Shrunken M.O.M.

[ensmallen]

Was looking for ideas after my first try at a story. Writing a take on a scene from a show I'm sure some of us look back on fondly. Wish me luck.

https://imgur.com/kvUjVMn

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zonlXUI60xw&t=3m29s

>>>>>>>>

Shrunken M.O.M.

Ch. 1


“Is that another creature? What’s this do?”

The woman known only as MOM studied the 19-year-old from beside her desk. Despite his tendencies she admitted Martin had done well during his time as an agent with the Center. She was curious if anything had changed in the two years since he’d turned in his U-Watch to leave for university.

“This,” she pointed at the fishbowl perched on the desk, explaining for her visitor, “is for stress.”

The doohickey that looked part laser and part hair dryer she eyed dubiously as he picked it up. “That … is something best left where you found it.”

Martin wore a pensive smile holding the gadget. He imagined he could've counted with one hand the times he’d seen his old boss loosen up. He had to admit he worried. The pretty face could be intimidating when Martin screwed up, but he knew MOM was only looking out for all of them. Going on trying to bear the weight of the world on her shoulders. Those slender shoulders … in that tight lab coat … especially around the chest.

He turned and aimed.

“Pew-pew!”

MOM leveled a flat stare. For a moment, she felt she'd glimpsed someone surer, more worldly, seeing Martin as they laid eyes on each other after so long. But it seemed the boy remained inside the man. The stares were harder to peg. She knew from his sister, Diana, how he left it obvious what he went on drooling about in his thoughts half the time. But did he just….

Oh, please, he knows you’re old enough to be his mom. Stop flattering yourself…. Wait, did I just think that about Martin?

“You know,” she breathed sultrily lowering herself to sit on the desk. The young man making an idiot of himself before her was at one time a highly-promising operative. She had to steer the visit toward something productive, suddenly conscious of how she sat.

“I wouldn't go about it like that if I'd wanted to prove I was still fit for a mission.”

Martin blinked. The hint he could have his old job waiting didn’t get his attention like the way he had it put to him. He flirted with girls but MOM was a grown woman. He hadn't forgotten how she'd tended to talk down to him as his superior. Now he was seeing her against the desk looking like she wanted something only Martin had. It made his chest feel ten feet wide, feeling needed. In control. A tough guy.

“You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me?”

He had the doodad in his jacket. With his hand half-out and his head bobbing up and down. MOM tried not to lower her face and stare at the floor.

“Huh? Huh? 'k—” He was set to draw for his finish but couldn’t. The stupid thingamabob had so much going on something snagged on his clothes. He stood there tugging and pulling until it heaved free. It whipped right out pointing at MOM on the desk. With Martin’s finger on the trigger.

Click. “Oops.”

MOM saw the device glowing before she went rigid like a statue. A hovering ball of light suddenly grew from the size of her fist to all-encompassing. Then just as abruptly left her stranded high in the air without her clothes when it vanished, flailing her arms when she saw water below her. She hit the surface feet together and plunged almost twice her height before her heels disturbed a bed of white rounded stones.

The water was only slightly cloudy. MOM turned in place and saw outsized telescoped eyes above a gaping maw staring back. She threw her hands over her mouth as she kicked and sent herself backwards into thick glass. She felt along the curving surface covered in white material from outside in disbelief. Until she got in the clear and stared out of the giant sphere at a vast cavernous space.

She caught movement. Something lifted the sheet of material aside before a pair of eyes the size of medicine balls lowered themselves to the glass. She saw them blink several times staring at her before an equally outsized forefinger and a thumb framed her in the gap between them. She arched her hips as she pulled her legs together and flung back her arms to push herself to the surface.

“MOM?”

The voice had boomed like it was coming from all around her. MOM cupped her ears as her chest heaved for air above the water. She looked up past the opening at the top of the sphere at the same pair of peering brown eyes from before. And up at the absurd growth of bright blond hair standing up in the air like tall grass.

“Martin—” She covered her mouth, staring. She still rasped like a little girl with a sniffle raising her voice.

