Shrink Theory

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bb-kiwi
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Shrink Theory

Post by bb-kiwi » Tue May 17, 2022 1:50 am

NOTE: This short story is a non-canon continuation from the story 'The Littlest Professor' by Davren57. I would suggest to readers of this story to familiarize yourself with Davren57's story first. It consists of four parts, but is still entertaining nonetheless...


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CHAPTER ONE


Both Kara and Ashley were seated in Kara’s office. Kara was on her desk sitting behind her smaller sized one. Both of them were looking at a woman sitting in front of the desk facing Kara. Ashley had escorted her into the office and gestured for her to sit, before taking her own seat.


“Nice to meet you, Doctor Morgenstern”, Kara said to the newcomer, “I’ve heard so much about you. I’d like you to meet Ms. Ashley Parker, who is my administrative assistant. You may speak freely in her presence”.


Doctor Rhoda Morgenstern, PhD., stood up and shook hands with Ashley.


“Nice to meet you, Ms. Parker”, Dr. Morgenstern said, “I’ve heard how you’ve been a great help to Professor Dahl in her work”.


“Thank you, Doctor”, Ashley replied, “Sorry we didn’t see you last evening. Professor Dahl and I didn’t have a chance to make the reception as we were busy with other things at the time”.


Both Kara and Ashley didn’t let on that Kara had – with the help of her assistant – snuck out in her pink pet carrier and ended up at Ashley’s place where they were engaged in a VERY pleasant interlude…


“Those parties that greet new members of faculty tend to be rather dull, Professor”, Dr. Morgenstern said with a chuckle as she sat back down, “so your being busy was certainly fortuitous in your case”.


Dr. Morgenstern was newly appointed as the university’s head of the Department of Theoretical Physics. From what Kara knew about her, Dr. Morgenstern was an exceptionally talented woman.


“Anyway, Doctor”, Kara asked, “You wanted to see me about a matter of ‘mutual interest’?”


“Yes indeed, Professor Dahl”, she replied, “because I may have come up with something that could not only explain your shrinkage, but also provide a possible answer to remedy your situation”.


Both Kara and Ashley looked at each other before looking back at Dr. Morgenstern. All efforts so far to reverse the process that caused Kara to shrink down to the size of a 7” tall doll had ended in dismal failure. So, anything that could crack the puzzle would be most welcome.


“You think you may have found out exactly what happened to me, Doctor?” Kara said, trying her best not to get excited.


“The question is not so much what happened to you, Professor Dahl”, Dr. Morgenstern said, “but rather how the shrinkage resulted. Yes, you have shrunken down to one twelfth of your normal size but given that your weight was also reduced in the process, that may have given me an idea at least to the answer to that question”.


“But how will that help getting her cured, Doctor?” Ashley asked, “after all, we want to reverse the process and since it seems conclusive that it was as a result of a chemical reaction, then logically we need to see what chemical compounds can undo what happened”.


“I’m willing to listen to anything that might shed more light on what happened and how, Doctor”, Kara said, so go ahead”.


“The inspiration actually came from an old novel my husband recently read called Fantastic Voyage by Isaac Asimov”, Dr. Morgenstern said, “Asimov did the novelization of the movie about a nuclear submarine and its crew shrunken down to microscopic size and injected into the body of a dying man. My husband showed it to me and it made us both think about you, Professor Dahl”.


“I remember seeing that movie on TV”, Ashley said, “Pretty good for its time”.


“I saw it too, Ashley”, Kara said in agreement, “but let’s hear Dr. Morgenstern out”.


“Sorry”, Ashley said contritely, “please continue, Doctor”.


“In the novel, there were two trains of thought initially as to how miniaturization would work: either by reducing the space between atoms, or paring off atoms in a precise pattern”, Dr. Morgenstern started, “but the problems with both were that in the first instance, no weight would be lost. Therefore, if the chemical that you were in contact with did that to you, you’d still weigh about 130 pounds or so, right Professor?”


“My pre-shrink weight was 133 pounds, Doctor”, Kara answered, “and I understand the logic thus far”.


“Good”, Dr. Morgenstern said, “the second option however could not be what happened either as the brain’s atomic mass needs to be in essence unaltered due to the complexity of the neurological synapses and memory matrix. Put simply, being shrunken down to the size of a rabbit by subtracting atoms would make you about as smart as one. You don’t seem to be any dumber for being your current size, right Professor?”


“No, I don’t”, Kara replied, “since I certainly would not be able to be smart enough to understand anybody, let alone resume teaching in university, given what you’ve said about atomic subtracting”.


“Then that means she would in essence have the same number of atoms in her at her current size as she had when she was normal”, Ashley said, “so if that is true, then why is she not 133 pounds?”


“Asimov’s novel provided a theory that is crazy enough to be true”, Dr. Morgenstern replied, “in that he postulated the existence of an infinite number of dimensions – co-existing realities, so to speak – and this would not only entail different outcomes to every different possibility, but also dimensions that would be exactly the same as our own dimension, but of different sizes to ours. My husband - who is doing pioneering research into inter-dimensional physics, by the way - immediately saw the significance of Asimov's explanation”.


Dr. Morgenstern's husband - Professor James Mathison, PhD. - was regarded as something of an eccentric by his peers, but his brilliance and scientific ingenuity could not be denied. He was not just a pioneer in inter-dimensional physics, but also in DNA structuring and neurological research.


“It’s a logical hypothesis, I suppose”, Kara said, “but that aspect of theoretical physics is not something I’m specialized in”.


