[Hugo Prosperio]

Through the door was a long white hallway, which seemed very…strange. There were no sounds, no people walking up and down the hall…just the two of them, Mary and Strickland.

“Where are we going?” She asked.

“To the main room. It’s just up ahead. When we are there, I’ll have Alex explain everything to you himself.

“He’s here?” Mary gasped.

“Of course he is, my dear. He’s missed you ever so much, and when he told me about you, I knew you would be perfect for our little community” he said followed by a twitter of a laugh that suggested an inside joke that Mary was unaware of.

They then reached a door which looked straight out of a science fiction movie. Huge steel doors that locked together with giant teeth. Beside it was a glowing green pad, which the Professor then placed his thumb up against, causing a loud noise to fill the room, then a sudden stop.

“Strickland, Ronald…and Guest. Cleared for Entrance” rang a computerized female voice. The doors separated with a hiss, and steam or fog or some sort of…something, as Mary perceived it, began to shoot out of little exhaust ports in the door frame.

“To sterilize you.” Strickland said with a smirk. “Now proceed”

She did as she was told and walked forward into the mist, a cooling sensation began to cover her exposed skin. When she stepped out of the mist, she saw something that astounded her. She was standing on a balcony, which had some machinery on it, but below was a glass-covered replica of the city, or so it seemed. A perfect model. The light in the room was very bright, causing it to look like the city was in the middle of its day.

“This is wonderful! Did you make this?”

“Yes, with the help of The Collective.” He said with a grin. “Now then…” he added as he went over to a computer console. He typed in several codes, and suddenly Mary saw something that brought tears to her eyes. It was Alex, her boyfriend…smiling back at her.

“Hello Mary. It’s good to see you again…”

---

“Now, Alex, I’d like for you to explain what she will go through if she decides to join The Collective” Strickland said to the monitor that projected Alex’s face.

“Of course. Mary come closer, would you?” Alex said. She walked to the monitor.

“Can’t I speak to him in person…” said Mary, her heart longing to hold him close once more.

“Soon enough, love” Alex said. “Now you have to understand that once you join the Collective, there is no going back…not that anyone would want to. Once part of the Collective, you will be given a job and a place to stay…I have requested that you start off with me and Professor Strickland agreed to this, so you, if you decide to enter this Collective, you have a smooth transition.”

“Where are you…where is this collective? Elsewhere in the building?” Mary asked looking to Strickland then back to her boyfriend on the monitor.

“You’ll see soon enough...” Strickland said. Soon Enough. There was that term again. She had heard it a few times since entering the building and it wasn’t making things any easier.

“What do I need to do to join?” she asked.

“Well first you need to sign the waver agreeing to be my test subject…then we…” he started but was interrupted by Mary

“Just give me the damn thing, and tell me where to sign.”

“As you wish. I would recommend taking a moment or two to read it. It is quite the binding document and I wouldn’t want you to get locked into something you…”

“I’m a big girl…I know what I am doing…” she said, cutting him off again, and she hastily scribbled her signature on the bottom of the paper. She handed it back to him. Strickland smiled and placed the paper on his desk.

“Looks like she’ll be joining you after all…” said Strickland to the face on the monitor, who merely smiled at his girlfriend. “I’ll see you soon, honey.”

“Now then,” said Strickland “Follow me, and we’ll get you ready for the ride of your life.”

He typed a few codes into his computer and in the middle of the floor a circular door opened, and a glass chamber arose.

“Every journey starts with a doorway, Mrs. Sinclair. This one is yours.” He said with a grin. “Now this will sound odd, but I’ll need to remove your clothing.”

She stared at him for a second before uttering “Why?”

“We need to do a physical to make sure the journey into the Collective won’t be too stressful for your body. It won’t take but a moment, I promise. I’ll even look away if it bothers you that much.” He stated

“It…it doesn’t…I just wanted to make sure it was for a reason…that this wasn’t some elaborate plan to get me out of my clothes by a crazy person…” she sighed

“If there is one thing I am not, my lady, it’s crazy…” Strickland said with a smile that calmed Mary.

She quickly removed her clothing, feeling the cool air conditioning of the room blowing softly on her smooth skin. At last she let her panties drop to the floor, leaving her totally nude.

“Alright, my dear. Please step into the chamber for final preparations.” He instructed. She did as told, and stepped in, and behind her the glass door closed.

“Engaging Scan now,” said the female computer voice. A green light started tracing every inch of her body.

