The Opening: A Diaper Dimension Story (Chapter 26 - Complete)

[Guilend]

2 hours ago, LostBBoyBear said:

editing abilities after my fourth dose of Nyquil of the day

That might have been a very hilarious chapter lol. 

She mentioned any signs of immaturity or something at the beginning, and I'm curious if she also meant if a Big showed signs of "immaturity " if it could go really bad for them or just frowned upon. 

She really put her foot in it this time. I hope they end up letting her go, but at the same time I kind of hope they don't so we get to see further down the rabbit hole, like some kind orphanage they might take her to, a holding cell and if it's just for Littles or a mix between Littles and Betweeners or just everyone and if it is just Littles or a mix are they required to wear diapers and of course being me if any Bigs ever get put in there either because they broke a certain law or because the admissions officer "accidentally " put them there lol.

I can't wait to see what happens next and glad you're doing better.

Yay next page and I'm on top. Eat y'alls heart out. I'm on top of the world. Or the king of the hill?

[LostBBoyBear]

So, first off, I just wanted to give another huge thank you to all of you for your show of support in my moment of crisis last week. I think I was just feeling odd about the whole situation, but I'm tremendously grateful for all that you all had to say. 

Now, this chapter was originally supposed to be two, but I consolidated a few chapters and expanded or even added others, so the count is still at 26 in total right now. This could still change, but the story is progressing nicely at this rate and I think I'm mostly satisifed with the pacing as of right now.

Regardless, I hope you all enjoy this next chapter!

Chapter 6: The Other Side of the Law

I hated seeing arguments between people, but at least the younger officer seemed to be more or less on my side in this case. The two seemed like partners, but clearly, both had very different ideas about whatever they were discussing regarding my presence. I had a shred of hope that maybe I could somehow get out of here if he argued the right way, but it didn’t take me long to notice his soon-to-be slumped shoulders and deep sighing. And not a minute later, he was walking back over to me while Officer Jake had a shit-eating grin all over his face. The big advocating for me had clearly lost and I dreaded what was to come for me next.

Officer Jake soon entered the front of the squad car, and the other officer came back to me int eh backseat still. “Hey there… I’m really sorry about my partner, but we’ve got not choice but to bring you in.” He then paused and looked behind me for a second. “Uh, just watch out for me here.” He then reached over and flicked a switch and immediately, the middle seat flipped up and transformed into what I could clearly see was a booster seat. “Now, are you going to be good for me and sit in there?”

I looked back over to the booster seat and saw the pleading nature in the eyes of the officer before me. I sighed but then nodded, not wanting to cause further trouble. “I can do that.”

He smiled gently back at me and after I sat down, he quickly messed with the buckles and strapped me in. “Hope that’s not too tight, but the station isn’t far.” I nodded again and after he returned to the front seat, Officer Jake quickly sped off into the night.

The ride over was very quiet, but as the other officer had noted, it didn’t last long, and I soon recognized the precinct headquarters location for this area from where it was back home. Their building was much nicer, but it still bore a similar quality to ours as if it had still advanced in this society and was also ahead by at least 50 years. The sandstone and granite exterior oddly seemed to meld nicely with the high-tech gear that also adorned the exterior walls, and while it all seemed safe, I couldn’t help but feel that it was simultaneously dooming me to this new fate behind bars.

The car then stopped, and the younger officer came over to let me out from the backseat. “Okay there. Can you walk for me, or do you need to be carried?”

Having seen the other Littles in this dimension, I knew it wasn’t a stupid question, but hearing it out loud made my legs get weak at the knees. Still, I nodded. “I can. Little wobbly from nerves to be honest though. Can’t say that I want to be here right now.”

The young officer grimly nodded and then helped me out of the car and led me away while Officer Jake led the way into the precinct’s main offices inside. Minutes later, we entered the main level of the precinct station and quickly paused in front of several officers. Officer Jake then turned to the other officer escorting me. “This is my arrest, but because you were taking a break, you get to be the one to get a detective and question the Little. I need some coffee before the next steps.” He then walked off without another word, clearly expecting his orders to be followed without question.

The young officer looked at me wearily but still smiled. “Come on. I think I know just the detective we can talk to.” I nodded and obediently followed the officer to a desk with a slick and handsome Big sitting and looking over a video pad of some kind. “Paul?” The detective looked up at the officer guiding me. “I’ve got a Little here. Think you can ask her some questions?”

The man’s bright blue eyes then landed on me. In another life, I would have probably tried to get up the nerve to ask him out, but here and now, with him a Big and me a Little, I just remained quiet. Being a Little and in trouble no less, I felt that was my best option now and to just play everything by the book.

The detective then smiled warmly at me. “Well, hello there. Wanna take a seat?” I looked at the seat nearby that he gestured to and nodded before taking my seat while the other officer waited nearby. “Good. Now, how old are you?”

I wanted to groan so badly at the childish tone underlying his question, but I still humored him without complaint. “30, sir. Turned that about a month ago now.”

“Ah. Which also answers another one of my questions and I can tell you’re one of the non-regressed ones. Good,” he said while smiling broadly. “Makes all this a much easier job then before we take you over for official processing and whatnot.”

The next few minutes were spent with me answering several questions that were either flat-out lies or were cobbled together from bits of my past and the fake history I had been given at the shelter. Questions like parents’ names were easy, but where I had come from were decidedly harder to evade or lie about.  

“Told you this Little was going to be tough,” Officer Jake said after coming back from getting coffee. “Maybe you should just declare her as unfit and send her to one of those special facilities they set up recently. I heard they’re very effective at their jobs there.”

Detective Paul glared at Officer Jake. “That is not how I run things, Jake. That might be how you go about your job here… but I need to follow protocol first. Take Megan here for processing and then to one of the interrogation rooms. I should be there soon.”

Officer Jake glared at me with a decidedly evil face. “Come on, Little. We’ve got work to do. Tried to save us all a bunch of paperwork by getting you questioned first, but no. You just had to be the Little that can’t be taken care of the easy way. So now, we do this by the books whether you like it or not.” Officer Jake then yanked me away and dragged me to the processing station.

“Oh,” Detective Paul called out as we started to walk away, “one more thing. Any harm to her from this point onward and I’ll be coming for you, Jake. You have my word on that.”

Officer Jake grumbled, but I could quickly tell that his grip had slightly relaxed on my arm. Still painful to a degree, but I looked back and smiled and mouthed ‘thank you’ to the detective. I just hoped that maybe, just maybe, another person here higher on the command chain could help me out.

Once at processing though, another officer brushed over me and only talked to Officer Jake like I was a child incapable of answering. The other and kinder officer was apparently stuck doing the paperwork now, so I just bit my tongue hard to prevent me from retorting, knowing that any backtalk would likely be dealt with harshly here under the current circumstances from what I could see. While we waited to be officially processed, I took in my surroundings of the building and personnel.

Several desks were crowded into one side of the floor we were on, and large transparent cells were housed on the other side. From what I could see, it wouldn’t take anyone long to realize that once again, the cells were divided into classifications, Littles being the largest and most used cell of the three from what I could see. ‘Typical…’

I then also noticed the occupants weren’t much different than me on the outside at a quick blush, but upon looking closer, I saw the gap was wider than I could have ever imagined before coming to this dimension. Most drooled, about half were diapered, and almost every single one was dressed like a toddler or a disheveled and almost creature-like being, wearing mostly rags and dirt to cover themselves with. It was a truly sad state of affairs, but my attention was quickly taken away elsewhere.

Before I knew it, the other condescending officer dragged me over to where most of the Littles were being processed. “Hands on the scanner and don’t move. Now,” he briskly commanded me.

I complied and then felt a heat on my fingertips when I did so, and then another pulse-like sensation ripple throughout my body. “Scan complete” the machine noted. From a nearby monitor, I then saw the scan that had just been taken of my fingerprints and of my body. Unfortunately, I also caught a glimpse of the machine searching its database for my identity and, as I suspected, found nothing.

“Hmmm,” the seemingly puzzled officer mused. “Well, your ID said immigrant, so maybe you just weren’t processed correctly.” He stroked his chin like some villain in all those old movies my parents used to take me to see. I remained quiet, knowing full well that any words to confirm or deny anything would be seen as an obvious lie. Plus, I knew I couldn’t outright tell the truth at that moment. Portal travel, not to mention the travelers themselves, was deemed as dangerous and being a Little meant that I would likely be treated in the harshest of ways if they ever found out.

The processing officer then snapped his fingers in a seeming moment of clarity. “I’ve got it! Every person on this planet is chipped. Even the islanders adhere to that process these days, so let’s see what the scanner really has to say about you.”

My mind then raced in panic. I had never heard of an ID chip in my body before. I guessed the shelter likely assumed I already had one, so not even being from here in the first place, I knew he wouldn’t find one, no matter how hard he seemed to try. So, as the officer scanned me with a device like those that checked for a pet’s ID beeped red, to indicate the lack of a presence of a chip, I could only gulp in fear as several nearby officers looked over and glared at me.

“Well, well, well,” Officer Jake said menacingly as he saw the dooming and ominous red light on the scanner. “Looks like we’ve got a bit of a mystery on our hands now.”

Many of the other nearby officers stood up and began to crowd around Officer Jake and the nearby processing officer who still held the scanner. Many looked confused, but several others began to stare at me with a sort of mixture of hatred, distrust, and contempt even. To say that my stomach was in my throat from sheer fear would have been an understatement.

Officer Jake then looked around, now noticing his fellow officers. “Hey! Back off! This Little is mine. If you all want to question her after me, then you do so! But after me!” I gulped as Officer Jake then hauled me away by his iron-like vice grip of my hand and shoved me into an interrogation room. He then left and the room clicked off and left me in total darkness.

Time passed slowly and I was utterly left alone with only my thoughts. I thought back to the ‘tweakers’, Kelley, and so many others I had met here. ‘Were they in this exact room? Was I to share their fate… so close to understanding the bright lights and portals and then going back home?’ I was now on the other side of the whole law equation, and I wasn’t a fan in the slightest. I upheld the law in every way that I could, not counting those stemming from a corrupt system, but here, I was still a criminal and all that would soon entail. I then felt the fear of failure creep all around and settle on my brain and upon my soul. It was a cold and peculiar feeling, but one that I didn’t have long to dwell on.

Suddenly, the door slammed open with a thud and Officer Jake flicked on the overhead lights and I was immediately blinded. I tried to shield my eyes, but Officer Jake had other things in mind and before I could even squirm to avoid him, he quickly hoisted me up into a highchair-like device and clicked my wrists into place. Closing the door, Officer Jake then sat down in front of me while another officer waited in the corner, breathing heavily as he did so.

Officer Jake then pushed a button on tablet of some kind. “This is Officer Jake Blausky and Supervisory Officer Darren Smithers in accordance with the law to ensure the survival of the Little being questioned.”

My stomach nearly dropped to the floor when I heard the man in the corner was solely here for my survival. Not equal treatment or comfort mind you… just my survival.

“Now,” Officer Jake continued, “all Littles… even Bigs are chipped on this planet. It’s just useful in so many ways and everyone has them now since birth. In the entire world, there’s only two groups that wouldn’t have a chip and you don’t seem like you’re one of the still-isolated tribes out west on one of the more remote islands somewhere out on the ocean.”

I tried to act dumb, but I knew where this was heading. “So…?”

“So,” Officer Jake replied with a bit more frustration now, “my question is why don’t you have a chip? Are you with the resistance? Part of the last holdout of rebel Littles from the war?”

I was very confused about some of his questions, but I calmly considered my options carefully and chose my safest one. “As my paperwork said… I’m from an island. They don’t chip there.” I was banking on his ignorance, but even I knew that was a weak strategy at this point.

Officer Jake sighed and stretched. “You know… I’ve been doing this for a long time. I’m as sharp and as strong as ever, but one thing has changed… my nose.” He then tapped on the large bulbous feature prominent situated in the middle of his face. “I can smell a liar from a mile away, and you, Megan Reynolds, if that even is your name, are lying.”

I could feel my pulse increase and the temperature in the room steadily rising. “That’s what my paperwork says,” I managed to make out. I continued to stick to the story I had been given at the shelter and I recited the information I had memorized in case I was ever asked in a similar situation. “I’m from the island of…”

“Liar!” Officer Jake yelled after quickly pausing the recording device. “Detective Paul and my partner are both tied up right now, so there’s no one to save you, and I hate liars. You’ll regret this.” He then marched over to the door and opened it with a tremendous yank of the handle. “Get in here! Now!” he shouted out to everyone outside.

Several other officers then entered and plunged right for me as if they had this move practiced to perfection beforehand. Two grabbed my shoulders and one grabbed my head before all three yanked me forward on the chair and exposed the back of my neck with a single tug of my shirt collar downward. I could feel their hot breath pouring down over the nape back there. I don’t think that I have ever been more terrified in my life.  

“I wanted to go easy on you, Megan,” Officer Jake said with some remorse. “Cute Little and all alone in this big, wide world. You would have made someone very happy one day, but you just had to lie to my face. I don’t like hurting you Littles and all, but behavior like that doesn’t make me very happy, Megan… not happy at all.”

I tried to struggle against the corrupt cops forcefully holding me down, but it was useless. I was already at a disadvantage against most officers back home pound for pound, but my instincts and determination had plenty made up for it. Here though, size was what mattered… numbers even in some situations… and right now in this room, I had neither of them.

“Hold her steady, boys. This is going to sting,” Officer Jake said with almost a joyful chuckle at the end of each of his words. I then heard some clanking in the background and almost a sigh of relief before the returning of some footsteps. “Ah. Perfect. Just what we need to make you more… talkative.” I could hear the smug satisfaction rolling off his words before me. “Easy does it…”

I wondered where all this was going, but I then immediately felt a hot sting on the back of my neck. It was quick sensation that spread throughout my body from that one point, and it felt like the closest I would ever get to having molten lava being poured directly onto my skin. A thousand bee stings all directed in a single location, or a hot knife being twisted into my vertebral bones. I shrieked for a moment, but my mouth was then quickly gagged and I just continued to scream through the pain nonetheless. Hot tears flowed down my eyes.

AS most things in this dimension though, the pain last barely two minutes. It was horrible in more ways than I could ever describe, but it soon dissipated as I felt whatever had just been applied to my neck seep in. I was relieved over the lack of pain I now felt, but I also quickly felt drugged and sluggish. Seemingly satisfied, the officers then removed my gag and left the room, leaving me once again alone with Officer Jake.

I flopped back into the chair and my mind swirled as if I had just sped up time while simultaneously downing at least seven shots of vodka. My neck still burned slightly but now just seemed to thud along with my pulse that I could swear I could now hear in the middle of my head. Part of me felt underwater while the other part felt like it was being excruciatingly examined by a microscope.

Through all this, and to my annoyance, Officer Jake only smiled down at me. “There. That’s better. Should be well on its way to kicking in with that stupid tiny brain of yours. Primitive really…” He then sat back down himself in his own chair across from me and bore his quickly familiar wicked grin. “I’ve just administered you a truth serum of sorts. It’s not really one in the strictest of senses, but it works just about as well for our purposes.” He then clicked the recording to resume.

“Now,” he continued, “let’s start again. Why don’t you have a chip?”

I wanted to say my usual line, but my nerves suddenly felt disconnected… automatic in a way as I began to speak something else entirely instead of what I originally had wanted to. “I’m not from here.”

Officer Jake’s eyes narrowed in anger and frustration. “Now, Megan, I want you to be a good girl for me and tell me the truth this time. Why,” he emphasized, “don’t you have a chip?” He then held up a single finger as if to warn me. “No lies this time, okay?”

I involuntarily nodded. I wanted to scream, curse, spit… but I only behaved like some compliant good little girl. “Yes, Officer Jake. I… I…” I put up a tiny resistance and Officer Jake frowned, but I could almost instantly feel my resolve cracking. I tried desperately to scratch at my inner brain to reassert control before I was really screwed, but all my efforts only seemed to be in vain. No matter what I tried it seemed, my brain would only allow one answer to escape my lips. “I’m being honest… I’m not from here. I came…” I screamed internally to stop myself, but that blasted drug had done something to me. My own inner mind or soul was no longer in command of my words. “I came through a portal. I’m from another world.”

Now, Officer Jake had been smiling wide this whole time as if the hard work of years was finally paying off. It disturbed me to my very core, but I couldn’t do anything about it. The smile had only grown wider, more wicked, as I continued to talk and answer his question, but as soon as I said the word, ‘portal,’ his smile had vanished. “Portal… as in…?” He then stood up and his fists were clenched tight as his mouth practically turned into a snarl. “You… you’ re the one…” He began to charge over to me, and I felt my end was soon. I shut my eyes as I waited for the inevitable.

To my relief though, a knock could then be heard on the door. Officer Jake heard it as well and immediately stopped as he was about to take his swing.

“What is i…?” he questioningly barked at the intruder to his interrogation, but then was also quickly interrupted as the door swung open again and another officer motioned for Officer Jake to come forward. I could see a few of the other officers and even Detective Paul in the background look in on me warily but before I could see more, the door was then quickly closed.

Once again, I was alone in this room all by myself, but this time, I also heard noises. They were from outside the door, and I could tell they weren’t happy in the slightest. Before I could make anything out over the shouting though, another door opened that I hadn’t noticed before from the other side of the room.

I wanted to ask what was happening, but I didn’t get the chance. Before I knew it, a bag was placed over my head, and I was released from the chair and then dragged away… darkness followed.

The journey was quiet, bumpy, and brief, but I also had no idea where I even remotely was. In the absence of anything else to ground me, I discovered that I truly only knew two things; I was still inside, and those that had taken me were organized, quiet, efficient, and unequivocally Bigs.

My heart pounded in my chest as I awaited this new development and even more so when the dragging stopped, and I was roughly placed into yet another chair and strapped down, though oddly, the restraints felt softer. The bag was then pulled off my head in one go and a woman in a pressed suit stared back at me from the other side of the metal table.