“You may need to make it a little simpler for me, Doctor”, Ashley added.


“Okay”, Dr. Morgenstern said, “Imagine this dimension that we’re in as a domino, and you have dominoes stacked up in a line. You topple the first domino and it knocks down the second, then the second knocks down the third, and so on”.


“I can see that”, Ashley said, “please go on”.


“Now, suppose each domino - representing another dimension - is slightly smaller than the previous one. Not by much, but just a little”, Dr. Morgenstern continued, “because my husband and I think that the accident in the lab didn’t cause a direct chemical effect on you, but rather it caused the formation of a sort of inter-dimensional ‘bubble’ around you instead”.


Kara thought about that. Given the nature of the chemicals she was working with, that explosion could provide a necessary catalyst for such an effect.


“I’m beginning to see the picture”, Kara said, “so what you are postulating is that this ‘bubble’ started the first ‘domino’ - in my case – toppling to contact the second ‘domino’”.


“Yes”, Doctor Morgenstern replied, “This caused you to exchange your atoms with the smaller dimension’s version of you. Once the exchange was done, the ‘bubble’ then toppled the next dimensional ‘domino’ which repeated the process. Each dimension’s separate version of you would grow very, very, slightly as your atoms traded off with theirs. So while the bubble stayed active around you, you ended up continually trading off atoms from each of your subsequent - smaller - dimensional counterparts”.


“That must have been a lot of dimensions this ‘bubble’ contacted, if true”, Ashley said. While she didn’t have as high an academic credential as Kara and Dr. Morgenstern, she was intelligent and quickly caught on to what Dr. Morgenstern was talking about.


“At least a couple of hundred thousand, we think”, Dr. Morgenstern said, “and until the chemical that created – and sustained – the ‘bubble’ around you eventually wore off, what we saw as a result was a shrinkage of yourself, Professor Dahl”.


“It’s a pretty theory”, Kara said, “but if so, wouldn’t the clothes I wore at the time of the explosion have started to shrink as well?”


“Yes, that would seem logical”, Dr. Morgenstern said, “but there is so little we know about this ‘bubble’. It could be that it only affects living flesh, though since you have dental fillings, why they shrank along with the rest of you while your clothes didn’t is – I admit - something of a mystery”.


“Unless it took a little extra time for the ‘bubble’ to fully form around you after you ingested the vapor, Kara”, Ashley said, “after all, you didn’t notice anything for several hours after the explosion, and you had stripped down immediately afterwards because of your feeling feverish”.


“Or perhaps since I had ingested the chemical vapor, perhaps the ‘bubble’ started forming on the inside of me and then stopped when it reached my outer skin”, Kara said, “which would explain why my dental fillings and surgical mesh from that operation I had some years ago shrank with me”.


“Either of those conjectures sounds like a plausible explanation”, Dr. Morgenstern said, “so if this theory of Asimov’s is correct, then what we need to do is to recreate the situation and then ‘map’ the inter-dimensional bubble’s formation and the dimensions it tapped into”.


“And if the theory is confirmed, what then?” Kara asked.


“My husband thinks of that inter-dimensional bubble as a ‘magnet’ of sorts”, Dr. Morgenstern replied, “if we can recreate it, he thinks that it would be possible to reverse it’s ‘polarity’, thus ‘trading back’ the atoms that were initially replaced, and thus reversing the process and getting you back to your normal size”.


“If we can determine at which precise dimension was the last one my body ‘traded off’ my atoms with, that is”, Kara said, “still, this theory is certainly no crazier than the others I’ve heard”.


“So Doctor Morgenstern, how can we determine if this hypothesis is the right one?” Ashley asked.


“Ever since I had heard about Professor Dahl's situation”, she began, “I’d been wondering as to what happened, the why, and more importantly: the how. I had been working on some theories, but when my husband and I read that book of Asimov’s, his explanation to fit the movie plot line as to how shrinking can work gave us an insight to her situation”.


"Which just goes to show that science fiction writers can see more than professors at times", Ashley dryly commented.


“So…”, Kara prompted. Dr. Morgenstern turned her attention back to her.


“I’ve got people in my department building devices my husband designed that can detect any inter-dimensional interphase which may occur – either in nature or artificially induced”, Dr. Morgenstern said, “so if we can recreate the exact sequence of events in a controlled environment, then what we developed could not only be used to see if it is indeed what happened, but also to map the inter-dimensional ‘domino’ sequence from start to finish”.


“I don’t want to risk any others ending up like me, Doctor”, Kara pointed out, “and you’d need to have a test case to use your devices on”.


“True”, she said, “but we can perhaps use a real Guinea-pig or another animal as the test case. So long as the ‘bubble’ can be detected and what dimensions it taps into, then we’ve got a decent shot at getting the process reversed!”


----------


After Dr. Morgenstern left, Ashley looked at Kara and said, "This reminds me of an old adage, Kara".


"And what would that be, my Love?" Kara asked.


"'Your theory is crazy, but is it crazy enough to be true?'", she replied.


"Our specialty is bio-sciences", Kara said, "and so far our best efforts have been for naught. Thinking outside the bio-sciences box may be the key to finally cracking this problem!"


"Some people think Professor Mathison is cracked", Ashley said, "I heard that 'eccentric' would be a very diplomatic way to describe him".


"Doctor Morgenstern obviously believes in his abilities, and she is not a person easily impressed by anyone", Kara said.