“Scan Complete. Subject Compatible. Miniaturization to commence in.5…”

“Miniaturization?” Mary asked

“...4”

“Just technical jargon, my dear” Strickland stated

“…3”

“What’s going on…I don’t want to do this anymore!” she said slapping the glass.

“…2”

“You signed the contract, my dear…I told you not to rush”

“…1”

“I…Uh…” she had indeed signed the contract. “What have I gotten myself into?!”

“Engage”

The chamber filled with bright light, and Mary felt tingles running up and down her skin. Then, she felt her body shifting, and a look out of the glass proved her worst fears…she was getting smaller! She quickly panicked and started running about in the chamber trying to get out, but the door was secured, and now she was less than half of her original height, the tingles continually bringing her closer to the floor. She was speechless as the world changed, and the chamber grew larger and larger. Soon, when she considered herself around…Barbie height, she suddenly felt the floor shift. Before she could do anything, a hole in the ground opened below her, and sucked her down. All she could do was scream.

Outside the chamber, Strickland merely looked on with a bemused smile.

“Hook, Line, Sinker” he said with a slight cough.

---

Mary flew down a long tunnel of sorts, like a giant version of those PlayPlace slides at a McDonald’s. As she went, she still tingled from the chamber, and all she could do was scream. She wanted to hurl obscenities, but she couldn’t really control what came out at the speed she was going.

She mentally kicked herself for falling for whatever trap the professor had set for her, and now here she was, shrunken, and sliding down a tube to God knows where…it was infuriating, and yet she only had herself to blame, she thought.

Blasts of air started shooting into the tunnel to slow her descent, and soon she landed in another chamber. The glass doors of this new chamber hissed open and a friendly face greeted her.

The face belonged to a woman, not much older than Mary herself. The woman had her long brown hair tied in a bun, and wore something similar to a toga, with a fancy belt around her waist.

“Welcome, Mary Sinclair! We’ve been expecting you.” She said smiling. “I am Tracy Arnold, I work for Professor Strickland, Please step over here” she said, guiding the speechless Mary to a spot marked on the floor. She quickly stepped away from Mary as several jets of water burst open and poured onto her head. Mary gasped and sputtered as the cold water covered her naked form. She shivered as the water stopped and the girl brought over a towel.

“Just to clean any grit from the old world off” she smiled. “Now let’s get you measured” she said as she grabbed Mary’s arm. She brought her over to a place on the wall were different heights were marked, like a parent might have for a child. Mary stood there as directed and the woman smiled.

“Six Inches, Exactly. The Professor is getting pretty good at that. When he first started, he wasn’t perfect at getting the right size.” She said motioning to herself.

“I myself am five inches tall. Not that I mind, but it’s nice to know he’s getting better. Well, now then. Someone is waiting for you” she said as another door hissed open. Mary slowly walked through, still quiet. There stood Alex, wearing a white toga like outfit as well.

“Mary!” he said running over, and hugging her. A young man behind a desk reached below and grabbed a toga for Mary and handed it to Alex.

“Here, put this on” he said before gushing. “Oh it’s so good to see you again. When I first joined, I thought I’d never get to…well…here you are” he said with a grin. She finished putting on the white robe and then turned to Alex and slapped him across the face.

“Why didn’t you warn me?! Tell me that a mad-man was going to make me knee high to a Barbie doll!” she shouted.

“Dear, Professor Strickland and I agreed that telling you would mean you wouldn’t have done it.” He said.

“So you were selfish.” She added with a raised eyebrow

“Yes. I apologize for not telling you, but I so wanted to hug you again, and let me tell you life here is the best. No worries, everything is provided for us, and…it’s peaceful. Do you like your robes?”

She didn’t like how he was trying to change the subject, but she looked it over. “It’s fine enough, I guess. Didn’t know “Logan’s Run” was the In look.”

“Mandated. The Professor thinks we shouldn’t have different fashions. Inspires less jealousy.” He stated.

“Peachy. Now…what do you do here?” she said glumly.

“Well, we each have a job that we do, to help out around the community. You’ll work with me until you get settled, and then you can find your own job, if you like.” He said.

“And where will we be working.”

“Oh, that’s the best part. Follow me” he said as he walked out the sliding door into the open streets.

When she hit the streets, she felt the strangest thing. A breeze. As if she were standing in a real city, and the buildings around her looked entirely real. She couldn’t believe it. She knew she was indoors, yet it felt entirely real.”

“Simulated Climate!” Alex said over the hum of the city. “Strickland is a genius”

“You can say that again” Mary said to herself as she looked around. It was awe inspiring, and she almost forgot she was six inches tall. Almost.

---

To Be Continued...