutes, it was clean, and Holly put the cleaning supplies away.

"Before we do this, do you think we should have some kind of an agent that induces vomiting?" Megan asked. "I don't know about you, but if I swallow someone, I want to be able to puke them back up."

"Why not just gag yourself?" Holly asked. "My older sister has an eating disorder, and that's what she used to do when I was younger. My mom got her into counseling."

"I think we should have both options on the table," said Megan.

"Do you have money?" Holly asked.

Megan pulled out the one-hundred dollar bill she had gotten as a birthday present.

"Okay, let me look it up on the Internet." said Holly, as she booted up her laptop. Within a couple of minutes, she had it on the screen. "It's called syrup of Ipecac! Let me call the drug store and see if they carry it. If they do, my brother can drive us over there."

Megan looked through her yearbook, and searched for a particular signature. When she found it, she showed Holly.

"Do you know this girl?" Megan asked.

"Leila Landa?" Holly asked. "Yeah, she's that Latina all the guys are crazy for. She's in the same grade we are."

"She has actually done what we're setting out to do," said Megan. "She has called sex offenders and had them come over to her house on false pretenses, and her brothers beat those guys up. Maybe she can help us!"

"That's a good idea!" said Holly. "Do you have her phone number?"

"Yeah, it's in my yearbook where she signed it. She referred to herself as the 'Peruvian Princess.' Don't make the mistake of calling her Mexican, she goes by Latina or Peruvian. She's the toughest girl in our grade, so you don't want to make her mad."

"I'll remember," said Holly. "Call her up!"

Soon, the two girls were in the car with Chris as he drove them to the drug store. Megan went in and bought two jars of Ipecac syrup, then got back in the car.

"Where else am I taking you two?" Chris asked. "I go to work in half an hour, so it has to be quick."

"You're taking us to pick up Leila," said Holly. "She's helping us capture criminals we’re gonna meet online."

"Megan, I hope you're quick with the trigger," said Chris, "some of those people are very dangerous."

"It was your idea," said Holly to Chris.

"Don't worry," Megan replied, "I'm very fast on the trigger! I'll have those predators shrunk before they get within ten feet of me."

They pulled up at Leila's house, and Leila was waiting out in the front. She was dressed in a tight short black miniskirt, black nylons, ankle high black leather boots, and a black midriff bearing tank top. If she had been five years older she could've passed for a young woman on her way to a night club. She got in the back with Megan, while Holly sat in the front with her brother.

"I know exactly how to track down criminals and invite them to come over, but what were you planning to do after they arrive?" Leila asked.

Megan pulled out her shrink ray device. "I'm going to shrink them!"

Leila had a skeptical look on her face. "Toys won't work against criminals," said Leila.

"When we get to my house, she can show you how it works," said Holly. "The shrink ray is real!"

Leila rolled her eyes. "It took three of my brothers to contain one of the guys I invited over to my house, that shrink ray better work!"

Megan took the shrunken car and pizza driver out of her backpack and showed them to Leila.

"See?" Megan asked. "I shrunk a pizza delivery driver on Saturday."

Leila took the shrunken vehicle and the shrunken pizza delivery driver into the palms of her hands. She could see that the man was moving, and not a toy.

"Wow, you weren't lying!" said Leila.

"I feel guilty about shrinking innocent people, so I want to target criminals from now on. Since you have experience in that area, I thought you might like to help us!"

"What do you want us to do with the criminals after you shrink them and we capture them?" Leila asked.

"I think we should have a swallowing contest!" said Holly.

"That's a good idea!" said Leila. "We could see who can swallow the most captives the fastest!"

"Just don't invite them over to our house when you shrink them," said Chris, "choose a neutral location."

"I can have them meet us at the railroad tracks by our house," said Holly. "Megan can shrink them there!"

Meanwhile, back at the motel, Scrapper was getting ready to exit the motel room.

"Where are you going?" Slackjaw asked, before Scrapper could reach the door.

"I have to go get some books for the class I'm teaching."

"I want to talk about something," said Slackjaw. "I think we should just go get the shrink ray from the girl and head back to our own time. This whole plan of yours is too complicated."

"We are hiding out in a pre-First Contact civilization," said Scrapper. "If we reveal too much about ourselves, space command might send a garrison back to engage us. We need to stay out of the attention of the government of this primitive time."

"We can do all that and still get the shrink ray and leave today!" said Slackjaw.

"What if space command sends people back looking for Captain Vargas and his crew?" Scrapper asked. "That miniaturization weapon will be a game changer in a war, and terrorists will pay top dollar for it. We can't afford to screw this up!"

"Scrapper is right," said Gator. "It's better to do this the right way than to have space command from our century breathing down our necks!"

"You guys can come with me to the bookstore, I need a bunch of copies of a book about Edgar Allan Poe," said Scrapper. "The teacher whose memory I suppressed had a curriculum, and I have to follow it."

The three space pirates got on their motorcycles and sped off toward the book store.

Meanwhile, after the three girls had been dropped off by Chris at Holly's house, Holly, Megan and Leila were in Holly's bedroom. Leila looked them over and said, "The two of you are dressed all wrong for this. You need to dress more slutty! Do you have any sexy clothing you could put on?"

"My older sister had some slutty clothes my mom took away from her when she was 15 or 16," said Holly. "I could check her room and see if they're still there. They should fit us."

"Will your sister get mad?" Leila asked.

"She moved away to an apartment in L.A. to attend college," Holly replied. "Her old bedroom is unlocked. She told me before she moved away that I could borrow her clothing any time."

Twenty minutes later, all three girls were dressed like they were going out to a night club. Holly was in a chatroom on her laptop in her bedroom. Megan and Leila were looking over her shoulders at the computer screen. She had found some predators on the Megan's Law website and invited three of them to a chatroom. One of them wanted proof that Holly was who she said she was, so she took a photograph of her, Megan, and Leila on her digital camera and uploaded the image to her laptop. Soon, the photo was in the chatroom.

Holly agreed to stay behind while Megan and Leila went to meet the predators at the railroad tracks. Megan and Leila didn't need to wait long for the predators. They showed up one at a time, in quick succession, and Megan zapped them before they got within ten feet of her, just as she had promised Chris earlier.

Within twenty minutes, Megan and Leila were back at Holly's with the three shrunken captives. Megan dumped them onto the first level of the doll house.

"They're all on the same scale as the others," said Megan. "Nine-sixteenths of an inch tall!"

"There are more people in the chatroom," said Holly.

"Have them meet us at the tracks!" said Megan.

Just as before, Megan and Leila went and met with the criminals. Megan shrunk them, and brought them back to Holly's.

There were now six shrunken captives, all standing around in the doll house.

"What are you going to do with us?" one of the criminals asked the towering teens.

Leila crouched and stuck her face in close, so the captives could see her. "We're going to have a swallowing contest!"

Leila turned around and the three girls stood facing each other, with their backs to the doll house.

"Should we get more?" Megan asked. "or is six captives enough for the contest?"

"I think six is enough," Leila replied. "But we're going to have to vomit them up and rinse them off. Does anyone here have a stopwatch so we can measure who swallows the six of them the fastest?"

"I've got one," said Megan, as she held the stopwatch aloft. "I got it for my birthday the other day. I also have syrup of Ipecac to help us vomit them back up."

When the girls turned around, all six captives were nowhere to be seen.

"They got away!" Holly shouted.

"They must be somewhere in this room," said Leila.

"Help me seal off the house!" said Holly. "One of you stay here, my brother is at work, and we have to seal off all the exits!"

Megan stayed in the bedroom as Holly and Leila tried to seal off the house so no tiny people could escape.

To Be Continued!