"But you pointed out that in order for this inter-dimensional hypothesis to be proven, the exact circumstances of your accident have to be recreated and that means having a test case", Ashley pointed out.


"She suggested an that animal would probably be a suitable option", Kara said.


"Recreating it precisely may need a person", Ashley said, "and if so, I'd like to be the test case".


"Absolutely not!", Kara objected, "I can't have you doing to yourself what happened to me. You'd be just as helpless as I am, and I need you as you are!"


Kara was aghast at what Ashley was offering. Part of her would welcome a similarly-sized companion, but the thought of her lover putting herself at such a risk was too much for her to bear.


"The worst case scenario is that I live with you in your doll's house, my little love-tiger", Ashley said.


"And what if the 'bubble' does not wear off you at the same rate it wore off on me?" Kara pointed out, "You'd become smaller than me and... and... Please don't offer yourself as a test case, my Love. Please!"


Kara started sobbing. Ashley brought her face closer to her miniature lover.


"Can I pick you up?" Ashley asked. Kara nodded.


At that, Ashley gently picked Kara up around her waist and brought her close to her lips. Kara kissed Ashley gently. Ashley then pulled Kara away a little so that she could talk to her closely.


"I really want to help you get back to normal size, Kara", Ashley said softly, "and I'm willing to take any risk in order to help you realize that goal. I love you so much".


Kara was extremely touched by Ashley's gesture and smiled at her. Ashley smiled back.


"I love you too, my Dear", Kara said, "and it's because of that love that I can't have you risking yourself in that manner; even for me. We've had a wonderful loving relationship thus far and I don't want to risk losing it. I'd prefer to have you as my protecting and loving giantess".


"Well then", Ashley said with tears of love forming in her eyes, "I can't let the lady I love more than anything else in the world down, can I? So let me put you back down on the desk and I'll go and get some food for us. We can chew over what Dr. Morgenstern said over some lunch. Okay?"


"Sounds like a good idea, my Dear", Kara said.


At that, Ashley gently put Kara back on the desk beside her little desk. Blowing her a kiss, Ashley then left the office and headed to the cafeteria.


As Kara sat back down at her desk, she realized that she never loved Ashley more than at that moment...

bb-kiwi
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Re: Shrink Theory

Post by bb-kiwi » Tue May 17, 2022 1:51 am

CHAPTER TWO


Over the next few weeks, there were a sizeable number of memos and information trading between Kara’s office and Dr. Morgenstern’s. Usually Ashley would act as courier as both Dr. Morgenstern and Professor Matheson were rather paranoid about the possibility of ‘other eyes’ watching them in their work. Kara thought that that was being a little bit too dramatic, but given what was at stake, she decided to humor them.


Ashley had given Dr. Morgenstern all the research data – and the chemical compounds that she had used - that Kara had accumulated on her project that resulted in the accident, as well as the video footage that was taken at the time. The latter was for Professor Matheson to go over in order to analyze it for any evidence of trans-dimensional inter-phasing.


“If the interphase didn’t start until some time after the flask exploded, then what is analyzing the footage going to show, Doctor Morgenstern?” Ashley asked.


“We are looking at every angle to see if there might be something missing”, she replied, “my husband is making sure that no stone is unturned in this effort. I know that a number of colleagues do look askance at his methods – indeed at times I think the same - but I don’t argue with results”.


Nodding, Ashley returned to Kara’s office with memos for her to look at. The memos usually consisted of requests regarding any feelings out of the ordinary – if that word was appropriate – during the time that Kara was slowly shrinking. The shrinking process had taken some weeks and Kara had kept a diary throughout that time. It was through that diary that Kara could respond to the varied requests that she had gotten from Doctor Morgenstern, but some of the questions really didn’t seem relevant…


‘Did you urinate or perspire more?’ ‘Any differing experiences in your bowel movements?’ ‘Any unusual sensory responses when touching inanimate items?’ Questions like these were constantly being asked. Kara put up with them, but Ashley was not overly happy at the requests for answers, yet not getting any explanation from either Professor Mathison or Doctor Morgenstern as to why such questions were necessary.


After Ashley had returned from Dr. Morgenstern’s office one afternoon, Kara looked up at her assistant and saw her vexed look.


“Ashley, please don’t be impatient”, she said, “I’m well aware of how unorthodox her husband can be, but I have the highest regard for Rhoda Morgenstern’s credentials and intellectual prowess”.


“We’ve been searching for the answer for months, Kara”, Ashley replied, “and I’m not sure that this dimensional theory isn’t nothing more than grasping at straws, particularly when it involves a husband and wife taking inspiration from science fiction writers! I still think that the answer lies in the approach that we’ve been taking”.


“You know, I am reminded of a quote I heard on a detective TV show once: ‘When you eliminate the impossible, what you have left – no matter how improbable – must be the answer’”, Kara replied, “and the fact is that I’m one twelfth my normal size yet I can still think and move, and I’m not 133 pounds. Atomic replacement is the only answer because human neurological synaptic function would not function otherwise at reduced size”.


“Well, it’s been nearly six weeks since Doctor Morgenstern had first told us about her and her husband’s hypothesis, and nothing concrete has come out of their research yet!”, Ashley said disgustedly.


“We’ve got to let them take their time on this, Ashley”, Kara replied, “I’m wanting to grow back right now, so I’ve got more right than you to be impatient, but given what’s at stake, rushing things won’t help!”