Her dark hair was done up in a tight bun and she wore little makeup around her rigid features. A stack of papers was in front of her, and she soon spoke with a clarity and authority I had only known a few other times in my life. “Answer quickly and tell the truth. I don’t want stories… I want answers. Step out of line and there will be punishment. Lie and you will be punished severely. Understand?” I could tell she meant business, so I just quickly nodded. “Good.” She then unsealed her pen and looked down and then up from the form in front of her. “Where are you from?”

I had thought of this scenario happening several times since I had come here. The woman before me screamed government, but I wasn’t sure if I could trust her threats. Still, I knew I had little choice in the matter under my current circumstances and I could still feel the effects of the serum Officer Jake had given me in the back of my neck. With all that, I knew there was only one answer I could give, and I crossed my fingers in the hope that it was right. “Earth.”

The woman made no comment and moved quickly to another question to query me with. “Why did you come here?”

“Well,” I responded, no longer resisting my real answers, “I was brought here by a beam or orb of light, and I’ve been trying to get back home since through the same way.”

She made no comment and just jotted some things down and proceeded with another question. “Are you a Little?”

I wanted to say yes, but my mouth had other ideas. “I can only say maybe to that question. I had never heard of that term until I came here but I guess my height would put me into that category.”

Again, no comment and only another question. “Where were you born?”

I wanted to answer her quickly and keep up with my islander account this time, but again, my mouth had other ideas. “I was born in Detroit, but then my parents moved back to New York City not long after, which is where I then grew up.”

Finally, her eyes seemed to gleam with the answer I had given her, as if it had been the one that she was really counting on. She then seemed to pause for a moment before going down her list, almost seemingly skipping a few questions until her finger finally landed on the one that she wanted. “Do you have a job? Or did you have a job before coming to this city?”

“Dishwasher,” I said freely, but my mouth then began to move on more than what my brain wanted. “Before I came to this city though, I was a police officer.”

If not for her asking me questions, I could have sworn that the woman now before me had once been some kind of marble statue in a previous life. So, when a smile began to creep over her face, I immediately took notice and only hoped that my answers were what she wanted. “One last question, would you ever consider yourself to have any childish tendencies or behaviors that could compromise you under states of duress or complications?”

My mind lurched at why she would ask such a question, but gratefully for me, it was one that I didn’t have to lie about. For once, my mouth and brain were perfectly in sync, and I had no fear of how I answered. “Not since I was young.”

Without further comment or question, the woman then bolted up in an instant and quickly left the room with a slam of the door. For the third time, I was left all alone in the relative darkness with only my thoughts for company.

The woman’s professional looks and placing the bag over my head told me that wherever I was now, was likely an ‘off the books’ type of venue and was likely some shadowy organization. I figured she had to be government personnel from her mannerisms and style. My first guess would have been a shadowy organization opposing the government, but all this was too clean and precise to be executed in the middle of a police station. As such, I began to prepare myself for whatever lay ahead. Only my imagination could begin to concoct the various scenarios regarding torture, experimentation on, or even death. I had revealed I was from Earth and a portal traveler, so I knew they probably wanted information from me. My luck may have just run out in this screwed up alternate dimension as I bemoaned my likely fate of being an unwilling traitor in all this madness.

Then, the door swung wide open again, and while the same no-nonsense woman was amongst them, four others now joined her as well. Of the four, two seemed more of the bullish type and in fact guarded the door once it closed once more. The third was also a woman bearing a similar appearance to my previous interrogator, now standing in a corner of the room on the opposite side of the fourth new woman. That being said though, she also seemed to exude more of an authority about her. Without comment, she then sat down and folded her hands together on top of the paperwork that still lay in front of her.

“Hello, Megan,” she began. “My name is not important for now, but I would like to offer you a way out of this mess. Accept and those doors open with you as a relatively free woman in this society with maybe even a chance of going home. Reject my offer, and the other doors will open, and your fate will be left to the justice system here.”

It didn’t seem like much of a choice to me, so I knew there had to be a catch of some sort to the whole deal. Instead of just guessing though, I decided to just ask and hoped the truth serum wouldn’t interfere with my queries. “Doesn’t seem like much of a choice, so do I get anything more? Like… who are you all? Government, sure, but do I get a specific name perhaps?”

The seated woman just smiled back and nodded and then shook her head as I spoke. “That’s not how this works Megan. You are in a unique position and let’s just say we are in such a position to offer you a way out. Maybe not a redemption of sorts, but it may be a way you can help yourself out. I won’t say much more, but you have your options, so choose now.” She then paused and her smile slightly faded, and her eyes began to squint ever so slightly. “I guarantee another offer like this one won’t come anytime soon, so choose wisely.”

I hated the offer. I hated this whole blasted dimension and I hated myself for even getting caught in the first place. That being said, though, I was also a realist at times, and right now just happened to be one of those moments in my life. This mysterious upper management-seeming woman was now offering me a choice. Of the two options, one was almost certainly full of danger, but the other only seemed to be a one-way ticket to ending up like the ‘tweakers’ who first put me on this path in the first place, if not worse.

So, in actuality, I really didn’t have a choice in the matter. It was an illusion of sorts, but it was one I was willing to entertain for the time being. Questions would likely come next after my acceptance, but of my presented choices, my willingness to try and make it toward a better day, rather than just give up right here and now, won out. I nodded my head. “I’ll take your deal.”

The woman across from me smiled and my previous interrogator handed her a thick file from her spot in the corner. “Now, Megan, here is my offer.” She folded her hands once more and took a deep breath. Whatever it was, I knew I was now truly and deeply in this whole mess and there was no turning back.

[Panther Cub]

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! On this, the sacred legendary November 39th, history was made, as another excellent chapter for this equally excellent story was dropped onto us all!

[Guilend]

First off I need to sat this only because it's me an I'm sure it's expected of me now 😁. I wish she had paid more attention to the cells used for Amazons and hopefully see one of the wearing a diaper lol.

Now onto my main comment that I'm so excited to say. After reading this chapter and the previous one, I had been trying to figure out how we would get from here to the first scene in chapter 1. First after reading the previous chapter I thought I had it figured out, her getting arrested was her way in without much control.  However, reading this chapter left me confused on several things. First, the government agents seemed to be acting odd so I assumed it was because they're apart of the group that causes the portals. Secondly the offer they gave her made the first one really odd. I've had plenty of time to think since I'm at work at my retail job making the shelves look good. I finally had to put on my security and conspiracy hats on to figure this out. I think I finally discovered what's going on. While I don't know the details, I think I figured out the basic operation. The agents are off the books because they know they have a mole that gives information to the very people they are looking for. They are happy that Magen is from where she is because of, for now, unknown information they have acquired and the fact she was a police officer before coming here means she will have the mindset and training to help them. Basically they're going to send her undercover to find these people. I'm sure they've sent their own agents, both on the books and later off the books but those agents either disappeared or they where found dead or their mind wiped. They're best option now is to find and send in the best Little available.

The question now is what are the next steps. They can't exactly let her go. Or help her escape without having a backup place for her. So how does she achieve leaving without being adopted? Also no matter the outcome I don't think officer jerkface will be happy about it. I just hope he throws a tantrum like a toddler and end up over a detectives knee and a timeout. 

[LostBBoyBear]

Hey everyone! This was originally supposed to be a shorter chapter, but I realized that with the more serious and hardened character so hell-bent on invesitgating and trying to leave, making a decision so lightly just seemed out of character. I also wanted to lay out a bunch of things so all the stakes were out in the open and there wouldn't be any of the usual form of betrayal you tend to see in these stories. This is an origin story after all, so I wanted to showcase some differences between the modern events and those that took place at the start. 

Anyways, hope everyone enjoys this next chapter!

Chapter 7: An Offer I Can't Refuse

The woman before me took a deep breath and I could see the carefully pressed suit of hers wrinkle slightly under the exertion. Her imposing and athletic frame practically dwarfed me, and I felt every little bit of the child that they thought me to be. I of course would deny that notion vehemently if asked, but I couldn’t lie to myself and say that I wasn’t at least a little nervous just being in her presence at the moment.

“Now,” the woman continued, “I have the deal all prepared right before me, but I suppose introductions should be our first priority if we are to continue this path, huh?”

I nervously looked at the stack of documents and folders before her but then nodded my head. I needed to know more, and I would take any opportunity for her to talk instead of me. With any luck, the burning truth serum that I had been given had a short half life and I could stall long enough to at least attempt to evade or lie to her. I still wasn’t sure what was going on, so I knew it was my best plan for the moment. “Well… you already know me… what should I call you?”

The woman pursed her lips and thought for a moment, clearly making up a name on the spot but also clearly being experienced with having to do it before. “Well, there’s a bunch of things you can call me, but let’s just go with… Amy… yes, Amy, for the time being at least.”

I sighed and knew that wasn’t likely her real name, but I accepted it, nonetheless. “Okay, Amy. Uh… if we’re on a first name basis, could you… at least remove the restraints?”

Amy immediately blushed and ushered over to the woman who had questioned me. “Sorry… we needed to take some precautions before you accepted the deal… Hard to know how anyone would react to these types of situations. I’m sure you can understand our precautions.”

The padded restraints were immediately removed, and I rubbed the area where they had been. They weren’t painful themselves, but they had only added to the pressure from an entire night of other, harsher ones. Satisfied though with my relative freedom, I paused for a minute and glanced around the sterile and stark room I was in. “Thank you for that, but where are we, or at least who are you all? Can you at least tell me the truth about that?”

Amy smiled coyly, clearly noting my distrust of her name, but she gratefully only nodded. “I won’t tell you where we are specifically, but I can tell you that we are part of the ABI.” I looked at her questioningly over what that could even mean, and she noticed immediately. “Oh, right. Sorry… forgot that you actually aren’t from around here. ABI, or Amazon Bureau of Investigation. From our government’s infiltrators in your home dimension, we are basically this dimension’s version of your FBI… or at least the FBI as it was before your all’s downfall that is.”

It was a lot to take in at once, but it all somehow made perfect sense. I wondered if I knew any of their infiltrators back on Earth personally, but it raised another huge question; if they had people in our own dimension, then why would they care so much about portal travel? I felt like I was missing a huge piece of the puzzle before me.

“I also do apologize for the bluntness of Agent Violet’s interrogation,” she continued as she gestured to the woman in the corner of the room, “but we just had to be sure that you were actually from another dimension, rather than just a Little with an overactive imagination. Once you were given the truth serum in the station, illegally I might add, and you mentioned going through a portal, we knew we had to act fast. We’ve been keeping an eye on you for some time, but we couldn’t let them hear any further information that you might divulge about all this. Make sense?”

I nodded, but I was still awash with an array of questions. Still though, one weighed more heavily on my mind now. “Why did you need to confirm I was from another dimension if you’ve been following me? I don’t think I’m that good at deception and hiding where I’m from.”

Amy just seemed to nod over the legitimacy of my question. “Well… I guess since you’ve already accepted the deal, you’ll need to know a few more details about what’s actually going on.” She paused and leaned forward. “You see, we at the ABI don’t normally divulge what I’m about to reveal to you, but desperate times and all, as I’m sure you’ll soon see, has now brought us here…” She then paused and passed over a single folder from the stack before her. I quickly opened it up and the contents seemed to quickly confirm most of my suspicions so far in my own investigations. “We’ve known about portals for years. Some are naturally occurring but entirely random. In fact, a little over 30 years ago, we began sending agents to your side specifically to investigate what was out there when we learned to exploit these ‘soft’ spots. Learned a lot, but each of those was a separate instance and carefully controlled.”

I looked down at the folder before me again and saw that a few humans were actually taken to this side every year and questioned about life from our side. It was a lot to take in, but a tiny part of me, the one that had responded to who knows how many missing persons cases, was relieved to know that it was just possible that some of them had ended up here rather than in a ditch somewhere. I know some would have probably preferred death to this place, but the notion they could still be breathing was at least some comfort to me who had seen to their grieving families over their loss.

“Anyways, we’ve been tracking these recent and unauthorized portal disturbances for about a year now but with little success on discovering their origin.” She then heavily sighed and pointed to one name in the folder before me. “We suspect that ‘Project: Open Sesame’ is being continued illegally, but we can’t confirm that. We only know that these portals are occurring worldwide, but in the last year at least, most are happening within about 250 kilometers of here, or about 140 miles, if you will. Further, we’ve also been tracking shipments from Albion to this area to a local research company facility located just north of here. It’s not enough evidence to break down the door, but it’s a start…”

I had a bad feeling I knew where this was headed, but I needed to know one thing that had been tickling the back of my mind since she began. “So… you all have portal traveled before. So… why the urgency and all now?”

Amy sighed once again. “You are asking the wrong person for the specifics on that, but from what I’ve been briefed on at least, tiny portal travels are fine. Let’s see… ah!” She then leaned back and made a sphere with her hands. “Imagine each dimension like a blob of Jello. When…”

“You all have Jello here?” I asked, interrupting her, and admittedly missing the point at that moment.

Amy chuckled. “Yes… took it from your dimension a few years back when we discovered that Littles couldn’t get enough of it.” She paused and then refocused on her hands, still encircled in a sphere-like shape. “Anyways, each dimensional travel is a poke through one side of it. A few breakthroughs a year and the form will basically congeal back together given enough time and other extraneous factors.”

“But those pokes are happening more now?” I asked warily. “With the unauthorized portal travels?”

“Exactly, Megan,” Amy confirmed. “In fact, there are so many now that the form of this dimensional blob is starting to collapse, and if enough breakages occur,” she then collapsed her hands with a loud smack, “no more dimension.”

Science was never my strong subject in school, but her smacked and collapsed hands were enough of a bad sign for even me to know that it wasn’t a good thing at all. “That sounds terrible…”

“Yes…” her eyes suddenly looked very sad. “We’ve tried to make progress on the inside of their organization with other Littles… from this dimension… but they haven’t managed very well…” She paused and looked at me directly. “It’s actually another reason I’m telling you all this. Figured you could use all the advantages that we could offer before we move on here.”

I could feel my breathing stop for just a split second when she said that. I silently crossed my fingers in the hope that my instincts were wrong, but I wasn’t exactly feeling lucky these days. So, I had to know. “Why… why am I here?”

Amy seemed to then snap out of her previous melancholy when talking about the other Littles she had sent in, and then leaned back over the table and her files. “Well, we raided your house about an hour ago.” My eyes bulged at what they had found there, and Amy noticed and chuckled a bit. “No need to worry, hon. It was all very impressive actually.” She then opened another file, and I quickly could see my picture in it. “Now, we were able to deduce that you likely had some background in law enforcement, which is also why Agent Violet just wanted to confirm that particular question with you.” She then pushed a picture in front of me.

I instantly recognized it as the large map on my bedroom wall of the various abductions and sightings of bright lights from the area, partially from my own research and partially from Clara’s. “That’s my map! It’s all the points that could be found and tracked over the past few years from various sources.”

Amy nodded. “Yes… it’s very impressive for sure, but we also saw that you couldn’t see a pattern from the various notes that you left.” I looked back up at her from the photo and she smirked. “Well, we did. In fact, with our extra resources and data points, we confirmed that there is indeed a pattern.” I looked her dead in the eyes. “It all goes back to that research facility I mentioned earlier.”

Months of investigations had now all led to this one moment. I felt like I could touch my ticket to get home, but the deal… it still nagged in the back of my head. The two extreme offers she had made me earlier… It felt wrong somehow. “So, what’s the catch? What’s the hold-up if you know what’s going on and even where it’s happening?”

Amy then scratched her head and squinted as if she was covering up a dirty secret. “Well… I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that Bigs dealing with Little’s affairs are not always so straightforward. There’s a bit of a break in our society right now where many of us Bigs feel that Littles should all be regressed. Babies or playthings at best.”

“It’s terrible,” I said without thinking if she was setting up a trap for me or not. Apparently, the truth serum was still working its poisonous magic with my words.

Fortunately, Amy only nodded. “Yes… but there are those of us Bigs who believe differently. Unfortunately, this research group in question is backed by a section of our government who is more of the latter category of Bigs. They seem bent on opening a portal to other dimensions. For peace or conquering doesn’t matter fully right now, but as a result, we need hard evidence of this to make any types of arrest or even official inquiries.” She then paused for a moment and as if clairvoyant, I knew what she was about to say next. “Which is where you come in…”  

I sighed. I knew this was coming, but to hear it firsthand was something else entirely. Amy had been forthcoming on all details except to what I had agreed to before all this. She had upped the stakes and made it personal for me as well. In essence, she had sweetened the deal I had already agreed to. I knew that would only occur in this type of scenario if the task offered was immensely dangerous, difficult, or even both. Still, I had to know more. “Why… why me then?”

Amy breathed heavily and looked back down at my folder. “Well… frankly, there are a lot of reasons, but I’ll tell you two. First off, you are the first we have managed to reach in time that was actually still, well… you. No regression or alterations from past punishments, which makes you very unique in this society, especially as a portal traveler. Then, when Agent Victoria asked you your previous job and combined with what we found in your apartment, we knew you were perfect for this task.”

My mind swirled with the possibilities of what they were asking. I practically felt seasick from what all this could mean, but I needed to know the specifics. I needed to know what I had chosen instead of being regressed. Only a fool would have chosen to be regressed over any other option… unless that option was even worse. “And what is that task specifically?” I asked with a great deal of hesitation.

Amy slowly nodded. “That’s only fair at this point…” She then reached into the back of my folder and pulled out a single sheet of paper. “This, for all intents and purposes, is your ‘contract’ with the ABI. You can look over it if you wish, but it basically amounts to one simple task; find out what you can and confirm the presence of an unauthorized use of a portal device.”

Amy let the deal hang in the air for a moment. It seemed simple enough, but as I contemplated it all, I realized it was too simple. This research facility was presumably well-guarded, and she had already confirmed the presence of it being backed by at least a portion of the government here in Libertalia. “Is that all?” I pressed.