“Martin! How are you … so….”

She didn't finish saying the question. She was looking at her pet goldfish swim placidly at her feet above the bed of white pebbles lining the bottom of the fishbowl. Seeing her white lab coat folded up right beside it swimming up to the glass. Everything on her desk looked the same only enlarged to gigantic proportions. She already had a feeling before Martin held his thumb and forefinger over his eyes, muffling his voice with one hand.

“MOM, you're tiny.”

Martin was holding the ray. I was right in front of him. MOM looked down at the water going up to her shoulders, holding her head in her hands.

“No. No. No….”

Something thumped into the fishbowl. Her head jerked up as she covered her ears. Martin held the gadget he'd fidgeted with up to the glass.

“MOM, we can fix this. Just tell me how to get you back to normal with this thing.”

MOM stared, lowering her hands. The device didn't seem damaged. She might still have a chance. But we haven't learned to reverse the effects.

“No. No. No….”

Uh-oh. “Hang in there, MOM. I'm calling Billy.” Martin knew he needed the help, laying the device on the desk. His grown woman was the size of her pet goldfish. MOM didn't look any different at least although she sounded funny. The same sleek bob of dark hair so black it shone purple, the same aqua-green eyes, the same tight body covered in soft, creamy skin that had him looking up from his phone seeing it through the glass.

Eyes down, Martin. Poor MOM. His arms felt heavy as he sat in MOM's chair, trying to get Billy. What would happen to her if Billy wasn't up to it? Was she keeping her job trying to get the giants to see her as the same person? Or would the Center leave MOM in a pen next to the freaks and horrors? He thought she looked so distracted alone with her thoughts. All because Martin picked up some stupid gadget.

Oh, shit. The phone's battery went dead. He couldn't find his charger in his backpack. Nice going there, champ. What else could you screw up?

BOOM!

Dust shook free from the walls from the force of a powerful explosion. The room quickly went dark before emergency lights bathed it in an eerie red glare. Klaxons blared as a panicked disembodied voice shouted above Martin's head.

“Perimeter alert! Perimeter alert! All security teams deploy to repel armed hostiles!”

Oh, shit. Oh, shit. Oh, shit.

He looked over and saw MOM staring. She had her hands to the glass with her legs kicking in place in the water. He couldn't recall her ever seeming so vulnerable. He fought to calm himself and nearly jumped out her chair when he realized MOM's laptop was on. Someone was making a video call. He grabbed MOM and her fishbowl off the desk and placed her in his lap before answering. It was Jerry from WOOHP. He sure looked worried.

“MOM, we've been compromised. They're hitting everything. You've got to—”

Jerry blinked. He brought his face right up to the camera.

“Martin? Where's MOM?”

“Uh.” Martin glanced at the tiny woman treading water in the fishbowl on his lap. “Heard she was up to her neck with a small problem, Mr. Jerry. Sir. But I can get whatever she needs to know to her right away.”

Jerry looked like he was about to crush his own forehead between his fingers like a grape the way he closed his eyes and sat back in deep thought. He breathed out after a moment and turned to Martin.

“Look, Martin, I know we've had our differences, and you're no longer on the payroll. But I don't know how long we can keep comms up. Right now, you're all I've got. We don't have much time. Listen up.”

He stared at Martin in deadly seriousness.

“They're after MOM. Her secrets. It will take time to get back on our feet and get you support, but—in the meantime—she'll need your help. Tell her to go to ground. Cut off all contact. Whatever it takes. You have to keep her from falling into the wrong hands. The fate of the world depends—”

The call cut off abruptly.

Another explosion rattled the room. Screams and gunfire rang out over the PA system. Martin grabbed a flashlight from his backpack and held it up where he could see MOM inside the fishbowl. She was holding a hand up against the light, looking up at his face as she tried to keep herself upright in the water. A tiny slip of a woman. Her life in his hands.

Oh, shit. Oh, shit. Oh, shit.

[Sumguy14]

not familiar with this show, but this is solid start. Hope to see more!