“Oh, I understand that, my little Love”, Ashley said as she sat down in an empty chair, “and regardless of the fun we have in our lovemaking, the prospect of finally being able to do it with each other with you back at normal size is what’s making me frustrated at the lack of progress! I want to be pro-active here!”


“I don’t want you rushing in to being their ‘test-case’, Ashley”, Kara cautioned, “I thought we settled this”.


“Can I pick you up, Kara?” Ashley asked. Kara nodded.


Leaning forward from her chair, Ashley gently picked up her shrunken lover and brought Kara close to her face.


“If I were in trouble, Kara, would you hesitate before coming to my aid?” Ashley asked.


“You know that I wouldn’t hesitate – not even for a second - my loving giantess”, Kara replied.


“The same here, Kara”, Ashley said, “and I don’t think I’m doing either of us a favor by waiting on something that may never come to fruition. It’s so… so… demoralizing! I want to do something!”


“Neither of us are specialists in their field of expertise, my Love”, Kara said, “we’ve provided all we could in the bio-sciences approach. If the data we’ve provided them provides them with the answers they need, then we certainly have not been remiss”.


Just then, the phone on Kara’s desk buzzed. Ashley gently put Kara back down on her desk and picked up the phone.


“Professor Dahl’s office, Ashley Parker speaking”, Ashley said into the phone.


Kara looked up at Ashley as she said, “Yes, she’s here, Professor Mathison. I’ll put the phone on speaker”.


“Hello, Professor Dahl?” the voice of Professor James Mathison said.


“Yes, Professor Mathison?”, Kara replied.


“I can sum up this call in one word: Eureka!”, Professor Mathison replied, “We’ve nailed it!”


Both Ashley and Kara looked at each other with surprised expressions.


“What happened, Professor?” Kara inquired, “How…?”


“I think it better to show you both”, Professor Mathison replied, “I don’t want to talk over the phone. Miss Parker, could you please convey Professor Dahl over to my office?”


“Will do, Professor”, Ashley replied, “we’re on our way!”


“Before we do head on over, how long will this take, Professor?” Kara asked, “I’ve got a class later on this afternoon and my students do expect me to be punctual as I insist that they be punctual as well”.


Ashley looked shocked at Kara, but Kara smiled and put her finger over her lip. Ashley smiled and nodded.


“Oh… ah”, Professor Mathison stammered out, “I forgot that you do teach classes, but this will not take long. I promise!”


“Then we’ll be there in a few minutes, Professor”, Kara replied.


“Right!”, he replied before terminating the call.


“What was that all about?” Ashley demanded playfully as she went over to the table that had Kara’s house sitting on it, “I’d have thought you’d be more excited at the news!”


Kara giggled as Ashley picked up the pink-and-silver pet carrier that was sitting beside the house.


“I just wanted to remind him that – research aside – this is a university that we’re at, and that I’m willing to be a ‘little’ bit patient. Pun definitely intended”, she replied.


“Someday, your sense of humor is going to end up with me putting you over my knee for a good spanking, my mischievous little doll”, Ashley said in mock reproof as she placed the pet carrier on the desk beside Kara.


“Promises, promises”, Kara replied with a giggle as she walked into the carrier, “but let’s not keep the good professor waiting, so let me get in and let’s go see what he’s come up with”.


“From the way he sounded during that call, I think he won’t be disappointing us”, Ashley said as Kara took her seat in the pet carrier.


“Then let’s go!”, Kara said, “I’m seated. Just don’t get too excited while you’re walking me over there though”, she reminded her giant assistant.


“Killjoy”, Ashley said with a giggle as she put the cover over the pet carrier…


----------


Kara stood on Dr. Mathison’s desk looking up at him. He was seated behind his desk with Rhoda Morgenstern sitting beside him whilst Ashley was sitting on the other side of the desk.


“Thanks for coming over, Professor Dahl”, Professor Mathison said, “and you too, Miss Parker”, he added.


“Well, after you said the word ‘Eureka’, Professor”, Kara said, “it motivated us to be prompt!”


“So, what do you have to show us, Professor?” Ashley asked, barely keeping excitement out of her voice.


“This”, Doctor Morgenstern said as she bent down to the floor and picked up what looked like a pet carrier. It was similarly sized to Kara’s, though not painted the same racy color.


Placing it on the desk, she opened the carrier’s door. Kara looked in and gasped.


“Look at this, Ashley!”, Kara said. Ashley leaned forward and looked in.


“A shrunken Shetland pony!”, Ashley gasped, “so you recreated the accident!”


As the pony gently ‘whinnied’ as it stepped out of the carrier, Kara walked up to it and petted it.


“This pony was our ‘test’ case”, Doctor Morgenstern said, “as size-wise and lung-wise it was a close enough match to your original mass, Professor Dahl”.


“We had successfully duplicated the accident, as you can see”, Professor Mathison said, “and our devices confirmed that the interaction of the bio-chemical vapor with the body’s natural electricity production created – and kept powered up – the resulting inter-dimensional interphase ‘bubble’.


“Our devices proved conclusively that atoms were being traded off between dimensions”, Doctor Morgenstern added, “and that it was the natural decay in the ingested chemicals that eventually made it ‘wear off’”.


“Your hypothesis on the bubble first forming from within - then expanding out to your external skin – was borne out, Professor Dahl”, Professor Mathison continued, “Your being sweaty and passing out was due to the formation and expansion of the bubble within you. Everything within the bubble was then open to the interdimensional interphase, which is why the artificial items within you like your fillings shrank down with you”.