Amy winced and I knew I had struck where I needed to in order to understand the full scope of what was being asked of me. “Well, yes and no.” I looked at her with a puzzled look. “You see… as I said before, we’ve sent in others beforehand, but for one reason or another, all those Littles were regressed, and from what we could find, it was because they easily gave in to the pressures of the assignment. They didn’t give up any information, but their favorite activities from what I’ve heard recently are chewing on some fabric blocks or batting around a tinkling sunflower from their play gym. Not exactly ripe for actionable intelligence.”

The weight of what they were asking me to do was hitting me with its full force now. Others had gone in and failed, but here in this odd dimension, failure meant regression. If I was to go in as well, I could face the same challenge and fail just as well. “Oh…”

“Yes… oh…” She then slid the paper of my contract closer to me. “As I said, feel free to look over it, but we’ve left it simple and vague for a variety of reasons, and you should know at least what a few of them are.” I raised an eyebrow to indicate that I wanted to hear them now.

Amy nodded. “Yes, well, first off, we don’t want to overcomplicate things. More stipulations or regulations on either side could curtail our ability to protect you or your ability to investigate the research company more properly. We want results, not a bureaucratic nightmare, so we’ve allowed you some leeway. The other reason, however, is that in the pursuit of those results, we may ask you, or at least suggest to you, some methods that could aid in your search for evidence or proof of their guilt.”

Amy was being very open with me, and I desperately wanted to know specifically what methods she had in mind, but as I gazed over the ‘contract’ before me, I quickly noticed that none of these methods were listed. In all likelihood, if Amy and the ABI wanted to or even could tell me about them, they would have had listed them on the contract. So, with that option seemingly not even on the table, another thing she said, immediately jumped out at me. “Uh, what do you mean exactly by ‘protecting’ me?”

Amy smiled and nodded. “That is an absolutely fair question. After all, we are asking you to enter a guarded research facility under false pretenses. We know enough now that a random Little would stand no chance whatsoever and would likely just be regressed and adopted within a month. So, to that end, you won’t be alone.” Amy then gestured to the corner of the room behind her.

Agent Victoria stood still and looked a little annoyed as the fourth woman then stepped into the light. Her chestnut brown hair curled out of the bun on the back of her head and her eyes seemed to sparkle as they gazed back at me in an almost unusually friendly way for a Big. Amy then spoke back up, “Megan, this is Agent Jennifer. She’ll be your… partner in all this.”

The Big walked up to me and extended her hand outward in a graceful and non-threatening manner. I slowly took it but still shook it politely. “Hello, Megan. I know all this may be a little much, but I’m hoping we can at least become friends during this assignment.”

Her words were gentle and kind, and I felt no threat from her. I wanted to say more, but Amy quickly cleared her throat. “Yes. Thank you, Jennifer.” The Big woman looked away, nodded her head, and then quickly returned to the corner.

“Anyways,” Amy continued briskly, “Agent Jennifer is one of our top agents in this area and she will be providing you a form of protection during this undercover mission that we are tasking you with.” She then pulled out yet another folder and opened it. “She has an undergrad background in Little education, along with a graduate degree in forensic and investigative studies and is one of our highest ranked undercover field operatives in the ABI.”

It was an impressive background for sure and I was nearly stunned that she had been assigned to me for this one mission. I knew it was important after the whole Jello analogy that Amy had used, but Agent Jennifer’s addition to this mission seemed to somehow elevate the whole thing to another level entirely. “That’s… very impressive…”

Amy nodded. “Yes, and that’s the point. I’m actually very glad that you feel that way about her.” Amy then paused and seemed to hesitate for a moment. “You see… Agent Jennifer will be more than just your partner. To cement your cover more in fact, she will be acting as your… caregiver on this mission.”

Now, the word ‘caregiver’ was still non-threatening in the worst of times back home. It was meant as a title for those who were simply, as the name suggested, caring for others. No sinister overtones or malice about it in even the wildest of imaginations. Here, in this whacked-out other dimension though, it was a badge of horror and terror.

Caregivers were the demons come to fruition for every wayward Little. For those regressed, they were the saviors, the cooks, the cleaners, the feeders, the wipers, the whole world to them, as intended. For those Littles not yet ensnared though, they were a blazing cautionary sign and represented the deeply flawed system over in this dimension as much as a manacle represented the odious practice of slavery back on Earth. To now hear this word ascribed to such a gentle soul and one who would be responsible for my well-being… it sent me into a frenzy to say the least.

“What! No!” I wiggled free of my seat and dropped to the floor. “No deal! No deal! Screw this! You’re crazy if you think I’m going to comply with this. This is a trap! Get me out of here! Now!”

Of course, as soon as I sprang down from my chair, the whole room erupted into a chaotic panicked mess of sorts. I knew I was outmatched, but I stood toe-to-toe with the two armed guards by the doorway. Each drew their holstered stun weapons, but Amy barked out, “Stop!” before they could fire.

Both re-holstered their weapons and the turmoil calmed for a moment, but I was still on my guard. Curiously though, in all the commotion, I spotted Jennifer still stuck in her corner. Of all those in the room, she appeared neither angry, trigger happy, or even frustrated. Instead, she almost appeared sad. I wanted to question why in my head, but Amy’s voice boomed in the tiny room first. “Stand down, Megan!”

I shook the thoughts out of my head for the moment about Jennifer and looked back toward Amy. She clearly had at least a stun gun holstered about her waist, but she only motioned for me to calm down. “I’m not doing this under any caregiver. I know what that means in this society! I never would have agreed to this deal if I had known that was what it entailed.”

“Okay, okay… I understand that Megan, but just hear me out,” Amy said calmly as she held her hands aloft. By her lack of any real action in response to my own and her still-calm demeanor in all this, I knew that she barely felt threatened by my actions and that she had also was highly experienced in these intense and critical types of scenarios. “Can you try and calm down and listen to me? Please. I don’t want this to escalate further.”

I pondered my options, but I could only think of the ‘tweakers’ I had found back on Earth. Something was telling me that those in this destined research facility were the ones responsible for their state of being. It could mean my ticket home, but it could also mean that I would spend the rest of my days as one of those ‘tweakers’ as well. Knowing the conditions back home, death almost seemed the preferable option at this point, but still, I wanted to know what she had to say first. So, with some reluctance still, I eased my body posture.

Amy smiled a tiny bit and nodded her head. “Good. Very good, Megan.” She then readjusted her clothing and presented herself to me with her more usual stalwart appearance. “Now, as I see it, you haven’t signed the contract yet, so in theory at least, you still have the deal I gave you beforehand.”

I itched to immediately choose the other option now, knowing full-well that likely only experimentation and eventual decrepitude would await me back on a dying planet if I chose the other option. Amy seemed to notice however, and quickly spoke up. “Just hear me out first before you go making any rash decisions that you will regret for as long as you still know that word at least.” Her thinly veiled threat hung in the air for a moment, and I just nodded my head for her to continue.  

“Good. Now, if you say yes, you will help dismantle an organization that is primarily responsible for the abduction of hundreds of others by now from your own world. Considering that their portals are most likely destabilizing both dimensions, your efforts would even go on to save both worlds. You would be a hero to billions.” Amy paused for a moment, obviously in order for the word ‘hero’ to percolate in my mind a little further. “Additionally, you would even have revenge upon those that ripped you away from your life, but if that’s not enough motivation…” she then took a giant lungful of air. “Finally, we could offer you a one-way ticket back home afterward once the portals go back to their usual regulation.”

I was very impressed with the way she had presented the positives to saying yes. They were almost larger than life, but we both knew very well of the risks involved. When there was a possibility of losing everything that you were or were to ever be, the flipside to that equation had to be just as equally powerful, if not more so. As much as I hated to admit it, she had done exactly that.

“If you say no, however,” she continued a little more sinisterly, “many things will happen. You will be left in the police station as we found you, but we will make it so that you will be unable to talk anymore about portals at all. It would really be for your safety, as without an ID, you would likely be terminated as a public hazard on the spot, rather than just be considered a dangerous rebel Little.” I felt fear begin to creep up my spine. “In all likelihood, with your years of built-up maturity and your already-demonstrated role as a protector for the injustices you would do doubt witness, you would soon end up in another conflict with an even more stern Big. I’m afraid that in a best-case scenario with those facts, you would likely end up in a downtrodden foster home with several other Littles or in one of those new etiquette schools. Either way, your mind wouldn’t last long, and the story of Megan Reynolds of Earth would end very quickly and very sadly, with your only comfort being the diapers you would then have to wear or the stuffie that would be your only true remaining friend in the entire cosmos of realities.” She paused and let the silence of the room overtake me. “That is your other option. So, Megan, which will it be?”

My panic from earlier over a caretaker had now turned to fear over this alternative option. Going back in the state that I had left it, I knew I would be doomed. Going back home wouldn’t be an option in any scenario I could think of with it, and I knew that I would likely be regressed and stuck here… forever. It was a truly no-win scenario from what I could tell, but of the two options, only one presented a ray of hope, regardless of how slim it truly was. So, with a heavy sigh, I nodded once more and conceited my defeat of a sort. “I accept…”

Amy smiled and I couldn’t help but see her in a different light now. Maybe not the villain like other Bigs had shown themselves to be, but certainly not a comfort to me either. She would be an interesting handler to say the least moving forward in all this, but curiously, I only saw Jennifer grimace a bit as Amy had made my options clear to me. If I was indeed to submit to a caretaker, one who flinched over some of those horrifying possibilities would be better than most others from what I had seen. A small concession perhaps, but a pleasant one at that.

“Good.” Amy continued to smile and shoved the single sheet of paper of my ‘contract’ toward me. “Now, to confirm one last time, we need you to sign this paper. No tricks here, but we need it for legal reasons and in fact, it could be your one salvation in the future if everything should go wrong.”

I wasn’t sure if I believed that last part, but I could see the seriousness behind her eyes still. So, without further hesitation, I walked back up to the table, managed to sit in my highchair once again, and then sign the document with the provided pen. It took less than three seconds, but I pondered the ramifications to such an action and how long they would haunt me in the coming future of my new life undercover.

“There,” I said with a bit of disgust laced in my voice, “I’ve signed the paper. Now tell me what you need from me.”

Amy briefly reviewed the document, and seemingly satisfied, placed my ‘contract’ back in my folder. “Agent Jennifer can go over some of the more day-to-day specifics with you later, but for now, you will be assigned to a multi-age daycare establishment located within the research lab facility that we suspect is housing the portal equipment. Agent Jennifer will be assigned to security to facilitate your entry to the daycare, as well as work the problem from her own end.”

I questioned what I could learn from one of the dreaded daycare facilities that I had heard so many nasty things about in the past few months. “A… daycare…” I said with skepticism, “how…?”

“Well,” Amy continued without letting me finish, “from our previous undercover Littles and their debriefings, we know that the daycare is also a front for various amounts of testing they are doing in other sections of the facility. Further, we highly suspect that many of those within the daycare have been adopted by the personnel there but are also many of those who have been taken from your Earth. You won’t be the only one there as a native, but we suspect that you may discover more from them than just pure files would ever reveal. That being said, actual documentation would also be ideal to have.”

It was a lot to take in, but I wasn’t sure how much longer I had to question everything, so I quickly blurted out, “So, I am to interview these Littles and find out what they know?” I asked. “Won’t that be suspicious?”

“Yes, but Littles can often go unseen in certain scenarios.” I then remembered several times when I had gotten out of a jam when I acted younger in front of other Bigs on the streets in the city. “And I’m sure you’re acting abilities are decent, but we also don’t want to take any chances this time...”

I was jolted by the sudden implications of what she was saying. “Are you…? Do you…? How…?”

Amy chuckled at my obvious stumbling and held up her hand to stop me. “Easy there, Megan. We’re not going to butcher you or anything like that. Instead, though, you’re just going to take a drug.”

‘Crap.’ To a certain extent, taking a drug was even worse and I eyed my folder and the ‘contract’ that I had already signed. “Not the biggest fan of that… but can I know what the side effects are at least?”

Amy seemed hesitant to divulge what they were, but then finally relented. “I suppose you should know so you can monitor them yourself…” She then pulled out another sheet from my file and I could see a picture of a white triangular pill at the top. “Let’s see… well, the overall effect we are looking for is to curb your learned traits to fight back. If you do get into an emergency scenario, however, the drug shouldn’t affect you.” Her words were of little comfort right now.

She then took a deep breath and sped through her next sentence. “But the other side effects are a 2% chance of incontinence, an increased lack of discernable speech, loss of coordination, and a greater flux of emotions if abused or interacting with other drugs.” She took another huge breath but said this part at a normal speed, though my mind was still trying to process what she had initially said. “We’re not sure what the effects could be after a year, but this should all be over by then.”

I had already signed the ‘contract,’ and from what I knew about this world and from what Amy had just told me as well, I knew my other option would almost certainly guarantee those side effects no matter what I did. At least with this scenario, chances of them happening were in the single digits. It wasn’t much, but I was quickly getting the feeling that small victories had to be savored when they occurred from now on. “Fine… I don’t like it, but a lack of me punching someone would probably be a good thing with all this.”

Amy smiled but I swear I could hear a small chuckle come from Jennifer. To my surprise, Amy then stood up and began to walk out of the room, but curiously left behind a single bag behind on the table. Just as I was about to ask, Amy snapped back to me. “Oh, probably should have mentioned this in the first place, but training pants need to be worn at all times.” She then gave me a cutesy wave. “Good luck!”

The door then slammed shut after Amy and the other two agents had walked away. I was nearly speechless as I eyed the bag in front of me and Jennifer walked up the desk. Her nervousness was readily apparent. “Ugh! I’ve been undercover with drug smuggling and kidnapping ops, but I can’t stop worrying about all this.”

I then chuckled to myself over that statement given all that had just occurred in my life. “You? What about me? I just agreed to the very thing I’ve been trying to avoid and then run back home to get as far away from as I possibly can!”

Jennifer immediately looked taken back and a little embarrassed over her own relatively minor problems. “Ah… puts my little issues to shame, huh?”

I acknowledged her position and smiled a bit at our shared problems with all that was going on. At the very least, it was nice to know that she was ‘human’ in a way. Hearing all that was ahead of me, it was an oddly comforting notion, but still, I knew we couldn’t stay here all day. “Yeah… but I guess we just need to get this over with. Probably going to be a lot of awkward moments to come, so maybe just rip it off like a band-aid and dive in headfirst?”

Jennifer smiled back and nodded. “I was just thinking the same actually.” She then moved to the bag and removed a single plastic package. “In fact, we’re going to have to start now with everything, including the whole training pants business. Sorry…”

I quickly groaned at the prospect, particularly when I saw the purply mass of padding now laid out before me that even seemed to sport a single kitten on one side at least. “Can’t we just leave out of here… without them?”

Amy shook her head with a fair amount of reluctance. “Sorry, Megan, but no. A lot of the officers saw you come in here and you can’t just disappear into thin air. I walked into the interrogation room as well and we have an agent waiting outside the door, but we still need to be seen exiting the precinct station.”

I knew she was right of course and thought back to Officer Jake and his nasty ways. I knew he needed to see me leave under Jennifer’s care, if no one else at least, as I certainly didn’t want to have to continually look over my shoulder in fear that he was suddenly lurking there. “So, what’s the plan?”

Jennifer smiled and handed me the training pants. “Well, we need everyone to see that you’re wearing these… wearing only these…”

I looked at the garment before me. “You mean…?”

Amy then realized she needed to clarify a bit further. “Uh… I mean, just your pants and underwear need to come off. Your blouse is long enough to cover it them up a bit for your dignity, but the officers need to see your new ‘protection’ to sell all this. It may not seem like a big difference, but it should satisfy most of them.”

I sighed and nodded. “Let’s just do this…” I then hopped out of my highchair and grabbed the training pants before quickly shedding my slacks and underwear. Kindly enough, Jennifer had the good grace to turn around after nodding back to me, but I knew that type of privacy wouldn’t last long once we were undercover. Still, it was a nice gesture that only made me like her a bit more.

Regardless, finally, the training pants were up, and while I hated their bulkier presence and what they represented, I knew it could have been much worse. “Alright, you can turn around now. Let’s just leave here as quickly as possible at this point.”

Jennifer turned around and smiled at what she saw. It wasn’t cruel or anything, but I swear she was about two seconds away from cooing. Still, ever the agent, she righted herself and grabbed my old pants and underwear and tossed them in the bag. “Right. Thank you for doing that. It makes me really hopeful for this assignment, but we need to do one last thing.” I remained quiet and just let her tell me rather than take a guess. “I need to carry you out of here.”

I wasn’t surprised in the least, and it seemed to go along with the whole idea of submission and my new form of undergarment. I didn’t like it, but I knew it was inevitable, so I just raised my arms up. “Just do it.” Jennifer meekly smiled at me and bent down to pick me up.

Her touch was soft and warm and somehow made me feel secure, despite her apparent apprehension over what she was doing. “Sorry for all this. I truly am, but I’ll really try my best with this assignment. I don’t think this means much to you with all we have ahead, but I promise to be there for you through all of it.”

I nodded in gratitude. “Thank you, but you’re wrong.” She immediately looked nervous about what I was about to say. “Relax. I meant with you being there for me and not meaning anything. It’s small, but with what I’ve seen in this world of yours, it does mean a lot.”

I could see an ounce of emotion threatening to breakthrough her overall calm demeanor, but she just cleared her throat. “Thank you, Megan. That means a lot to me as well.” She then collected the bag the training pants had come in and that now contained my old slacks and underwear. “Alright. That should do it.” She then took a deep breath. “You ready for all this?”

I sighed. “Not really, but I don’t think I have a choice at this point, so let’s just get going.”