“So, we have the explanation for how the shrinkage occurred”, Ashley said, “but what about reversing the process? What’s been done about that?”


“It’s happening now”, Professor Mathison replied, “the pony is now slowly growing!”


“Really?” Kara exclaimed, “How?”


“As I had conjectured, the body’s electricity interacted with the bio-chemicals to create the bubble”, Professor Mathison said, “and when we recreated the effect again two days ago, we had used a slight electrical pulse to ‘reverse’ the polarity of the chemical. Our devices confirmed that the Pony is getting back it’s traded-off atoms!”


“So, the pony will grow back to full size at the same rate that it was initially shrunk”, Kara said. Both Professor Mathison and Doctor Morgenstern nodded.


“And thanks to the confirmation, I can actually build a device that can create a similar bubble and as a result do shrinkage and restoration at a far faster rate”, Professor Mathison said, “because the more power that is utilized in the inter-dimensional bubble, the faster the process”.


“Though in your case, Professor Dahl, we would have to go the slow route”, Doctor Morgenstern cautioned.


“Why?” Kara and Ashley asked simultaneously.


“Because while your solid body’s atoms are of the ‘traded type’”, Doctor Morgenstern replied, “the water that you had drank after the shrinking is of normal size atoms”.


“The restoration process will not enlarge un-shrunken atoms”, Professor Mathison added, “so if we instantly restored your size, you would be a dehydrated husk. So, it would have to be a slow process so that you would be able to continually hydrate yourself in order to stay alive”.


Kara and Ashley both nodded. As a human body was sixty percent water, sixty percent water – volume wise - on a person seven inches tall was rather small compared with sixty percent water on a fully grown human.


“So, a fast shrink and the person shrunken not drinking much during that time would be able to be quickly un-shrunk then”, Ashley said, “but her long period of time at her size makes that option not possible”.


“Yes, Miss Parker”, Professor Mathison said, “you understand”.


“But what about the solid part of her body?”, Ashley asked next, “because a body does constantly change out atoms thanks to things like food, so she would have lost some of those atoms, given how long she’s been like this, and thus there will be normal-sized solid atoms in her system along with the shrunken ones”.


“She would have some of her shrunken atoms lost, but not much percentage-wise”, Doctor Morgenstern replied, “and as a result, she would probably be about an inch or two shorter – tops – from what she originally was”.


“Considering my current size, being only two inches shorter from where I started from is a very small price to pay”, Kara said, “and but given that my body would have to get used to the traded-back atoms interfacing with the un-shrunken ones in my body during the restoration, then the slow approach would give my body time to adapt”.


“I wonder how your body – with its smaller atoms – could have worked with un-shrunken atoms in it though”, Ashley mused, “after all – size excepted – you are in excellent health”.


“She had not shrunken small enough for that to become a factor, thank goodness”, Doctor Morgenstern replied, “and the human body is adaptable – to an extent – so that an equilibrium of sorts was able to be maintained”.


“So, when do we do it?” Kara asked next.


“I want to ensure that the Pony’s restoration in size is not going to encounter anything unexpected”, Doctor Morgenstern replied, “so I’d like to wait some to ensure the restoration will be safe enough for you”.


“Plus I also want to be able to precisely map at which dimension was the last one you traded off your atoms with so that we can get the maximum amount of replaced atoms back into your body”, Professor Mathison added, “those tissue samples we got from you has been invaluable in tracing the origin of those atoms”.


“So, we can start getting you restored within three weeks or so”, Professor Mathison concluded, “and six weeks after we start, you should be more-or-less back to normality”.


----------


Back in Kara’s office, both Kara and Ashley took the time to pour a glass of wine – Kara’s glass being filled courtesy of an eye-dropper – and to raise their glasses in a toast.


“To the end of the nightmare”, Kara said as she drank.


“To finally be able to make love to my true love – full sized!”, Kara replied.


“I’ll certainly drink to that”, Kara said, “though you do like making love to me while I’m this size, right?”


“Well…I kind of thought you’d have noticed, my Love”, Ashley replied with a giggle.


“Well, when I’m back to being normal-sized, we can go to ‘Diana’s’ and hit the dance floor big time! The atmosphere at that club always worked to get me ‘excited’, if you know what I mean”, Kara teased.


“Well I know it!”, Ashley replied, “I loved going there!”


“And then perhaps we can talk about another thing to kind of formalize things between us”, Kara said next with a faint blush.


“Yes?” Ashley asked quietly.


“Now that my shrunken nightmare is about over, how would you feel about us being married, Ashley?” Kara asked.


“Are you proposing to me, Kara?” Ashley breathed.


“Well, I guess I am”, Kara replied, “and being in church with you same-sized at the ceremony is what I would really love to do. Will you marry me, my dearest love?”


“Oh yes, Kara!”, Ashley replied, “Oh yes!”

bb-kiwi
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Re: Shrink Theory

Post by bb-kiwi » Tue May 17, 2022 1:52 am

CHAPTER THREE (How the Shrinking Virus started)


Both Dr. Matheson and Dr. Morgenstern were right to be paranoid because their research into Kara’s condition had been picked up by unfriendly eyes within their research staff. Not a corporate spy, but a spy for another country.


Lee Tang was a technical assistant for Dr. Morgenstern. Tang was quite an intelligent person and a specialist in biosciences and physics. He was a naturalized American and had proven himself to be an invaluable assistant to Dr. Morgenstern. However, he was also an agent for China’s Ministry of State Security, and he had seen that the research into how Professor Kara Dahl had gotten shrunken down had been forwarded to the MSS’ Unit 525, which specialized in bio-weapons research.


The unit was a clandestine department within MSS’s Bureau 13 – the Science and Technology Investigative Division - which dealt with managing science and technology projects and conducting research and development. As this type of unit was illegal under international bio-weapons treaties banning such research, it technically did not exist, though it came very close to being exposed in late 2019.


Unit 525 – who’s ‘claim to fame’ in the eyes of the politburo of the Chinese Communist Party was their accidental premature release of the Covid-19 virus from their lab in Wuhan – was looking at ‘weaponizing’ synthesized versions of the rare plants that were the catalyst for Kara’s shrinkage. Dr. Won Chow – who headed Unit 525 after his predecessor had been ‘retired’ to a work camp for his role in the inadvertent release of Covid-19 – had been reading over the stolen data avidly.


He had gotten his staff to look over samples of those plants that Tang had smuggled out of the university (and into the hands of another MSS agent who eventually got it to the Chinese Embassy in Washington DC) and then eventually to the Chinese city of Chongqing, where Unit 525 had recently relocated to from Wuhan. A report on that plant’s biochemical properties had been given to him and he nodded in satisfaction as he read it.


“So”, Chow thought to himself, “We have successfully synthesized this plant's biochemical. And according to Professor Matheson's research data, the body’s natural generating energy powers the resulting interdimensional interphase and starts the shrinking process. While Professor Dahl's shrinking was the result of her ingesting vapor from an exploded glass beaker, the biochemical can be introduced via a variant of the influenza virus. An interesting way to cut our enemies down to size”.


Chow smiled at the thought of the enemies of the People’s Republic of China being dwarfed, but the report did state that in its current form, only a small percentage of the human population - between five to seven percent - would be affected. The vast majority of people would be immune from the effects of such a virus due to a key part of their bodies’ natural immune system. Therefore, a means had to be found to circumvent this immunity in order for this ‘Shrinking Virus’ to be fully effective. Ideally, making sure that only the Chinese retained the immunity.


Also – according to other data smuggled out by Tang – the electrical field generated by the human body did ‘power’ the biochemicals, but as the power produced was not uniform in each person, the rate of shrinkage and the final size of infected humans would not be the same. So that was another hurdle that had to be overcome. Tang had reported that Professor Morgenstern had been working on a means to have the biochemical ‘powered’ by outside means in order to accelerate and thus better control the shrinkage, but he hadn’t yet been able to access any of that data.


Chow sighed. Ever since the Covid-19 debacle, the Party leadership had been leaning on him heavily to produce results and he had to show some progress in this regard. He decided to have his department head on this project – codenamed ‘Zǐluólán' (Shrinking Violet) – introduce the synthesized biochemical formula into the flu virus strain that they had cultured, and to find some unfortunates – without that specific immunity - in China’s labor camps to be Guinea pigs. He knew that when the politburo saw the results on those persons, they would give him the time and funding to perfect things. He picked up the phone.


“Comrade Chiang”, he said into the phone, “Start producing samples for ‘Zǐluólán’ immediately. I am authorizing the utilization of the ‘Z-strain’ Influenza culture. Understood?”


“It’s very early in the research, Comrade Director”, Chiang’s voice replied, “And as presently configured, it will only work on a small percentage of people, as outlined in my initial report”.


“If we don’t start showing results to the politburo, Chiang”, Chow replied, “then we’ll not only be shut down, but we’ll end up joining our unfortunate comrades from the Covid-19 debacle in a labor camp. I’m sure you’d prefer to avoid that fate”.


“Yes, Comrade Director”, Chiang’s voice acknowledged.


“Good. I've already contacted the Labor Camp Administration in order to find suitable candidates for experimentation. The medical requirements for these candidates are based on your report”, Chow said next.


“Understood, Comrade Director”, Chiang replied. Left unsaid was that if those 'candidates' didn't shrink, he - as the report's author - would be held responsible.


“I want samples of the virus as quickly as possible. Two ampules should suffice”, he said.


“I’ll deliver them to you personally, Comrade Director”, Chiang assured him.


“I’ll be expecting you later on today, Comrade”, Chow said.


Chow terminated the connection and turned his attention back to the reports. He had to prepare a preliminary report for the politburo, and forward additional instructions to Lee Tang. The more information that he could get from Professor Mathison and Dr. Morgenstern's research, the better. The Shrinking Virus could well prove to be the weapon to decisively ensure China’s supremacy on the world stage, but a lot was at stake. He couldn’t afford to fail.


“The round-eyes will certainly be looking up to us – in more ways than one – if we are successful”, Chow thought with a savage smile as he put his concerns behind him.


His smile would not have been so broad had he known something about Project Leader Chiang Ching-Qua. Chiang himself was a very talented biochemist and had built up seemingly impeccable credentials by his educational qualifications, years of dedication to his work, and loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party. But he was also a deep-cover agent for Taiwan’s National Security Bureau. Chiang knew of the potential for such a virus and how eagerly the communists in Beijing would utilize it once it was perfected. He knew that Taiwan would be the first target and when the other countries saw the result of it…


“This information has got to get to Taipei at once”, Chiang thought, “but how?”


Chiang knew that the agents of MSS’ Bureau’s 7 and 8 – which dealt with counterintelligence and counterespionage – would be constantly watching all Unit 525 personnel, and as the head of the ‘Zǐluólán’ project, he would be especially closely monitored. Getting past their scrutiny was not going to be easy.