She nodded as if to confirm my predicament and then walked out the door of the barren room. This time, I could see where we were going, but to be honest, the elaborate maze of tunnels and corridors we passed made me very doubtful that I could ever truly find my way back out if I ever needed to in the future. Finally, we made it to a familiar looking door that I had no doubt would lead to my original interrogation room. Jennifer then paused.

“Okay, Megan. This is it,” she said with a little more resolve in her voice now. “Through these doors, I need you to act like a scared or submissive Little.” I didn’t know I would have to do that and the apprehension on my face probably showed. “That’s okay. We’re going to practice over the coming weekend with some of this stuff, but for now, how about you just lean into me? If you feel you’re going to break or get angry at any time, just close your eyes, and while I hate to add this scenario into the mix, if it helps, just think you took the other deal and are about to be regressed.”

My mind became a clouded mess of confusion and nervousness. Obviously, it was the reaction Jennifer was looking for to maintain our cover, and she soon entered the door and then exited out into the precinct room.

As she had noted, another agent was waiting outside, and he and Jennifer just calmly walked together through the room crowded full of officers. All eyes seemed laser focused on me… well except for one it seemed.

“I don’t care who they are. In Jupiter’s name! We had her, you stupid excuse for a Big!” I instantly recognized the heavy yelling and red-faced cop in the background berating his younger partner. To my delight though, another clearly more seasoned officer intervened.

“Officer Jake! You will shut up this instant!” Officer Jake swung around to confront whoever had just yelled at him, but when he saw the glistening double bars on the epaulets of his captain’s uniform, I could even see him swallow hard from this distance. “Now, you will conduct yourself in a manner becoming of that uniform and this precinct right now! You know of the new corrections we can offer those who don’t toe the line, right?”

I could only see a blustering Officer Jake try to retract everything and almost cower in fear over what had just been spoken. I wasn’t sure what they were referring to, but it clearly had spooked even that old cantankerous Big. Then, before we exited, I finally saw the even tempered and kindly Detective Paul give me a tiny salute.

As the three of us then exited into the cold night air, I wondered what that gesture could mean. The response time for all this was rather quick, but he seemed so normal. ‘Was he in on all this? Or was he just friendly?’

Jennifer and the other agent soon ushered me to an awaiting black SUV parked out front. It was enormous in comparison, and I didn’t need to be told to know that it was clearly government issued. Still though, it gave me a sense of protection and a way to move forward, but I guess that was too naïve of me at this point.

Only seconds after first seeing the vehicle and all that ‘safety,’ the back door was soon opened, and waiting inside, was a comfortable looking, but undeniable car seat waiting precisely for me. The night air was a pleasant reminder of my freedom, but the device in front of me now was a stark reminder of the price that I had paid for that freedom and just what lay in store for my future.

[Kat5]

This is VERY well written and you are making it absolutely compelling!

[Panther Cub]

20 minutes ago, Kat5 said:

This is VERY well written and you are making it absolutely compelling!

I must concur and also add in... kinda really cute! With how Megan and Jennifer interact with one another! Especially with how comforting a presence Jennifer is for her!

[Guilend]

3 hours ago, LostBBoyBear said:

You know of the new corrections we can offer those who don’t toe the line, right?

I'm guessing he's seen this happen to anither officer or several first hand otherwise I don't know if he'd have back peddled so hard lol. It would've been fun to see him get spanked in front of his coworkers and put in a diaper. I bet he'd get quite excited while being powdered which would definitely add to his humiliation lol. That is of course if that's the punishment measures his captain was referring to. 

I hate to say I was right about her going undercover, buuuuut, I was right 🤣. I don't get to say that often on your stories so I might have to screenshot this lol.

While I think Magen will have a difficult time undercover in this "daycare" I think Jennifer's investigation while undercover might be more so. If Jennifer raises even a little bit of an alert it would be more noticeable then if a Little did. A Little could probably talk their way out of a situation, probably not without some kind of punishment like a spanking or time out, but for a Big, they'd be all over her if she makes the slightest of mistake. While she could probably talk herself out of it, chances are she'd be disciplined the same with the possibility of being diapered and she'd be watched Luke a hawk from then on and that's if they don't decide its not worth the risk and wipe her mind from the beginning just in case.

Can't wait to see what happens next. Kind of hoping they'll run into officer jerkface later and he's wearing just a shirt and diaper while his partner is now his caregiver lol

[sklawlor]

This is a reaslly good story and I'm happy you decided to continue it. I'm an artist myself and have plenty of moments of doubt about certain projects I'm working on so I can relate in that way. Looking forward to reading more.

[LostBBoyBear]

Oof. Sorry for the lateness of this post, but tis the season, and baking cookies tonight took much longer than anticipated. This is also a bit of a longer chapter, but again, I needed to ensure that I set up a few elements that flowed together nicely. I had originally described one scene as basically just a list, but that felt too preachy or not impactful enough to even include, even though I knew I needed to on some level.

Regardless, I also want to give a warning here before you all read on. This chapter is going to start a bit of a darker tone with some events here. Being an origin story of sorts, certain technologies don't exist yet, so everything is a little more 'analog,' if you wish. As a result, some ways of regression are a little more graphic during this time period. So, I just want to give you all a warning for this chapter and the others going forward now. I will try to approach these topics with as much tact as I can, but sometimes all the tact in the world can't blunt the content's sharp edge. 

Anyways, I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

Chapter 8: Not Bad... Yet

Now loaded into the car, I could firmly say that I was not a fan of the crotch strap now snaking its way between my legs and over my training pants. Their humiliating bulk was only accentuated, but as the door closed once more, I could only look out at the precinct station and sigh in relief that I was at least leaving that horrible place with my mind still intact. Subject to a loose ‘contract,’ if it could really even be called that, but I was still out of there. Plus, based on the near drooling Little that exited the station right behind me only to be loaded into a ‘etiquette services’ van, I knew I was a very rare case indeed.

Still, as both Jennifer and the other agent loaded into the front of the car and then sped off, I couldn’t help but think of the fate that awaited. Already, within 30 minutes, the city view was in the rear view of our car. The city, in my own dimension or this one, had been my home for the better part of my entire life. It was literally an island of refuge in some of my darkest days, but now, heading north, I knew I was to leave all that comfort and safety behind.

The fact that we were leaving at night didn’t help matters any, but I was still hoping for some signs of hope or that I at least hadn’t made a terrible decision when I agreed to this mission. Regret of what I had done plagued my mind for the better part of an hour, but either as a latent result from the truth serum that I had been subjected to or just from the lateness of the hour, I soon fell asleep.

The car then jostled about as it hit a single bump. My eyes fluttered open and while it was still night, I could tell that we were no longer within even the peripheral edges of the city. Around me, there were no bright lights of distant cities. Instead, only trees and large open fields seemed to dot the landscape. Jennifer then noticed that I was awake.

“Hey there… it’s good that you’re awake now. We’re almost at the house, but please just stay quiet until we get inside,” she asked of me. “You can even pretend you’re asleep if you don’t think you can do that, but we’re almost at the security checkpoint of the facility, so we need to be on our guard from now on, okay?”

I took her caution to heart and only silently nodded my head. Despite my still tired body, my mind clicked into gear right away. It was a good thing too, as not minutes later, the car halted in front of a single booth and gate. A guard then stepped out of the booth and shined a flashlight into the car.

“Evening folks. You all get lost or something?” he asked as he scanned inside the car.

Jennifer then bent over the driving agent and showed a badge ID to the guard. “Sorry… I’m new here, along with my Little,” she said while gesturing to my form in the backseat. The guard quickly looked back at me, but I only smiled at him, and he smiled back. I figured being friendly wasn’t going to be a problem at this hour and my confirmed status as a Little likely would only help things out around here. “I’m actually one of the new security guards for one of the facilities and I figured I would come here and get settled in before I start on Monday.”

“Ah. That explains it.” The guard then peered down at the driving agent. “And you are, sir?”

The man turned as if made of stone or metal and just stared at the security guard and spoke plainly. “Just her cousin. I live up the road.” He then slowly reached into the front of his suit jacket. “Here, I have a visitors’ badge. Just dropping them off at the house and then heading back out of here. Shouldn’t be long.”

The guard flashed his light over the badge and squinted at the writing. “Hmmm… I guess you’ll be fine, but don’t make it a habit of coming here at night unless you have previously authorized access. Usually, visiting hours of this facility are limited to daylight hours only.”

The agent then took his ID back and pocketed it before nodding his head. “I understand. Shouldn’t happen again, but I didn’t want my cousin to have to stay in some hotel back in the city for the night.”

“I hear that.” The guard then thankfully backed up. “You all have a pleasant night. Drive safe.”

“Thank you!” Jennifer called out just as the car began to lurch forward once again. She then turned around and smiled at me. “Good first job, Megan. Whatever you did, just keep it up with any strangers you meet around here at first. Not sure who we can exactly trust yet. Could be a lot of them… could be none of them…”

I nodded my head. “I figured. Just kept it to a smile. Happy Littles are safe and easy. I’ve seen most other emotions are frowned upon or suspicious by most Bigs.”

“Good thinking.” Jennifer then turned back around, and the car proceeded along the two-lane public access road.

From what I could tell, a small town had been built within the research facility, and it honestly reminded me of something akin to the Manhattan Project and the Los Alamos set up from back on Earth with the first nuclear bomb testing. This town was clearly more advanced and permanent, but the idea of cooping everyone up like this together just made a certain amount of sense when one thought about it. Still, the comparisons of this place to one that was responsible for the nuclear bomb, were not lost on me.

The car then turned down one road that branched right off before entering the main town. I could see a faint glow in the distance from atop a misty hill beyond the town and I instantly knew that it was the main testing lab that I was here to see. I wanted to run up there and get this done as soon as possible, but my more mature and calmer instincts fortunately prevailed.

Soon, the car rounded a few more streets and then finally parked at a single dwelling that honestly looked like most of the others on the street, cutely named Maplewood Drive. It was two stories, had a front porch, was color coordinated, and also had a nice driveway leading up to the main part of the house. It didn’t have a garage like some of the others, but I did notice a small car already parked in the driveway.

As such, the other agent just parked behind it and he and Jennifer quickly got out. Opening the door, she then retrieved me, when I only then just remembered that I was still only wearing my previous blouse from before and my new training pants. I internally groaned when I realized that the security must have seen me like that in the back seat, but I also realized that situations like that were likely something that I would just need to get used to in my new role here.

The agent then swung around the car and set a single suitcase at the feet of Jennifer. “Ma’am… your to-go suitcase as requested, as usual. Now, I can’t stay, but your briefings are inside as well. The house should be ready with your specifications, gas is in your car, and you should have some food for a few days at least. Uh… Amy will contact you for your first debriefing sometime within the next month unless an urgent message is sent before then.”

Jennifer looked down to confirm the presence of the suitcase as if it was one of the most important things now, but then just looked back up at the agent in front of her. “Thank you, Reed. You’ve been as helpful as you always seem to be.”

A man of few words, Agent Reed then just smiled, nodded at both Jennifer and I, and got in his vehicle before once again speeding off into the night. So, just like that, Jennifer and I were now on our own.

Jennifer sighed heavily and then turned down to me, still being held in her arms after she took me out of the car. “Alrighty then. I guess we better go inside, huh?” I only nodded, still fearful of anyone who could be watching us. Needless to say, I was on high alert.

Jennfier then picked up the suitcase with her other hand and headed to the front door. Setting the suitcase down, she inputted a code onto the keypad before her and I could then hear the lock unclick. “Perfect. Let’s just hope they got everything that I requested.” Without another word, she picked the suitcase back up and walked into our new home.

Flicking on a few lights, I could tell that it was a very standard home and almost looked modest compared to some of the other dwellings I had seen where other Bigs had lived in the city. I was honestly almost disappointed, but I also realized that the point of this mission was to blend in better… not stick out like those other, more modern buildings would have.

“Ah…” Jennifer said happily. “Home sweet home. Not bad for two hours’ notice, huh?”

“Two hours and all this?” I asked as I looked around at the fully furnished house before me. Curtains, rugs, plants, and even framed photos were now all laid out before us. It was clearly done by someone who had taste, but I also got the opinion that they didn’t want to come off as too stylish and therefore possibly artificial to a typical suburban home. As such, it was clean and well put together, but also lived in somehow as well.

“There’s a whole division at ABI for just things like these, and just if you were curious, we have continual bug sweepers in here to ensure we aren’t being monitored. Plus, no unwanted signals can get in our or out of here with some of our latest tech that was installed.” She then paused and looked very proud for a moment. “Requested those specifically myself for this mission.”

I nodded my head. “Sounds like a good idea to have.” No listening devices could mean freedom, but I needed to be sure first. “Does that mean I can… you know… be more normal in here?”

Jennifer smiled and nodded happily. “Absolutely! You were one of the main reasons I got that package for this place. Besides, we need to practice tomorrow and Sunday before the real deal on Monday. I’ve seen footage from your other stints of acting out there whenever you met a Big up to no good. You were good… but we need near perfection if you want to stay safe here.”

I was honestly a little embarrassed that she had seen those acts that I had put on to fool other Bigs, so I just meekly nodded. At the same time, however, I also yawned. Jennifer quickly noticed and looked at a nearby clock.

“Oh my! I know you’re not regressed or anything, but you Littles still need way more sleep than us Bigs.” She then looked at the nearby staircase off to one side of the main section of living space by the front door. “In fact, your room should be all good to go upstairs.”

“My room?” Jennifer nodded and then carried my speechless form up the stairs after putting down her own suitcase without another word.

Now, I had never even considered my whole part in this scenario or that I would have my own room in this dimension as well. It wasn’t that I thought I was going to live in a cardboard box or anything, but I was realizing that it was just one of numerous things I hadn’t yet thought about with all this. So, when Jennifer opened the door to my new room at the top of the stairs, I wasn’t really sure what I was expecting.

Inside was most decidedly meant for a toddler girl, or in this dimension, a girl Little as well. Slightly purplish light gray walls covered most of the room and canvas images of animals hugging stars and moons cutely covered the rest. The floor was carpeted nicely and was the bedrock for the furniture above, which included a dresser, a nightstand, and a single bed. I was honestly just grateful it wasn’t a crib, but the white wooden frame, small railing running along part of the sides, and the purple canopy net adorned with golden stars above it all wasn’t mature by any means either. It… was a lot to take in and I think Jennifer could tell.

She then set me down on the soft carpeting and let me look at everything in silence for a moment before speaking up. “I hope you like it… We could make some changes if you wanted, but I basically had three designs to choose from and honestly, I didn’t think you would have wanted the animal lover or pink princess designs.” She paused for a moment and then hesitantly asked, “Was I wrong?”

“I…” I started to say, but I knew I really couldn’t express my all my true feelings in that moment, which was just to tear it all down and give me something more mature in what was supposed to be my new home. I knew that was just fantasy though, so with all things considered, I just shook my head. “No… just a lot all at once, and… I’m uh, tired…”

I wasn’t sure if Jennifer bought that line, but she played along like she did anyway. “Okay… I’ll leave it up to you for tonight with how you want things to go. We’ll need to practice other things going forward, but you need your sleep.” Jennifer then walked to the door but paused for a moment and looked back at me. “I really am sorry how all this turned out, but for tonight, just try and get some rest.” She then walked away without saying another word.

I wanted to thank her, but I guess she also knew that I was likely overwhelmed by everything and that more words could always come later. It turned out that she was absolutely correct about my tiredness however, and as soon as I laid down only briefly in my new bed to just mull things over, I was fast asleep.

The next morning came bright and early, and I stretched out in my new bed. My purple and subtly pink sheets were a quick reminder of what had happened last night, but I also noted that my shoes were now off, and the covers had been pulled over me. In most other circumstances, my alarm bells would be going off in my head right about now, but seeing my shoes neatly placed to one corner and a tiny note on my bedside table, I quickly deduced that Jennifer had only just kindly helped me out last night after I had passed out. In a way, it was almost a little endearing and reminded me when I would do the same for my friends back home after a late night of some kind.

I smiled at the thought of at least one ally in all this and then looked over the note that she had also left me. “Megan, by the time you are up, I should be downstairs. As you didn’t take a shower last night, I would suggest you wash up this morning, but I will leave this up to your discretion. Breakfast will be waiting downstairs whenever you are ready. Jennifer.” It was written in her hand, and I was impressed with her flowing penmanship, but then noticed another tiny note at the bottom. “P.S. I am leaving certain decisions up to you this morning to determine what things we need to practice today. Please don’t do anything that you wouldn’t normally do. I need a baseline and not a performance.”

I mulled the note over and realized that our training would indeed start today. It was a sobering thought, but I knew for any of this to be successful, Jennifer was absolutely right that she needed to see what she had to work with. So, with that thought in mind, I picked out a nice outfit from the ones I had found and then quickly showered as I usually would have in the mornings. After dressing in just some jeans and a plain T-shirt I had found, I put my hair up in a loose bun and went downstairs, quickly putting a single object I had spotted out of my mind as I did so. I normally would have put some makeup on, and I knew that Jennifer wanted me to do everything like I normally did, but I just hoped that she would allow for that one concession.

Slowly walking down the gigantic steps, each likely almost 15 inches in height, I finally made it downstairs and smelled something wonderful coming from the kitchen. Walking in, I saw Jennifer busy at the stove right away. “Good morning.”

Jennifer then spun around and spotted me entering the room. “Good morning to you too. Sleep well?”

I nodded and stared at the near transformation of the woman before from the night before. Instead of her pressed gray suit and holstered gun, she was now wearing just a plain blouse and a pair of comfortable looking jeans. Her hair was no longer in a bun, and her chestnut locks just flowed freely beyond the strands loosely gathered behind her head with a brown clip. “You look…”

“Normal?” Jennifer asked with a bit of a grin. I nodded and she chuckled. “Yeah… well, this is honestly how I normally dress on the weekends, but I figured that I might as well start playing the part full-time here as well. I might be part of security at the facility, but I’m also supposed to be your caregiver.”

I then found a place at the large round table in the corner of the room and hopped onto one of the seats there. I was a little short, but I could still see over the edge. “Are there standards or something for that type of position here as a Little’s caregiver?”

Jennifer shook her head but then returned to the stove with her spatula. “Not really, but we also need to blend in around here. Normalcy might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it will be very important going forward to maintain our cover.”

I nodded and then waited in actuality for only a few minutes before Jennifer brought over a large steaming plate to me. My eyes practically bugged out of my head when I saw the proportions in front of me, but I didn’t say anything before I greedily dug practically headfirst into everything laid out before me. To say the pancakes, eggs, or even fruit was simply divine would have been a major injustice. It was the best food I think I had ever tasted, so in no time at all, my plate began to empty.

After a moment though, I could see Jennifer eating her own food, but then would pause occasionally and grin right at me. Finally, I had to know what she was thinking. “What? Do I have food on my face or something?”

Jennifer only laughed. “No, nothing like that. I honestly just need to see what I’m working with.” She paused and then set her fork down. “I suppose though that we should start off already, so,” she then reached over and brought out a single manilla folder, “this is you.”

Quickly wiping off the syrup that coated my hands from the unwieldy fork I had managed to eat with, I gazed over the file and then looked back up at Jennifer once I had opened it up and looked inside. “So,” she continued, “as you can see, we’ve basically just pulled most of the information from what the shelter gave you. It was a pretty solid background, and we found that it would actually get the least number of questions asked.”

I nodded and then read over the file further. “The island of Aegis? Where the heck is that?”

Jennifer smirked. “Well, you definitely need to know that one. It’s one of the largest islands in the Pacificus Ocean and is basically known as a Little sanctuary. In fact, it’s one of the few islands remaining that is entirely composed of Littles, which is also where our advantage comes in.”

“How so?” I asked. I knew next to nothing about this place, so it didn’t seem advantageous to me at this juncture.

“Well… because no Bigs are allowed on the island, there are no records to verify against back here, but also, the island is so big that it wouldn’t be unheard of for another Little to have never seen you before in case you ever met someone else from there.” She then took a final bite of her own pancakes and quickly chewed and swallowed. “Lastly, it’s so diverse there from all the influx of Littles, that your stories about growing up wouldn’t necessarily have to match either.”

“I see…” The island did seem very nice for Littles to live on, but it also posed another problem as well. “So why would I ever leave if it was so great.”

Jennifer nodded. “Valid question, but that’s all in there as well. For now, just remember you were looking for another job. In fact, it also plays into why you are here now because you couldn’t keep up with your new job and were overwhelmed.”

“That’s it?” I questioned. “That doesn’t feel like enough of a reason for someone, or even you, to just take me off the street and wind up here of all places.”

Jennifer then looked a little uneasy. “Well… it’s been known to have happened before. A few bits of corruption and maybe an emotional Little, or one who is seen as slightly immature… and that’s all it takes sometimes.”

“That’s terrible… but couldn’t it be… I don’t know, something else?” I really didn’t want to be known as the Little who couldn’t do their job before I even made a first impression in person.

“No,” Jennifer said flatly. “We’ve looked into this a lot and if you went with something else, you would be seen as a problematic Little. If you were fired, arrested, peed your pants, sucked your thumb accidentally, or any number of other events, you would be a prime target to be regressed right off the bat. You don’t want that, right?” I quickly shook my head. “Good. Now, let’s begin your training.”

Okay… I wasn’t sure what I expected in this whole arrangement, but in retrospect, I guess I should have seen that there would have been another side to the usually sweet ABI agent before me. After all, this assignment was critical, and she had a job to do as a Big in teaching me all about being a Little. Still though, I wasn’t prepared for the next few hours of my life.

After my debriefing on my role as a Little I was shown a chart that I knew had to be legitimately placed in some correctional facility someplace in this messed up world. In essence, it was divided into four categories: adult, preschooler, toddler, and infant. “Now, these are just guidelines,” Jennifer explained, “and you can of course act younger to some extent, but acting older than your given category could be problematic. The next two days will be to guide you away at least from those more unwanted or frowned on behaviors.”

I gulped as I looked over the chart. Seeing as I was still new to all this, even with my cover story and perceived immaturity in society, I could still maintain at least the preschooler category, but that was still something that I knew would be harder in practice than just a base promise to abide by the rules, such as no cursing, fighting, or minding your manners in every situation. So, first up in all this, was word replacement.

“Okay,” Jennifer instructed, “preschooler level Littles will never correctly use slang phrases or dirty words to describe objects or actions. For example, it is always the potty. Bathroom, maybe, but potty is usually a good all-encompassing word for most things that you will need to describe.”

“Such as?” I questioned. It had been a number of years since my younger brother was at this age and few of my coworkers, neighbors, or relatives had kids this age anymore back home.

“Well,” Jennifer explained, “going to the potty could mean using the toilet or training potty, but it could also just mean going to the room as well.”

“Ah,” I said as the lesson clicked a little bit more now, but her explanation also brought another point up that I needed to know about. “What about… you know… going to the… ummm, potty… as an action?”

“Oh… did you see…?” I nodded to confirm what I had seen in the upstairs bathroom. “Right… well, at this Little age, a training potty may be required for some Bigs. I wanted to keep it up there for at least appearances sake, but you can still use the smaller sized toilet in that bathroom as well when it’s just us.”

I did wonder why it seemed lower to the ground than usual for a Big, but now it made perfect sense, though I also knew it also wouldn’t be like that everywhere I went now. “And at daycare?” I tentatively asked.

Jennifer quickly looked uncomfortable with the notion, but finally nodded. “Yes, training potties will likely be available, but you have been marked down as being able to use either a toilet or those instead. I hate to say it, but it may depend more on the Big than what the actual regulations are there.” I nodded and the lessons quickly continued afterward as such.

We soon covered a variety of topics pertaining to other common words or phrases and then certain expectations for my new role, such as skill levels I could still possess and others that I should now avoid. For example, those like that I had been taught at the academy to be a police officer. Useful, but utterly not suited for the role of a true Little in daycare. I noted it right away and just prayed the meds would curb these impulses as well.

Next was regulations and general knowledge that I should know about while posing as a native Little here. This period was mostly spent with me reviewing my case file and the background that I had been given. As it was based off the version the shelter gave me, some of it came much quicker. Others… well, they tended to be a little more unique.

“See, you have to think about the details,” Jennifer explained during one of the lecture parts of the segment. I looked at her questioningly. “Right, well, you need to think of any other story you tell. Beyond the fact of flowing naturally like one of your own memories, you’ve got to include the other bits as well.”

I held open my folder and looked at the dozen or so of pages of details about Aegis Island and my created life there. “For example?”

“Okay… well, it says you went to Aristotle High School. If someone asks you about it,” she continued, “you need to know the details, like their school motto, Signa Just Alius Martis. That type of stuff is important to verify, but to make it your own, you need to remember it because it was posted on the wall of the gym that smelled like sweat most of the time, except when it smelled like cleanser on Tuesdays and Thursdays when it was cleaned by the janitor, Mr. Marcum. Or that your girlfriend had it on her notebook that she carried everywhere with her.”

“That’s all in here?” I asked as I then brushed through the folder and found it on the back of page 16. “Wow… you all are thorough. I’ll give you that at least.”

Jennifer nodded. “We have to be. We Bigs haven’t unified all our technology and knowledge together yet, but we’re getting closer, which means your background can be checked out if they think something is funny with it. Think of details like those as little buffers between them and the truth about who you are.” I then realized the gravity of what was being asked of me, and like many other times in the past few hours today, the meds were seeming more and more like a blessing rather than a curse.

Lastly of all today’s lessons, Jennifer then handed me a small booklet that I quickly recognized as the advertisement brochure for the daycare I was going to on Monday. I then looked back up at Jennifer. “I want you to look over this on your off time,” she explained. “It’s not critical that you know it by Monday, but it might just get you out of a bind or two… or prevent you from getting into one in the first place.”

I was nervous to even look inside, but even when I did, I knew firmly that I had good reason to be. Right there in the center section was the list of punishments they could perform. It filled half the page and included spanking, timeouts, loss of privileges, and many others. What frightened me the most though, that of the at least 15 listed, the whole list ended with a final bullet point of “& More!” I shuddered to think of what ‘more could really imply. Before I could even ask though, Jennifer walked back up to me.

“Okay, Megan,” she said with both her hands on her hips. “Now to put all that you’ve learned into practice. No pressure but let’s just see where we are.” I almost was about to introduce myself, but from its perched position on a nearby coffee table, Jennifer picked up a glass of water and then threw the liquid inside of it right at me.

“What the…!” I exclaimed, now soaked, dripping, and in disbelief.

“Megan!” Jennifer scolded. “We don’t talk like that here! You didn’t say a bad word, but I know you were thinking about it. I better not catch you actually saying one next time or that’s at least going to cost you a serious timeout.”

I was shocked at this sudden shift in her demeanor. My mind quickly panicked and ran right to that all this was some elaborate setup by ABI. ‘I gotta get out of here! I’m so screwed. I’m…’ I then took a minute to actually think about it all though, and I realized what she was doing. In essence, she was role playing now as one of the Big daycare workers.

So, once I made that connection, I quickly got into character myself. “I… I’m sorry, Miss Jenn,” I said, calling her what she had instructed me to before all this. It was an unlikely scenario, but she noted that most teachers or caregivers would want to be called by shortened versions of their names to help the more regressed Littles still be able to address them properly. She even made the note that if I ever had friends over from daycare, that would be the name I should tell them to call her.

Seeing my genuine apology and also my recognition of what was now happening, Jennifer only smiled back. “That’s okay, sweetie. Just remember that for next time. Accidents happen all the time around here and as a Little, it’s just something that we need to expect happening.” She then examined my soaked clothing and pursed her lips as if she was thinking hard about something. “Hmmm… you’re absolutely soaked Meggy. Why don’t we get you all cleaned up and get you into some fresh clothing as well, huh? How does that sound?”

I nodded my head as happily as I could, real or not. “Yes, Miss Jenn. That would be really nice. Thank you.”

“Perfect,” she beamed. “Now, let’s get you to the bathroom where I can help you out. I’m sure your mommy packed you some extra dry clothes for just this type of thing.”

I panicked a little at the notion of where this was heading, but as Jennifer had noted, I just needed to focus my energy into something else, particularly with my feelings over her use of the word ‘mommy.’ I knew I had to expect the same treatment from the other real life daycare workers, but it still just sounded strange knowing that others could refer to Jennifer as just like that. So, I then took the initiative and reached out my hand.

Jennifer quickly smiled and soon led me upstairs and into the bathroom. Without hesitation, she then got to work and laid out a fresh set of clothes and procured a single towel. “Take off your clothes, honey,” she said without skipping a beat. I immediately blushed and hesitated to do so. Jennifer quickly noticed. “Now, Megan.” Her words were straightforward, but they carried such a weight and even a slight hint of a threat. I knew I had messed up in the scenario, but I quickly put it out of my head and stripped down to my underwear and single cami.

Now, I had never exactly been ‘gifted’ in the department regarding my feminine curves, but I would still never be mistaken for a guy ever back on Earth. So, when I had agreed to all this, I had been a little worried about that factor of seeing some of the other Littles and their unabashed nudity. This society though had apparently also thought of that, and this version of the cami I now wore was deemed the perfect solution. It was comfortable, supportive, and yet did nothing to say ‘woman’ about the user… just ‘girl.’

Seemingly now satisfied, Jennifer proceeded to dry me off the rest of the way. To my surprise, she even slipped in a quick training panties check today but found my pink and flower adorned pair to still be dry. I knew she wasn’t really checking, but her invasive touch was still something I knew I would need to expect in this type of environment. Though, just like all this had started, it ended, and Jennifer now sat across from me in the family room on the large and comfortable couch in there.

“So… do you know where you messed up?” I quickly nodded, remembering that I needed to be told twice to take off my clothes. We both knew that it was likely to be an issue, so she didn’t make an issue of it, but she still seemed to be deep in thought about something else in particular.

“Penny for your thoughts?” I asked innocently, still wearing the butterfly embroidered jeans and unicorn T-shirt that Jennifer had dressed me in. My hair was even still done up in the single rear ponytail she had done afterward to test if I would still stay still for a Big messing up my hair.

Jennifer sighed. “Well… you did really well, but I’m having two thoughts right now…” I gestured my hand for her to continue. “First is that I think we should go out tomorrow. Just something simple… the park maybe.”

I could feel my heart begin to beat more swiftly for a moment, but I also knew that she was right to want a field test of sorts before the real day. “Sounds reasonable… and second?”

Jennifer then reached behind her and produced her purse that she had placed on a nearby end table earlier. “I was thinking… everybody is different and reactions…” I could tell she was trying to dance around a single issue without just coming out and saying it right away. “I think we need another type of test, but today instead.” She then reached into the fashionable accessory.  and seemed to type in a code of some sort before I could hear a whirring noise of sorts. After, she reached in once again and produced a single slim silver case of some sort and popped it open. “I think we need to test out the meds… now.”

I could feel my breath stop for just a moment and the air was deathly still in the room. I knew that with each scenario we had run today, I had desired the pills, but now, the white triangular capsules marked with a ‘1’ just seemed like a step too far. “Maybe not today… I think maybe tomorrow… or we could just try on Monday…” From anyone observing me in the slightest, they could tell I was first, nervous, and second, stalling.

Jennifer sighed and set the case down. “I thought you might say that… ABI as well.” She then got up and went over to grab the remote for the large flatscreen TV that was mounted on the opposite wall from the couch. “There are some who think you shouldn’t see this, but Amy and I… well, we want to show you what you’re up against if you slip up.”

“Slip up?” I could guess what that probably meant, but I still didn’t like the sound of it.

Jennifer only wordlessly nodded and turned on the TV. What appeared before me next was something I could never forget. Now, I will spare some of the more gruesome details… my pain after all shouldn’t be shared in some cases here, but my head justified taking that risky medication for a rational and understandable reason.

Before me on the TV now seemed to play archival footage that had been spliced together, clearly for the purposes of training for the ABI with this one and other similar assignments. It seems that before I was recruited, as they had mentioned, they had tasked other Littles with infiltrating the research facility. In what almost appeared to be the same cell, a rebel Little leader was seated and was then offered an almost identical deal to my own, the only difference is that his home was back on an island somewhere I think they called Atlantica. Regardless, he accepted the deal as I had.

He seemed to mold into the daycare well and even appeared to create several contacts, one of which I even recognized as one of the ‘tweakers’ that I had seen a case file on back on Earth. The Little performed admirably, but I noticed the clock continue to tick away and small signs that the Little was cracking in two ways, both in his state of regression and his willpower to resist acting out. Finally, the latter crumbled.

It was just lunch one day like any of the others that I had viewed in the past ten minutes, but it appeared to be pea soup… and I guess he wasn’t a fan. The tray was quickly shoved away in a single act of defiance. “Get that crap away from me! I’m a Little, not an invalid! I…” I could see the panic set in across his face as soon as realized what he had just done. The diaper he now wore during his third month at the daycare noticeably became discolored as the Bigs’ faces turned sour and began to descend on him.

From the footage, I couldn’t really see faces, but one woman seemed to be a little more in charge than the others. “I have him. This Little and I are going to have a… chat. Isn’t that right, Bri-Bri?”

Bri-Bri, or I guess Brian, began to profusely apologize. No act, and no contempt or any sign of hesitation or lie in his words, but he seemed to be too in the moment to realize that his words were now all too late.

The next frames seemed to be pieced together more haphazardly and almost as if they had been restored and then stitched back together. The timeline jumped a few times, but Brian and the woman were still both perfectly clear as the two figures in the frame.

“We did some… ground checks on you. Further this tim… You are a liar and a… What do you… to say for yourself?” the large and imposing woman asked Brian, who was now seated before her.

“Please… ple… I don’t know what you… alking about…” he pleaded, but clearly all in vain. The distortion began to get really bad, but I still noticed the timestamp clicking away. Ten minutes turned into an hour… hours into days…

“You are rebel scum, and we only have one treatme… Little like you!” the woman boomed next.

Brian was now strapped down onto an operating table of sorts. “Please… please… Miss…” The feed cut out for a quick second. “I’ll be a goo… oy for you! It was j…t one mistake! Have mercy. Aren’t I yo… pecial boy?”

The woman then leaned in and almost sickeningly placed her hand on his shoulder as if to comfort him. “Not anymore…”

The feed cut out a few more times, but now, the horrifying still awake Brian was currently being operated on. Bloody bandages were wrapped around several of his joints already, but his head was now open with several probes in it as doctors looked in and adjusted or cut in very specific areas as shown on the several monitors on display. “Now, Bri-Bri. I want you to sing your ABC’s,” the doctor instructed.

“No… I… please!” The doctor shook his head in clear disappointment and clicked a single dial next to him. An almost whistling electronic noise could be heard as the tune pitched upward. “Ah! Please stop! Please stop! I’ll sing, I’ll sing!” Brian took a breath and began to hauntingly sing as the doctors began to mess with another probe. “A, B, C, D, E… E… H… M, N, Q?” Brian was clearly struggling, but the doctor and many others were also clearly pleased.

“Very good, Bri-Bri. A few more sessions and you should be…” The feed then cut out again, but when it came back, I noticed only a week had passed. Brian, if one could even ascribe that name to the same figure on the screen before me, lay on his back. From a distance, he looked very much like he was just relaxing on a blanket, but the camera then zoomed in. It was then very clear that Brian, at least who he was, was no more.