As he relayed Chow’s order to his assistants to start producing the biochemical-induced flu virus, He started thinking about how best to get samples of it out of the unit and to the NSB. He was not happy about the prospect of exposing himself to the MSS as they would not look fondly upon his loyalty to Taipei. Normally, he would clandestinely pass on the information over a longer period of time, but this information could not be delayed. If the politburo did see positive results, they would pour a lot more money, manpower, and effort into perfecting the Shrinking Virus. He was going to have to risk not only his position here – that he had spent years worming himself into – but his life as well.


Chiang sneezed, then paused. He knew that he was immune to the Shrinking Virus, so why not instead leave the unit with the virus within him? Thanks to Covid-19, much of the population was still masked, so he would not risk spreading the virus himself. Once he got to a safe house, then a blood sample with the virus would be extracted and gotten to Taipei that way.


“The virus won’t show up on bio-scanners until a day after exposure”, Chiang thought, “so that may work”.


He didn’t include the delay in detection in the initial report, but he knew that it would only be a matter of time before members of his staff here would do so. He nodded. Better do it now, while there was still time. True, he’d have to stay in isolation for a while, but that was a small price to pay for getting the information back to his superiors in Taipei.


He made a quick call to the local head of the Labor Camp Administration and checked Chow’s order to quickly find test subjects. He then e-mailed an encrypted message to him with additional information that the Camp's own medical staff would need to help vet suitable candidates. Roughly only one person in twenty would be affected by the Shrinking Virus as currently configured, but since labor camp inmate populations typically number in the thousands, there should not be any real problem in finding suitable test subjects…


Getting up from behind his desk, he left his office and headed over to Sub-Level 3 Laboratory. Unit 525 was underground and access to and from the complex was strictly controlled, but his position as project director got him through the various security checks without any problems. As he entered the laboratory, the technicians turned to him and bowed, but Chiang waved them to go back to work.


“So how goes it, Comrade?” he asked the senior technician at the control console.


“We’ve started the introduction of the bio-chemical to the ‘Z-strain’, Comrade Project Leader”, the technician replied, “the bio-chemical bonds very quickly, but…”


“Go on, Comrade”, Chiang said.


“Even though the ‘Z- strain’ influenza virus is much more benign than other strains of influenza developed here, it is rather more virulent. By itself, it is less than an annoyance to humans, but it would spread quicker than Covid-19. Adding the biochemical to it will mean that we have to be very careful so that it doesn’t accidentally release prematurely, like what happened with Covid-19”, the technician finished.


“The head of Unit 525 has to show the politburo – very soon - how quickly it can spread. Comrade”, Chiang informed him, “which means using the ‘Z-strain’. It is an ideal carrier for the biochemical and it will quickly reproduce itself. Yes, I know about the current restriction on how many humans would end up shrinking from it as it currently is, but when demonstrated on candidates without the immunity to it, the pressure on us from the politburo will ease up and we’ll get all we need – time and money – to perfect it”.


Just then, another technician called Chiang over. He was standing in front of a plate glass window looking into a sealed room that had machinery and pipes inside.


“The modified ‘Z-strain’ is being put into those ampules now, Comrade Project Leader”, the technician said, pointing to a conveyor belt where glass ampules were being filled with a clear liquid.


“Excellent, Comrade”, Chiang replied, “I will need two ampules of the virus for testing in the presence of the Director”.


“Are you sure that is safe, Comrade Project Leader?” the senior technician inquired.


“I’m well aware of the contagiousness of this virus, Comrade”, Chiang replied, “so have the ampules placed in protective polystyrene packaging. The chief wants to look them over and he is a person to whom you don’t say ‘no’ to”.


“Understood, Comrade”, the technician acknowledged. The packaging used to secure ampules from being damaged was robust and since everyone knew about keeping things secure due to the recent Covid-19 debacle, he wasn’t concerned that Chiang Ching-Qua of all people would be careless.


In a little over five minutes, a small polystyrene package filled with two 100CC ampules of the prototype Shrinking Virus was handed to him. Chiang signed off on a form, then took the package back to his office.


In his office, he closed and locked the door. There was a ‘hiss’ as the office became hermetically sealed (which was another safety feature utilized in all of the offices and labs in the complex). He wasn’t concerned about bugs or hidden video links as he thoroughly swept the office for such items on a regular basis.


He then opened the package and took out one of the ampules. Opening his desk drawer, he took out a syringe and with its needle, pierced the top of the ampule. He then withdrew 50CC’s from it, then he – after a quick application of an alcohol wipe – injected it into his arm.

Using the same syringe, he withdrew the remainder of the Shrinking Virus from the ampule and squirted it into an empty ampule that he also had in his desk drawer.


He then took out another syringe from his desk containing sterile water and used that to top up the ampule that he had put the remainder of the Shrinking Virus into. He noticed that the newly filled syringe did not look different to the other one. Good.


Quickly placing a new aluminum cap on the ampule to give the impression that it had not been broached, he placed the refilled ampule in its package, then he removed his lab coat, put on his suit jacket, and left his office. He quickly disposed of the old ampule in a bio-hazard waste chute. As it was unmarked, he knew that it could not be traced back to him.


Going up to the top level, he showed his identity card to the guard, and then he called over a soldier who was part of a guard unit assigned to be escorts for Unit 525 personnel. Given the fact that he was carrying bio-hazard material, this was standard procedure.