Blank and unfocused eyes dotted about the nearest shiny object in the soft and jingling toy now in his hands. His mouth attempted to bite the object, but it was soon clear that him attempting to gum at it would be a more accurate statement due to his now clear lack of teeth. The formal rebel Little leader had been reduced to a mere infant… newborn even on some level and there was no return for him. There was no more of what made him who he was and no salvation either. The Bigs had effectively eradicated him, and I just felt sick. Before, I could only guess what went on behind closed doors and in secret labs, but now…

Amy then turned off the TV and gave me a second to process what was just burned into my head for the rest of my life. Finally, though, she spoke and held out the case. “There are about ten more you can watch… all about the same… some worse even, but this is still a pretty good middle ground with the stakes here for you if you slip up.” She paused again and clearly read the shock on my face. “This is your decision, Megan, but after seeing all that, do you really still want to wait and take a chance these don’t work come Monday? I don’t want to force or hurt you, but Brian made one false move, and… well you saw the rest.”

I didn’t want the pill today, but what I had just seen… it put all this on a whole different level than I was or ever could have been prepared for. I was human and I was delving into a society that was far beyond what humanity could even scarcely dream of these days. From my research at the library, they had cures for so many diseases that had claimed the lives or minds of humanity for centuries now. It wasn’t a utopia or anything by a long shot, but I thought I had seen everything. Apparently not…

So, as Amy levied the single white triangular pill closer to me, my options, in a world of so much promise, now seemed so limited. I was an adult in almost every sense of that word, despite my current attire and living situation, but this pill… it felt like a chance to erase all that in a second, but the video… Like before, I didn’t really have a choice in fear of it not working and my cover being blown. Resigned to my lot in life and without any other real option though, with hesitancy and a hefty amount of fear, I took the tiny pill and quickly swallowed it.

[Guilend]

Very well done. Probably good thing you didn't go into anymore detail or show more clips then the one. 

I understand that she's definitely concerned about her own safety, as she should be, but I hope she comes around to also seeing her new partner on this mission as her partner and realize what her partner could lose if either one failed. I'm not sure what technology they have, but her partner might have a chance of being shrunk down in size and end up being operated on in a similar fashion or not shrunk down at all. There's also a chance they'd just torture her for information before ending her life. I imagine by Monday she'll at least trust her partner enough to bond with her. Especially after an outing or two. 

Maybe if she happens to see how they punish other Bigs during one of the outings she'll realize what could happen to her partner and that they're really in this together. I bet Jennifer is just as scared as she is, but as an agent can probably hide it pretty well.

[Kat5]

7 hours ago, LostBBoyBear said:

it appeared to be pea soup… and I guess he wasn’t a fan

If there is anything that is going to blow your cover. It may as well be pea soup.

[LostBBoyBear]

4 hours ago, Guilend said:

Very well done. Probably good thing you didn't go into anymore detail or show more clips then the one. 

I understand that she's definitely concerned about her own safety, as she should be, but I hope she comes around to also seeing her new partner on this mission as her partner and realize what her partner could lose if either one failed. I'm not sure what technology they have, but her partner might have a chance of being shrunk down in size and end up being operated on in a similar fashion or not shrunk down at all. There's also a chance they'd just torture her for information before ending her life. I imagine by Monday she'll at least trust her partner enough to bond with her. Especially after an outing or two. 

Maybe if she happens to see how they punish other Bigs during one of the outings she'll realize what could happen to her partner and that they're really in this together. I bet Jennifer is just as scared as she is, but as an agent can probably hide it pretty well.

You have a fair point here and it's something I will address in future chapters, but also keep in mind that this is an origin story. I'm not saying some of those other things don't exist yet, but they're at least definitely not the common punishment quite yet. Don't worry though... I do have a particular punishment in mind for those Bigs who step out of line in this society.

[Guilend]

11 minutes ago, LostBBoyBear said:

You have a fair point here and it's something I will address in future chapters, but also keep in mind that this is an origin story. I'm not saying some of those other things don't exist yet, but they're at least definitely not the common punishment quite yet. Don't worry though... I do have a particular punishment in mind for those Bigs who step out of line in this society.

Lol yeah while I might wish the punishments I have in mind are what happens along with those I listed I knew it wasn't likely at this point, but I'm sure by our standards even as the origin story I'm certain it would be unusual lol. 

I can't wait to see what you have in mind

[kerry]

8 hours ago, LostBBoyBear said:

“Ah…” Amy said happily. “Home sweet home

Jennifer?

This is such a powerful and upsetting view of an unhinged society losing its collective conscience...no wonder it frightens her so much. Well done!

[LostBBoyBear]

58 minutes ago, Guilend said:

Lol yeah while I might wish the punishments I have in mind are what happens along with those I listed I knew it wasn't likely at this point, but I'm sure by our standards even as the origin story I'm certain it would be unusual lol. 

I can't wait to see what you have in mind

Fear not. I have a story coming up this year that is a sequel to one of the stories I wrote last year. If any of your previous posts are any indication, I'm sure you will definitely appreciate that story. That being said, I'm pretty sure you will also like the punishment I have in mind for the Bigs at this point in the story.

6 minutes ago, kerry said:

Jennifer?

This is such a powerful and upsetting view of an unhinged society losing its collective conscience...no wonder it frightens her so much. Well done!

Ugh. You are correct. That's what you get when you edit a chapter at almost 4 in the morning. It has now been corrected. 

Also, thank you! I often tiptoe around some of the blatantly darker aspects of this setting, but I knew I needed to delve a little further this time.

[Guilend]

23 minutes ago, LostBBoyBear said:

I have a story coming up this year that is a sequel to one of the stories I wrote last year

I honestly can't wait for all the sequels lol. But I think being able to read them with the knowledge of the origin story will add to those stories.

 

25 minutes ago, LostBBoyBear said:

That being said, I'm pretty sure you will also like the punishment I have in mind for the Bigs at this point in the story.

For the most part I just like them being punished lol. As long as it's more creative then just going to jail or getting fired. This is DD so in my opinion any punishments should be creative and seen as weird, unusual and maybe something some of us fantasize about happening to us lol. Once again I can't wait to see what happens next in this story. Getting to watch the characters walk a fine line and waiting to see if they faulter and what the outcome of it will be is going to be both nerve wracking and exciting lol.

[Baby Billy]

I am enjoying this story, like you said this is your work  so we can't read to much about past DD stories into it.  That being said this looks to be a little bit in the future then we are in now and with the way laws change in the diaper dimension with each new leader no generalization should be made.  Also Guilend like things to be as bad for all the players as can be. 

[LostBBoyBear]

Hey everyone! Hope your weekend is going well. My own plans got cancelled, so boo hiss on that, but it also gave me a lot of time to knock out even more writing and thinking about this story. In fact, I even thought of a way to rewrite chapter 2 in order to make that first part of the background with John make a lot more sense and work I think even better narratively. I need to alter a few bits to get it there, but I have a plan going forward now and I’ll let you all know when that will be implemented in case you wanted to re-read that section. It shouldn’t be a massive change to the narrative, so feel free to go without, but I’ll still give you all the choice to do so.  

Also, sorry again for the late posting here. It’s just that time of here and I’ve been even more busy lately with preparing for my upcoming trip. On that same note, this week might run a little differently. From what I was able to get done so far, I should at least be able to post three more times this week before I leave. That being said, with some of the extra bits I wrote and the fact that I will be leaving and not able to post another chapter for over a week, I might be able to get in more, but that will still be determined with how everything else goes.

For now, at least, please enjoy this next chapter!

Chapter 9: Let’s See What You Got

Like any good caregiver doling out meds to their charge, Jennifer was right there with a glass of water. Assuming her role perhaps a bit too seriously or just making sure I wouldn’t spill it, she even guided it up to my lips as I held on to the oversized, to me at least, glass of liquid. The water tasted heavenly, and the pill plummeted into my system… awaiting in the darkness to take me.

“So,” I finally said out loud after about a minute or so of just silence, “how long will this take do you think?”

Jennifer looked at her watch. “Hmmm… not sure honestly. I think it affects people differently so the start times can vary. It’s another reason I wanted to try it out today to check on that for you specifically before Monday at daycare.”

“Well, that would have been kind of nice to know before I watched that video,” I said back a little bitterly. “That thing is downright… woah…” I didn’t get a chance to finish my thoughts. The pills were absolutely now kicking in as the room began to momentarily spin and then suddenly stop and focus.

Jennifer smiled at my reaction. “Okay, good. Not too long for you then. That works out really nicely for our purposes in case of emergency, but we can see how a few things go with it later to see if it should be taken like that as needed or just on a scheduled basis.”

“I… oh, wow…” I was so glad I was sitting on the couch at the time as waves of pleasure? Stupidity? Bliss? I wasn’t sure exactly what to call them, but it was an overwhelming feeling… and to be frank, one that I actually kind of enjoyed, yet simultaneously was terrified of.  

As I sat and felt the waves roll over me, I could almost feel my mind opening. Not necessarily emptying as I had once feared with the drug, but just becoming calmer or at least looser. In fact, the feeling was actually quite pleasant after a moment of dizziness. I had gotten high one time at the academy with a non-addictive party drug and I did drink back home, but this feeling wasn’t getting high or buzzed. It was a freedom of some kind… maybe even a fragility with that, but I didn’t feel as burdened anymore by all this. In fact, there was even a little part of me that seemed to like everything happening in this manner.

Jennifer then looked at me closely and even measured my pulse through my wrist for a moment. “So, how are you feeling? Good? Bad? So, so?”

I blinked a few times to right myself in order to even form words, but I nodded to fill in the gap until then just so she wouldn’t think that my mind had suddenly been wiped. “I’m good… odd, but okay.”

Jennifer immediately let out a breath of relief. “That’s wonderful news.” She then bit her lip and readjusted herself on the couch. “I think now that none of the scarier side effects have occurred with you, we should test the drugs abilities out…” Feeling an odd sense of trust with her and almost a compliance of sorts in my lackadaisical and nonchalant new outlook, I only nodded back.

Acknowledging my acceptance, Jennifer then took my hands and helped me off the couch. It was oddly comforting in some strange way I couldn’t exactly place, but soon, we were both standing in the middle of the family room. “Okay,” she continued, “Here we go…” I just nodded happily and without a care in the world. So, when a punch came rocketing toward my face, I didn’t see it coming, or at least not on a conscious level as I might normally have. Apparently though, my brain did and acted for me.

As if I was being manipulated like a puppet by an outside source, my body almost seemed to take over and both dodge and block her punch for good measure. If I was in a different state of mind, I might have reacted violently and almost as if she had just betrayed me. Punching her back would have definitely been a possibility. Instead, I just returned to my position and awaited her next move as if what she had just done had never happened.

“Good,” she said surprisingly. “Your instincts kicked in when they sensed danger, but you only made moves to defend yourself. You may get the ability to attack back over time in those more dangerous scenarios and you will absolutely be able to respond back instead of what you just did like some automaton. For now, though, I’m glad that part of you is still intact and can keep you safe in most situations like those. I’m hoping physical confrontations won’t be a part of your life here, but I’m sure that it’s a relief to you on some level at least.”

I knew she was right of course, but I still wanted to snap back with a snarky comment, or at least one of annoyance. Instead, I just almost sang out an “Okay!” which I immediately despised.

Jennifer grinned at my cheery outburst and then thought for a moment. “Let’s see… you have the important part intact to still defend yourself, controlled or not, but we need to see just how far that goes in other scenarios…” She then grimaced for a moment, and I was worried about what was to come. It turns out, I didn’t have to wait long. Seconds later, she suddenly scowled and shoved my backward.

This time, instead of moving out of the way, my body just remained frozen in place until she made contact with my chest. As a result, I ended up on my butt and staring back up at her with wide, hurt, and mistrusting eyes. I thought the test would be over with that single action, but Jennifer had other plans.

“Watch where you’re going, you stupid Little. Geez! Didn’t your mommy ever teach you good manners… or maybe you’re not even mature enough, huh? I bet you go pee-pee in your pants all day long,” she mocked, the words seeming to penetrate my very now seemingly fragile soul. Oddly enough, I felt a lump form at the back of my throat. “I know I’m right,” she continued. “All you Littles are just destined for diapers. Probably wearing one right now too! That’s so disgusting, but it’s just proper for any good Little these days.” A wicked smile then grew across her face and fear began to creep into every part of my being, so much so, that I even began to wiggle away from her with my new nearly automated and instinctual movements.

“Yes… all you Littles belong in diapers… I want you to go pee-pee in your pants right now.” My eyes bulged out and I looked down at my butterfly-embroidered jeans and then back up at her with pleading eyes. My lower lip even began to tremble. “Do it! Do it now or you’ll get the spanking of your life!”

With that, my drugged-up resolve crumbled to dust. “Please, Miss Jenn! Oh please, oh please don’t make me do that! I’m a good girl! I promise!” My lower lip began to tremble more, and I could feel the tears begin to flow freely from my eyes without any further prompting. “I… I… please. I’m a good girl… I’m a good girl!” I began rocking back and forth and hugged my knees I guess in some way to self-comfort myself. I felt outside of my body once more. It was me, but not me. I was upset internally for sure by the turn of events that had just suddenly occurred to me, but not to the point of tears on any normal day. What had happened didn’t warrant my tears, but they still flowed freely down my cheeks anyways from the effect of the drugs. I guess that was enough for Jennifer to see though.

Her previously tough demeanor then broke too, and her face instantly became awash with regret and sadness. In seconds, she was on the floor and hugging my form about as tightly as she could. “Oh, Megan! I’m so sorry! I needed to see if you would fight back or not, but I didn’t expect that type of reaction. Oh, please don’t cry. Please forgive me.”

The drugs were powerful as I was quickly finding out, and my body was still clearly racked with too much emotion to respond, so I made the conscious effort to at least nod my head at her sign of pleading. With some modicum of control back now, a conscious movement never felt so good, but I then looked at the saddened and apologetic Big in front of me.

Here, sitting at my feet and hugging me closely, was Jennifer, the seasoned ABI agent. She was a consummate professional and perfectly tasked with the role she had been given on this mission from the dossier I had read on her this morning, but I could also now see Jennifer the woman, the caring and loving person, come through now. I had seen it at breakfast and whenever she had apologized to me before, but now, she wasn’t even on drugs herself and acting in a way that I might have never expected from a Big. This reaction though, her hugging, her pleading for me to be okay… was legitimate.

So, when she bundled me up in her arms and walked me back over to the couch to cuddle with my drug-addled body further to calm me down, I wasn’t shocked, but I was still curious. If nothing else, she was going to be my partner in all this mess, so I wanted to know her beyond just what I had read. I didn’t know her favorite foods, her favorite music, or even where she grew up, but now, I at least did know that she seemed to truthfully care about me, and on an assignment like this, that was most certainly enough to begin with.

The rest of the day and into the night continued much about the same. As the drug had a half life of at least eight hours, it was still in my system by the time dinner and bedtime rolled around. I wasn’t exactly a fan of the proceedings in the safety and security of my own house, but I was also comforted in the most surprising of ways with each activity.

During dinner, I had been fed food meant more for a toddler Little and had even been subjected to using a princess-themed fork to eat what amounted to spaghetti in front of me. My mouth was a bit of a mess by the end, and the sippy cup of juice that followed wasn’t ideal, but to my shock, I actually kind of liked the booster seat. Not a highchair, but it was enough to elevate me to see over the table and almost feel like an equal now to Jennifer. The device was for more regressed Littles admittedly with its colored plastic frame, but it was a more pleasant feeling to be on her level now, as opposed to the reaching actions that I had to endure at both breakfast and lunch earlier.

My bedtime routine about an hour later had also gone about the same. Jennifer helped me brush my teeth, wash my face, and even laid out my pajamas for the night. I wasn’t exactly thrilled with the seafoam green mermaid pajamas, but they were at least comfortable. Also, I did appreciate the step stool, despite the cutesy stars adorning it, that Jennifer provided to me so that I could use the sink more easily.

That being said, I did not like the training potty she had me practice on and the splatter of my business against the plastic instantly caused my cheeks to inflame, but I just had to remind myself that daycare would likely be worse and there were alternatives to relieving myself that I definitely knew I wouldn’t like. So, after all that, Jennifer tucked me in, turned on a moon-and-star nightlight and then left my room. I oddly felt like I wanted something more from her before she left but sleep soon overtook me.

I woke up the next morning and felt my mouth was as dry as I had ever felt it in my life. To my elation though, I noticed two things; first, I no longer felt the influence of the drug, and second, Jennifer had left a small glass of water on my bedside table. Relieved that my position was at least more normalized for the day, I quickly down the glass of water, showered once again, and then put on the clothes that Jennifer had laid out. The floral jersey top with an elastic neckline, the dark jeans with a touch of glitter on the thighs, and the purple and white sneakers wouldn’t have been my first choice by any means, but I also knew that we were going out today. In essence, and to better help me cope with what I was about to depart in, I just thought of it all as a form of stylized camouflage.

Like yesterday and downstairs, breakfast was scrumptious, and I gulped it all with greedy abandon. Jennifer only smiled at my reaction and said nothing about my acceptance of both the booster seat and smaller, but also themed, utensil I now wielded instead. I might have said something about the utensil myself at least but considering that I had almost dropped my food with the nearly footlong fork I had used yesterday, I didn’t want to take a chance with anything anymore.

I then went on to read a little of the materials that Jennifer had provided me yesterday, but an hour later, I saw Jennifer get up and walk over to me from her own research. “Alright, the sun is still shining so it shouldn’t be too cold out. You ready to go to the park now?”

I was not. At the same time though, a public outing was inevitable, and the video still played freely in my head. They say that practice makes perfect, so, with a reluctant sigh, I nodded my head. “Let’s just do this.”

Jennifer looked at me sympathetically and then pulled out a small metallic case from behind the L-shaped couch on the side that bumped up against the wall. “I understand that you are a little nervous, so let me help you out here.” She then opened the case after inputting a code and then scanning her thumbprint and revealed a whole assortment of high-tech gadgetry. “This… is what I requested from Reed. Most of this is for me, but I also wanted to let you know that I’m trying to see if I can work this stuff onto you in the daycare. For now,” she said as she began to pull out a small cord, “take this.”

I looked at the slim metallic cord that she was presenting to me. “What is it?”

“It’s a tracker for you.” She then clipped it around my wrist and pulled up a single electronic pad from the case and showed a glowing red dot on it. “See? That’s you now. The device is made from one of our densest alloys, so unless someone has the key to the lock in the rear, it won’t be coming off you anytime soon.”

I already felt a sense of relief. I would have liked to be asked first if I wanted to wear it, but the safety mechanism was a nice feature in the face of everything going on around here. “Thank you, Jennifer.” I then saw her wince as she injected something into her forearm. “What is that and why can’t I wear something like this to daycare?”

Jennifer brushed off the injection spot and put the injector back in the case before retrieving a few more items that she discreetly tucked around her body. “The little chip I just injected is my own tracker for back at ABI.” She paused and slipped something into the side of her sock. “You know there’s things they would do to me as well if I was ever discovered, right?” I did not in fact but remembering back to Officer Jake’s reaction to the threat from his captain, I wouldn’t doubt it. “Anyways, why you can’t have the chip or that bracelet in daycare is that both are powerful. Effective, but they would quickly be scanned the moment you walked in those doors.”

“Wouldn’t yours be as well?” I asked gesturing back to her forearm.

“Eh…” she wavered her hand about. “Some may ask, but there was a war that only ended a few decades back. A lot of Bigs got implanted with a whole bunch of hardware since then, particularly those now in the security field these days. With any luck, I won’t even be asked about it, but they could also just literally check my military record as well. Would only lead to answers or dead ends. So, at this point after they’ve vetted me, no one is going to poke further, and the ABI can always intervene if necessary. You being a Little though, only spies would have trackers like these.”

“Oh…” Jennifer nodded and without another word on the matter, stashed the container and then brought me my coat to wear outside. It was a pleasant blue-green pea coat, and I was just happy that it didn’t have any cartoon characters or unicorns on it. Jennifer then slipped on her own coat, but once again, pulled out a small metallic case and held it in front of me.

“Do you want to try the meds again going out in public for the first time?” she offered me, nicely without any agenda or malintent in her eyes or words.

I stared at the metallic case, but then I remembered the helplessness I had felt yesterday. My better judgement screamed to just take the pill and rely on Jennifer being close by for my protection, but my instincts as a cop ultimately won out. “Uh… no, thank you. I think I just want to go out as just me for now.” Jennifer nodded and was about to put the case on the table near the front door, but I quickly stopped her. “Uh, wait. Just in case… maybe bring it along?”

Jennifer only smiled back and quickly pocketed the case into her red purse. “Very well.” She then opened the door and smiled confidently and reassuringly at me. “Ready?” I still wasn’t but I just nodded and headed out into this strange new facility that was my home.

Outside, the wintery air nipped at my exposed face, and I wanted to plunge both hands into my pockets, but I knew I had a show to put on in front of the others as a new Little in this neighborhood. Holding hands wasn’t necessary at the preschool level as a Little, but it was still a nice gesture and would rouse the least number of suspicions. So, I reached out and grabbed the luxuriating warmth of Jennifer’s hand. Not saying a word, she just looked down at me and smiled before we both departed from the house as the front door automatically locked behind us.

The neighborhood we then walked through was pleasant and quiet in the cold days of that particular January. Our steps moved along the pale sidewalk, and we ambled our way down Maplewood Drive and toward a small park located a few blocks away. Despite my few months of living here already, I was still shocked over how massive even these more simplistic homes could be and even more awed over the even taller trees all around us as we entered the park.

Now, the park was more on the simple side compared to others that seemed to be common in this society, but it was still lovely, even in the colder months like we were experiencing on our first outing together. A circular path encircled the entire area as well as crisscrossing into the basin-like area in the middle. The few hills populated with trees on the periphery created a nice barrier against the outside world and the area in the center was filled with a peaceful pond, two sizes of playsets, a green field, and an area with picnic tables, each dividing the center space into four parts. For our purposes today, we headed over to the smaller of the two playsets.

Once finding a bench to read her book on, Jennifer sat down and ushered me over to the playset now before me. “Go on, sweetie,” she said loudly before then lowering her voice and pulling me in close to mess with my zipper. “Just look at me. Remember, I need to pretend to be your caregiver out here, so just go along with whatever I say. There aren’t many Littles here today, so just go out there and at least try to have some fun. It’s cold, so most will probably think any odd face you give will just be because of that for now at least.”

Her large hands continued to mess with my jacket and the buttons in the front, but I just nodded. “Thank you, Jennifer.”

She smiled reassuringly and after patting my hair down and giving one final tug of the front of my jacket, she raised her voice once more. “Perfect. Now, off you go and try to have some fun in the fresh air today.”

I nodded once more and went over to the playset. There, I busied myself mostly with climbing and just exploring everything in general. Most Littles today seemed to be with their caregiver and were leaving, were a little too young to be interacting with someone like me, or being taken away to the a nearby small bathroom for what I could only guess. While this did provide me a solid piece of time to just reflect and be happy in my own way by myself, it also meant that the playset was relatively empty. Not bad, but it provided a clear area of opportunity with the other Big children now playing on the other more crowded playset that was actually meant for them.

Now, Big children weren’t oddities by any means, but to reasons I still wasn’t entirely sure about, there didn’t appear to be many of them, but their sizes and strengths over most Littles still put them at an advantage. Today, while I was playing, a group of Big children soon spotted the relatively empty playground and began to come over. Unfortunately, I was still very much alone as they did so, so I made a prime target for their own bullying and childish amusement.

“Look at that, you guys. One of the Littles all alone!” the taller one said.

“She’s not even diapered though. You can see it… They’re no fun!” the fatter one said as he wiped his nose.

“That doesn’t matter to me,” the skinner one said, almost looking at me like some mangy wolf would at a lamb. “She’s a Little and that’s all that matters.”

I’m all about turning the other cheek, but this felt pretty harmless to defend against. “Please leave me alone. I just want to have a little fun today out here. Don’t you all have your own playset anyways?”

The three looked at each other and then grinned. “Yeah, we do,” the fatter one acknowledged at least.

“But,” the skinnier one began and emphasized, “you Littles are always so much more fun than a few swings or slides anyways.”

“So,” the taller one picked up, now standing squarely over me as I sat down on one the small merry-go-rounds, “the question is… what are you going to do about it, shrimp?”

I had to remind myself that they were just children. Stronger and taller than me for sure, but still children. I had to show that I was the adult here, so I stood up and tried to walk away. That was a mistake…

The fatter one blocked my escape quickly and I turned around. The skinnier one then rushed to my other side and blocked me there, but the taller one… I could see a playful menace in his eyes. Not malevolent necessarily, but enough of something evil there that it reminded me of a cat who had just caught its prey. I tried to worm myself out the of the circle of the three one more time, but each of them began shoving me around like some party favor. They began shouting and chanting things I couldn’t quite make out and I just tried to wear them out ultimately.

Before I could do that though, they all shouted, “Now!” In one coordinated effort, they then shoved me from only a single side now and I quickly fell backward into the open spot they had cleared just for this moment.

The three of them all began laughing at my clearly pained face. I knew instances like these could be common, especially after my briefing with Jennifer yesterday, but it was only my first hour out here and the fall had hurt a bit. I wasn’t expecting something like this at least until tomorrow after daycare, so the bullying occurring not even an hour after getting here was practically soul crushing. In fact, the only thing that even brought a little semblance of joy to my heart right now was that the daycare I was going to tomorrow was for Littles only. Likely to experiment on them in some shape or form, but still Little only and based on these Big children’s reaction to me, I was very thankful for any little thing I could muster.

“Stay down, Little,” the skinner one then warned as he even shook his finger down at me.

Despite my disheartened feelings about all this, there was another side that quickly began to regroup. I could quickly feel the heat rising in my face and my blood beginning to stir. My fist clenched and I readied to defend myself against these bullies once and for all. Hoping to use the element of surprise, I then begin to brace to stand up and show…

“Tommy! Bradley! Victor!” a woman cried from over by the other playset. “Lunch time! You all come on back now!”

Each sighed, glared at me, but then left without another word. They had their fun with me, the hapless Little, and probably even wanted more, but the woman was clearly in charge. As I got up, I saw her look at me in a way I couldn’t quite understand, but I also felt that she wasn’t an ally of mine… more just a mom wrangling three boys back up for food.

Jennifer and I had just eaten a late breakfast, so I wasn’t hungry, but I still wanted to speak to her to at least add distance between myself and those boys for the moment. She was still sitting on her nearby bench and had been reading her book, but she already saw me coming as I approached. “I’m very proud of you, Megan.”

Her praise was nice, but I still didn’t like why she was praising me exactly. “Those Big children… I…” I was still out in public, and I had to swat away my anger. I was successful at it but Jennifer was already beginning to learn my faces… particular my frustrated one, especially after a few of the lessons we had reviewed together yesterday about expectations of Littles when addressing Bigs.  

“I saw, Megan. I know it must have been difficult for you to do nothing, but here, it was probably for the best,” she whispered. “Unfortunately, you are technically at the Little age where other Big children know they can get a rise out of you and that you’re also old enough to not have a caregiver come in and rescue you in seconds flat.” She then grimaced a bit. “Some will still let that type of nonsense occur, but most caregivers don’t want anyone messing with their precious bundles of joy.”

I knew she was right, but I still didn’t like it. “So, basically, if I was younger here, then some things would be easier?”

Jennifer reluctantly nodded. “Yes, but before you go jumping into my arms and requesting that sort of protection, just know that other things come with it. Things like bibs, pacifiers… diapers.”

She let the notion hang in the air for a moment as all that processed in my head. I could tell she was joking overall, but I also knew that it was in her power for that to happen in a single moment. I was beginning to trust her, but all that… I shuddered to think about that as my possible future here if something should go wrong with the mission like it had for the rebel Little I had watched last night.

Jennifer probably saw the face I was giving off and chuckled quietly. “It’s okay, Megan. I swear I wouldn’t do that to you. In fact, I would probably try to talk you out of it in about 90% of situations.”

I wasn’t sure why it wasn’t 100%, but the 90% was still nice to hear out loud. “Thank you… uh, restroom?”

Jennifer only nodded and the two of us made our way over to a nearby two stall restroom facility. She quickly locked the door of one of the stall rooms and turned around while I did my business. I still hated that she was in here, but I just thought of her as a guard of sorts to help me get passed it… especially once I saw the oversized changing table nearby.

Once she went and we both finished washing our hands, we both just returned back to the bench. Once there, I then looked at her nearby purse she had now rested on top of the book she had been reading. “Uh, can I get the pill?”

Jennifer seemed a bit shocked at my request but then also nodded and retrieved the white pill quickly for me. “I admired your restraint, but those three are still here and I can see more Littles have arrived now in our absence. Might be for the best.”

I nodded and then quickly took the pill. “You know,” Jennifer continued as she set her purse back down, “if it helps, taking the pill could be considered an act of maturity in this case.” I looked at her a bit funny over that statement. “I know it sounds batty but consider that you are taking an option that will keep you safe. Perhaps in a way that you might not like but putting safety over other concerns and for the mission no less, does show a form of maturity.”

The pill was already starting to take effect, and even with its more subtle effect this time, I kind of just smiled and nodded happily over her statement. “Thank you, Jenn.”

I quickly realized I had never called her that, but Jennifer just seemed to take it in stride and much to the relief of my later possible embarrassment, made no comment about it. “You’re welcome, sweetie,” she said back at her normal volume. “If you need to potty again, just come and get me.”

Her statement still sent a rush of blood to my cheeks, even with the pill, but I just turned around and went back to the playset. This time, it wasn’t long before I was joined by several other Littles.

After my review of the brochure that Jennifer had handed me yesterday, I knew that several Little ages attended the daycare together. So, as I walked over to them, I saw an interesting array of who would likely be my fellow daycare attendees before me. Fortunately, they all just looked at me and quickly included me in their game of tag without question.

I didn’t bother learning any names, as part of the game was more to say, “Tag! You’re it!” than one-on-one social interaction, but I still found it interesting to view the players from my current mindset. My voice and body just played along and even giggled at some of the jokes and antics a few of them cracked, but my mind still catalogued each.

There were four others, and each seemed more worrying than the last. The first was a tall boy. Quiet and maybe even shy to a degree, but still mature in a way that the others didn’t seem to be anymore. The second was a girl like me, but she seemed to be sporting more colorful clothing with cartoon images on them and her pants certainly seemed thicker around her midsection. The third was more difficult to place and seemed to swing between being both a boy and girl Little. They were certainly dressed in a very princess-like glittery dress, but their face didn’t necessarily reflect that gender either. I didn’t really care one way or another, but it did make me curious if what was going on with them was their choice or not. Considering the Bigs and what I had seen on the video, nothing would really surprise me of what a Big might do to a Little.

Lastly, was a boy and there was no mistaking that, and he was the youngest and most concerning of all the Littles I was now playing with. Like the rebel leader from the video, he appeared to have some scarring around his body that poked out from his teddy bear romper. A pacifier swung about attached to the garment and rivulets of drool seemed to spiderweb off the infantile device. To top it off though, his eyes were also more scattered, but also like the third Little, a smell of something fetid wafted around whenever they approached. Knowing it was something that just came with being a Little sometimes, I just waved it off, particularly under the influence of the pill and just tried to avoid being tagged by them as per the rules of the game.

The playtime quickly passed the day along and I didn’t realize the sun had begun to dip behind some of the taller trees after a while. Jennifer and I had gotten a later start to our day, but I was still surprised when a few of the others began to leave.

“Megan!” I spun around and saw Jennifer begin walking up to me from her place on the bench. “It’s time to go home for dinner!”

It was a shock of the lateness of it all, but I just swung last round and then said goodbye to the more mature boy that I had been swinging with since the youngest boy had left, and our game of tag had ended. I soon approached Megan and she only beamed down at me and took my eagerly outstretched hand.

“Have a good time today?” she asked with joy.

I nodded my head. “Uh huh! Didn’t learn names, but they were all really cool! I hope I see them again in daycare tomorrow!”

Jennifer grinned and nodded her head as we neared the exit to the park. “I’m sure you will, honey.” Once we were more or less out of sight of any others, she seemed to feel more comfortable but then still whispered more quietly to me. “You know, you actually seemed to have a really nice time out there playing tag and then swinging afterward. If I didn’t know any better, I might have even thought that you would have enjoyed it all even without the pill.”

Her words landed on me as a realization that hadn’t formed until she had told it to me. While my outer form only happily nodded and spouted, “It was super duper fun!” my inner form also pondered her notion further to me.

On one hand, I was a cop from New York City, and I was on this assignment and in this place now with Jennifer to complete a specific task in order to potentially save all this and everyone here from a dimensional collapse. It was mature, orderly, and just the right thing to do, but I also felt a pull of something else.

While I was playing tag with the other Littles, I was having fun. I was enjoying myself at an activity that was just for my pure entertainment. Any other time, I might have felt sour about it all and the effect of the pill, but the person inside of me who had just come from a land of burnt-out or severely dilapidated public parks, today was maybe even a dream come true.

With the downfall of our society in my teens, I remembered the carefree days, the green of the grass, and the cleanliness of the air. It was all basically just a distant memory now, but it still stuck with me, so being here in all this, for just a moment, I let go of the assignment and just had what even my outer drugged form had told Jennifer; I had fun… super-duper fun even.

I wanted to be ashamed of losing track of the mission, but I couldn’t do that to myself and to the person who longed for the days of grass and sunny days outside. So, as we rounded the corner and began walking down Maplewood Drive once more, I began to ponder just what it all meant. I was a Little, but today, I was a true Little and played tag next to a playset. I had swung on swings and even giggled at jokes that diaper wearers made… and I didn’t care. The drugs could give me an easy way out for why I did it, but as I thought about it more and started to spy the Bigs around me on the block, I realized I had to switch gears.

Despite my fun, I could only worry more about what that meant for my future rather than the why of today, no matter how much it seemed to have warmed my soul. After all, tomorrow was daycare, and if I had learned anything here, I needed to go in there with a full and sound head… not one frolicking about and having fun with a bunch of Littles. Otherwise, as I began to be viewed by many of the Bigs we passed on our way home who looked at me like a prize to be won, all this would be over before it ever even really began.

[Guilend]

I like Jennifer. She's great. I'm glad she's able to control herself the way she does. I don't think the way she acted once the testing was done to console Magen would be seen in a good way to the general public, and they're far from the general public, these people here are probably worse. I expect, generally speaking, most that work there are probably the worst their society has to offer, considering what they're actually doing to Littles there. 

That was a great way to start the bonding process. It's good it started before going out into public. That way at least Magen would be able to trust her enough to survive if anything had gone wrong or worse then it had. 

I have a feeling that Jennifer not putting her diapers or even thick pull ups might draw a bit of heat from the other parents or others that work there. I'm sure at some point, probably by the end of the week, one of the mothers will be elected to have a talk with Jennifer about her parenting style. 

I'm betting the mothers there probably have some sort of mommy group that unofficially runs things outside of work. Like setting up play parties or events for them to get together, gossip and let the Littles play and of course to show of to the others of how much better they are. There's probably even a hierarchy with the more powerful and richest at the top that everyone is supposed to marvel at and wish they were more like. 

I can't wait for more and to see the daycare and maybe even see if Jennifer ever elaborates on the things they'd do to her without it actually happening. I have a feeling that things will go sideways, but before all is lost the calvary will sweep in and save them lol.

I'm still not sure if Magen will go back to her dimension once everything is done. The only thing she could hope for back there is being part of the group that helps fix their society with the help of the Bigs which is great, but on a personal level she might not be fulfilled and there's plenty of people over there to do the job. So maybe she stays back and becomes like (I can't spell it lol) the go between if you will, between dimensions. She'll definitely have options to consider later.