“I have to get these over to Comrade Director Chow personally”, Chiang said as he gestured to the package, “so let’s do the screening and proceed”.


The guard saluted and guided him over to a small alcove where a medical technician did a scan of his vital signs and checked his temperature and blood pressure. The package containing the ampules was opened and looked at, then resealed and secured with special tape. While this was happening, all of Chiang's effects and clothing were checked by another guard. Chiang himself was then quickly frisked. The guard nodded to the medical technician.


“You’re all clear, Comrade”, the medical technician announced as he handed Chiang back the package.


Nodding, Chiang accompanied the guard out of the building, where – after he affixed a face mask - he was escorted to a car. Sitting in the back with his guard escort next to him, he ordered the driver to proceed to the building complex where Chow’s office was situated.


As the car drove off, Chiang thought to himself about his next move. He knew that he would be constantly watched by MSS agents while out of the complex and at his apartment, so he had to devise a way to let his ‘control’ know that he had something to urgently pass on. Of all the previous times he had passed information on, they had passed off without incident, but all it would take is one slip-up and he would end up dead with a bullet in the back of his head.


After a few minutes of driving, the car arrived at a nondescript building in the center of Chongqing and drove into the basement car park. After the car stopped, Chiang got out of the vehicle and with his escort accompanying him, headed into an elevator.


Getting off in the lobby, his ID was checked and the seals on the package checked, then having been cleared, he headed up via another elevator to Won Chow’s office.


“Good afternoon, Comrade Director”, Chiang said in greeting as he entered Chow’s office, “Here are the two ampules of the prototype Shrinking Virus, as you directed me to get to you”.


“Excellent, Comrade”, Chow replied as he took the package and checked the seals, “the Labor Camp administration has informed me that Camp 47 is screening their inmate population for candidates now. We are to head over there at once to set things up at their infirmary. I've ordered a video crew there as well to record the experiment for the politburo, once the test subjects are selected”.


“How many test subjects do you think we need, Comrade?” Chiang asked.


“Four should do: two male and two female”, Chow replied, “They are all to be in good health”.


“This Virus should work as directed, though given how long it could take – judging from our models and the variables over ‘power’ generation – it may take some time to see any substantial shrinkage. It would have been better to bring the test subjects to our complex instead”, Chiang said.


“State Security forbids such a thing, Chiang”, Chow said, “but I am assured that Camp 47 has proper facilities at their infirmary for monitoring the test subjects after they have been administered the Shrinking Virus”.


“How many technicians do you think we’ll need to monitor the subjects, Comrade Director?” Chiang asked.


“’Zǐluólán’ is still classified Most Secret, so the fewer the better, Comrade”, Chow replied, “the guards and administrative personnel at Camp 47 must be kept in the dark as well for as long as possible. So, it looks like you’ll be living there for a while overseeing the initial monitoring”.


Chow nodded. Inwardly, he groaned as that meant he would have very little opportunity to contact his ‘control’.


“I’d have preferred staying back at the complex to oversee the refinements on the Virus, Comrade”, Chiang commented, “as well as starting to work on ways to circumvent the immunity factor”.


“One thing at a time, Chiang”, Chow replied, “because we have to show the politburo that the Shrinking Virus works at least on our test subjects. Once they see that it does, then you’ll have all the time in the world to work on the refinements”.


“Understood, Comrade”, Chiang said. He had to maintain the impression that he was a loyal servant of the People’s Republic of China, so he raised no further objections.


Nodding, Chow got to his feet and walked out from behind his desk carrying the package. Chiang waited until his superior had passed him, then he followed him out of the office and to the elevator down to the lobby.


Quickly passing through the lobby's security checkpoints, both officials were escorted to a waiting car out front where they got into the back seat. The car then headed away from the building and headed out of the city towards the labor camp.


Chiang tried to think of some way to contact his ‘control’. Should he risk it now or wait for a better time? He knew that his superiors in Taipei needed to know about the Shrinking Virus as soon as possible, and to get samples of it from his blood. Perhaps it was better to play it by ear for the time being. If nothing else, he could make sure that he could infect others by being in close contact as an absolute last resort.


Fate spared him the necessity of choice. As the car moved into an intersection, a large semi-truck that was trying to stop had lost its brakes and was barreling into the intersection at the same time as Chow's car. The truck hit the car broadside at high speed, instantly killing all of the occupants. The severity of the impact knocked out of the car wreck the container containing the ampules.


One of the truck's tires ran over the package. Despite the package being designed to protect the contents, the sheer weight of the truck - it was fully loaded - crushed the package and the ampules, releasing the virus into the environment. No biohazard markings were on the package or the ampules because of secrecy, so no one (alive) at the scene knew what had happened. But even if anyone did know, it was too late to do anything about it.


As soldiers and bystanders rushed over to try and see what could be done, the released Shrinking Virus started to infect them. While most of the people were masked, several weren’t. In any case, it was later determined that wearing cloth face masks was ineffective against the Shrinking Virus.


For those with the antibody, all it did was give a person a very mild case of influenza. For those who didn't, their perspective on the world around them was about to change...


On the day that Chiang Ching-Qua and Won Chow died, the Shrinking Virus started on its journey to all quarters of the planet. And by the time that various people without the natural immunity to it knew what was happening, it was too late to stop. And just like Covid-19, the Shrinking Virus could mutate, as it did in Hong Kong later that year around the time that CIA agent Katherine Lang was there on assignment...


(note: Katherine Lang is a character in Davren57's story 'Spy Doll')

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