[LostBBoyBear]

Sorry for another late posting, but I’ve really just been trying to crank these chapters out and edit them as much as I can. I’ll try to post another chapter a little earlier tomorrow, but for now, I can at least guarantee another posting if nothing else.

Looking forward, I also just wanted to let you all know that I will not post anything from 07 December to 14 December at minimum. I’m actually going away to someplace really fun that I know most of you in this community would probably be jealous of, but for now, let’s just say I’m ensuring my ears are perky for one place and my robes are dusted off for another.

Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this next chapter!

Chapter 10: Real World Applications  

My thoughts of doom, however, were just that for now at least. Jennifer had quickly noticed my weary face and tried all in her power to make me smile once more. This often came in the form of somewhat endearing distractions and as I was still on the drugs I had requested at the park, my attitude veered toward the more unstable. While this could mean I got more frustratingly pouty when I lost at a board game, my elation was just as fast when I saw a steaming pile of chicken nuggets laid out before me for dinner that night. Bedtime also followed what almost seemed to be becoming a routine for Jennifer and me, and then soon, my eyes fluttered closed as I curled up in my bed and drifted off.

The next morning then became something that I was not entirely prepared for, rushing. The previous two mornings were calm, pleasant, and coordinated to some degree, but today, Jennifer and I were about to embark on both of our first days, her at her new cover security job and mine at daycare. Both seemed perfectly normal on the outside but given the reason we were here in the first place; they were also far from normal as well.

“Grab your shoes by the front door,” Jennifer hurriedly noted as I finished gulping down my delicious spot of oatmeal in my booster seat. “You chucked them off last night while we had our little dance off, or you can opt for the fuzzy boots next to them instead.”

I nodded but paused for a moment in front of Jennifer as she began to load up her bag with a few items I didn’t recognize, presumably for her job, secretive or the cover one. “Is my outfit okay, do you think?” I asked, staring down at what I had chosen for my first day. Wanting to maintain an ounce of dignity in my clothing option without seeming too mature, I had opted for some black leggings and an off-white sweater dress. It had a few patterned stripes, polka dots, and what I assumed were little gnomes around the bottom. Seeing them now though, I groaned a bit as I realized they were a bunch of playing Littles around the hem of the at least comfortable dress.

Jennifer stopped what she was doing and looked over at me and just smiled. “I think you look really nice, Megan. In fact,” she then reached into her bag and pulled out what I could only assume to be a camera, “how about we do this by the book and get you a picture on your first day of daycare?”

I really didn’t want to commemorate it, but I also knew that most caregivers probably did it with their Littles on their first days, so it might look odd if we didn’t. “Okay… but you get a photo too.”

Jennifer nodded. “Deal, but just put your shoes on first before we take the photo.”

I quickly complied and opted for the fur-lined boots instead. I thought they would look a little nicer with the look I was going for, but also because they slipped on my feet instead of strapping or lacing on like my normal shoes did. If I was going to daycare, I wanted to limit the number of times a worker there would offer to help me out. I could only maintain my independence for so long without raising suspicion, so I knew I needed to choose my moves carefully.

After a few shuffles from the both of us, we then each took the other’s photo. Of course, Jennifer opted for a more formal pose while I, thinking like the Little that I was supposed to be pretending to be, shouldered my backpack and gave a big cheesy grin at the camera. While she didn’t make any comment, except “Perfect” after taking the photo, I could still see a little glimmer in Jennifer’s eye. I did trust her to maintain our boundaries, but even I had to admit to myself that I came across as a really cute Little when I wanted to be. Ego boost aside, I knew it was something that I would have to keep an eye on in the coming days.

Satisfied, we both then loaded into the car that I had seen in the driveway previously and I briefly marveled at the electric capabilities and range on it for a moment that I had seen as advertised on TV, but time was still a factor, so I then submitted and sat in my provided booster seat in the rear. In truth, this version only seemed a step away from a car seat, but I just accepted the raised seating and backing and the nicely provided arm rests without a fuss. Knowing my day ahead and that we were now in public, I justified my inaction in the likely need to save my energy for the other struggles I could encounter.

Soon, the car sped away and only minutes later pulled up to an oddly rectangular building. The rest of the town had adopted a quainter style that could almost be a cliché of any small-town atmosphere, but this building looked more like a converted office building than the daycare that it claimed to be. Of course, the Bigs had dressed the outside up a bit with different colored frames around the windows and a large outdoor and cartoon-like mural painted onto one of the otherwise blank walls, but it still felt odd. Almost welcoming in one way, and yet clinical and foreboding in another.

Jennifer then parked and ushered me toward the building after quickly slipping me my pill. We had briefly gone over emergency protocols for me in the car ride over here, but they all basically boiled down to two things; don’t get in trouble and don’t be afraid to get a Big’s help because that’s just expected. So, with a sign of resignation, I downed the pill and entered the building where I would now spend most of my coming days.

Entering inside, there was a small foyer of sorts, and the front desk was stationed by a single and tall woman. Upon seeing us, she opened the sliding glass that enclosed her working space and leaned forward. It was then that I also noticed that the whole front was closed from the rest of the building by a near solid polka dotted wall that barred any entrance, or escape. “Welcome to Happy Littles Daycare!” she beamed. “How can I help you all this wonderful morning?”

I almost threw up from her overly saccharine voice and from my disbelief of the name of this place. I rolled my eyes as if this place was almost trying too hard to make Littles feel welcome here and tuned the daycare worker and Jennifer out momentarily. I tried to prepare myself for what was to come, but my readiness also soon seemed to be a bit too intense.

“Megan, sweetie,” Jennifer said, interrupting my thoughts suddenly as she slightly shook me.

I looked up and both Jennifer and the lady were just staring at me. “Huh? Oh… uh, I was looking at all the pretty dots,” I lied. “Sorry…” With the more control I felt now with my third dose, I could feel the power mostly return to me for what I said and did now. It posed a potential risk, but I quickly put it out of my mind and just tried to calm my frazzled mind down.

Both women just laughed good humoredly at my response. “That’s okay,” Jennifer reassured me. “They are very pretty but try to keep focused next time.” She then gestured to the woman behind the front desk. “As I was saying, Miss Ginny here is going to take you inside now, okay?”

I looked over at the college-aged looking Big woman before me, sporting a cheery smile and a single dirty blonde ponytail. She then gave me a tiny wave. “Hey there, Megan.” She then left the front desk and opened the single door into the main part of the daycare. Without skipping a beat, she then bent down and smiled warmly at me. “I really like your dress. Did you pick that out yourself?”

“She sure did!” Jennifer exclaimed from above us. Miss Ginny only nodded at my caregiver’s response, but then just quickly looked back at me squarely.

“I’m going to take you inside now, so we need to say goodbye to…” she then seemed to hesitate over what to call Jennifer for a moment, “uh, Jennifer here. I promise that you’ll see her again real soon.”

I nodded and Jennifer quickly kneeled before me. I wasn’t sure if she was expecting it or not, but my drug induced state took over for me… well, mostly. As Jennifer and I shared a hug, I knew the drug was doing part of the driving of my body, but I knew there was another part of me as well that also needed that hug just as equally. The images of the video had popped into my head as I recognized the same daycare that I was about to enter and had set my teeth on edge. A hug may have been the admittedly more Little thing to do, but I needed a little extra boost of comfort and security for what I was about to partake in.

After a moment, Jennifer then gingerly peeled me off her and moved a single lock of hair out of my face. “I guess we forgot to do your hair this morning. Maybe someone inside will help you with that, but I need to go to work now, sweetie.” She then stood up and directed me toward Miss Ginny. “You just follow what Miss Ginny here and the other workers tell you to do, and before you know it, you’ll be fine, and I’ll see you again really soon.”

I then waved back at Jennifer as she soon exited the building without much more fanfare other than flash a reassuring smile and wave back at me. I wasn’t sure if it was just the drugs in my system or a genuine feeling, but I could feel fear begin to creep into my mind once more. As likely intended though, Jennifer’s words had given me an extra boost to my confidence, having served both my cover Little side and the cop still present within me. Still, the daycare and Miss Ginny loomed large, and I knew that backup of any kind now wouldn’t be guaranteed. So, effectively, I was now all alone.

Once Jennifer was out of sight, Miss Ginny then smiled down at me. “Okay, Megan. Just follow me.” She then outstretched her hand, clearly wanting me to take it. The drugs combined with the training and preparation Jennifer had given me allowed me to easily grasp it without question though and then follow her through the door she now held aloft.

Now, I guess I should have expected anything, but the daycare before me that I saw was in a word, chaos. All the Littles seemed to coexist with one another, but it was anything but peaceable. It felt wrong somehow, but I also remembered a few things about this new environment that I was entering. First, it was for the personnel who lived here rather than a generalized daycare, and so therefore perhaps a little smaller and less commercialized and mainstreamed. Secondly, it was a daycare and not a school or even really a preschool for that matter, so separating the groups out may have just been a hassle in the end. Thirdly, as they were all Littles and not actually progressing children, milestones were less concrete in their perceived ages, so while a more mentally sound Little could have trouble walking, another perfectly coordinated Little could have trouble with their ABC’s. Then finally, and probably most disturbingly, I wondered if the lack of separation of levels of Littles here was more for the fact that these Littles current ages were only predicted to dwindle during their stay here.

They were all thoughts that I really didn’t want to dwell on at the time, so I was just glad the meds began to take root further in my mind once more. So, as before, my mind also began to seemingly and kindly float away into a land of happiness and innocence. While I could have feared that reaction, I knew it would only serve me well with so many Littles, I basically just leaned into it for the time being and used it as a crutch to bolster up my outward confidence. As all this was happening, Miss Ginny then bent down and smiled at me.

“Okay, sweetie. This is the main area of the daycare. There are other rooms, but this large place is usually where we have most of our fun. Isn’t it so exciting that you’re about to begin all that and meet so many new friends?” I only wordlessly nodded with a smile on my face and Miss Ginny seemed satisfied with that at least. “Wonderful. Now, let me take your backpack and coat there and you get all settled in here. Most of our Littles have already arrived, but feel free to do what you want for the first part of today. Because of a… incident, a few of our usual workers are absent unfortunately so our usual routine will just be a little freer today in the beginning at least.”

I desperately wanted to know what the incident was, but I still didn’t know Miss Ginny that well, so I wasn’t sure if I could rely on her as a source of information and her not rat me out later as well for being too inquisitive for a preschool level Little. “Thank you, Miss Ginny,” I said with an ever-present smile on my face. At this point, I felt the drugs were more protecting me with the smile as a mask of sorts instead of showing my true, more apprehensive face.

“Aww. You’re very welcome sweetie.” She then took my bag and coat, and then gave me a little light tap on my shoulders from behind. “Now, off you go and just try and have some fun today!”

I eagerly obeyed and left her sight as quickly as I could. I suspected the drugged part of me wished to just have fun, but my inner mature side just wanted to get away from the Big. Trust had to be earned in these situations and being a Big, not that I’m prejudiced against them or anything, but I felt that exercising an excess amount of caution around them was just good practice at this point.

Looking around, as Miss Ginny had informed me, the entire playroom seemed to be a buzz with mostly free-flowing Littles. Order to all the mess I could see seemed to be the last thing on anyone’s mind now, but I quickly used it to begin to observe my surroundings. From what I saw, my surroundings weren’t good for what I knew I may have to do here.

Of the entire room, only a few doors actually left the area, and one was to the outside area, and another was back to the front entrance. I also noted that Miss Ginny, or whoever was helming the front desk at the time could easily watch over everyone from their perch on this side of the glass and wall, as well as intervene quickly… a fact I discovered when she pulled two Littles off each other as they fought for the possession of a single teddy bear. Lastly, and most concerningly, I saw a host of security cameras pointed at each of the doors and major groupings in the play area, like the reading nook I had recently taken to.

So, for the next few hours by my estimation, I just tried to make more observations if I could of my current situation, while also looking somewhat nonchalant about it all as I would occasionally glance down at the open book in my hands. It was a nice setup, but like experienced workers though, the three caretakers working today knew that we Littles needed to burn off some energy before things devolved into even more chaos than before. So, not long after I had used the restroom by myself thankfully, each of us Littles was then bundled back into our coats and set off for the large play space and playset in the outdoor fenced-in area.

The wind nipped at my face, and I tried to stay alone, but my efforts only seemed to be causing more of the workers to observe me even more closely. Being outside, I then realized that other or previous single Littles out here could be using the time to plot escapes or even tunnel under the fence. I knew it was folly to even attempt all that, but to them, I was just the new Little here. Untested… dangerous even. So, not wanting to draw attention to myself on the first day, I soon found the group I had met with yesterday at the playground.

Once again, my presence just seemed to be accepted, but I also noticed this time that a few of the members seemed to be eyeing me more closely. Not out of malice from what I could see, but of genuine curiosity. Still, they had obviously acclimated more to this life than I had, and so when they talked about their favorite cartoon character or the consistency of a new brand of pudding, I was a little out of my element still, despite the research and training I had done previously with Jennifer.

After more time outside though, we were all then called in, and to my surprise and delight with the time passing quickly, the workers then announced that it was lunch time. “Everyone should be really excited today! It’s Experiment Day!” a glasses-wearing and stern woman then spoke up to everyone. To my surprise, a cheer soon went up. “That’s what I like to hear! Now, no shoving and each of you will get your turn. Understand?”

“Yes Mrs. Harrington!” everyone seemed to shout in unison except me.  

It all piqued my curiosity, and my fear a little, so I quickly leaned over to the Little woman looking about my age, and asked, “I don’t get it… does experiment day make lunch tasty or something?”

She then giggled a bit. “I forget you’re the new girl. It’s testing day, silly.” I still looked at her questioningly. “Oh… you must be really new then.” I only nodded my head, still not completely convinced my words wouldn’t give me away quite yet. “That’s okay. You can stick with me, new girl. I’m Kelsey.”

“Megan,” I replied quickly with a smile on my face. From what I had seen so far at both the playground yesterday and just now outside, Kelsey seemed to be one of the Littles around here who had taken a shine to me the most. We also felt similarly aged in our Little roles, which was perfect, as she wasn’t too old to raise suspicions about myself but also wasn’t too young where I could see it being a problem truly connecting as equals… like the younger Little now sitting by our feet.

“Harry!” the Little shouted, a few spit bubbles spraying out as he did so.

“Watch it, Harry,” Kelsey said with some annoyance as she wiped off her own t-shirt.

“Sowwy…” he said blushing a little bit.

Kelsey sighed. “It’s okay. Just try and be a little more careful where you shout next time.” She then turned back to me. “Megan… this is Harry… he likes new people so just watch out that you don’t accidentally trip over him if he starts following you around.”

I nodded over the advice and looked back down at the Little. His scars showed again in the areas not covered up by his bulky gray and white clothing and part of his shirt even seemed damp that didn’t take a genius to figure out that it was from the persistent drool hanging down from his chin. Whatever was happening here, Harry could have a unique and advanced perspective on it all, so I leaned down and decided to indulge him a bit. “Hello, Harry. I’m Megan. Do you know what experiment day is?”

“Hiya Megan! And oh yeah! I knows what dat is!” he cried out, a few more spittle’s flying out. “Esperimen’ day is when dey give us new foods. They’re super yummy too so it’s the bestest ever!”

I could hear Kelsey groan a bit and I straightened myself back up and looked at her questioningly. “You disagree?”

Kelsey looked a little hesitant to answer, but then lowered her voice. “Some are fine. Things like the occasional new Little product experiment is fun, and even the new chocolate pudding we were all talking about was pretty amazing admittedly.”

“It was super tasty!” Harry added without lowering his volume.

“Right,” Kelsey acknowledged, still lowering her voice, “but others… call me picky but kale, beet roots, and something they call Milo juice, don’t mix well… especially in the paste they served us that time.”

I shuddered a bit, but again, I couldn’t be sure if it was my drugged Little side or my pickier adult persona underneath shining through. A meal was a meal back home after everything our society went through, but I was still human after all, and I had my favorites and dislikes just like everyone else. “That sounds…”

“You don’t need to say it,” Kelsey said quickly. “The less we talk about that… experiment, the better.”

“Fair enough…” The three of us then waited for our turns to be called up to eat through one of the doors that turned out actually had led to a small dining facility with an attached kitchen. While every Little could probably fit in here at once, today, they had divided the group into two, both with about an equal number of Littles using the smaller tables, like Kelsey and I sat at, or the highchairs, where Harry sat.

Fortunately for all of us, today’s experiment seemed to only be testing out the possibility of a new multi-fruit juice. So, each of us got our usual lunches and then a container of some kind of the juice and one of the normal kind of juice. To be frank though, I was just proud that I had been deemed mature enough for a cup, plastic and unicorn-themed, but a cup, nonetheless.

After lunch ended, the next group was brought in and I saw a few of the younger Littles exiting with their sippy cups or bottles, as I now saw Harry carrying. “That wasn’t too bad, huh?” I then asked Kelsey and the now noisily sucking Harry.

“No…” Kelsey answered, but also with a little grimace. “That’s not all for today at least…” I looked at her questioningly. “You don’t know this, and they don’t advertise it at all, but they also take us for testing every Monday like clockwork.”

My heart sped up and my stomach got a little queasy. “Testing? As in…?” I could my stomach plummet to the ground as I quickly thought of the video with the rebel Little leader.

Kelsey let out a tiny giggle. “No, no… nothing like that. Relax, Megan. They just ask us a bunch of questions.”

I quickly let out a huge breath of air I didn’t even realize I had been holding in. “That’s a relief, but why the long face then? Is there something else I don’t know about with it?” From Kelsey’s face, I knew there was, and I quickly felt guilty for even asking about something that made her clearly uncomfortable. “Sorry… we don’t have to tal…”

“No,” Kelsey spoke up, “It’s okay. They just ask… personal questions… questions that make you think a lot about everything… like why we’re even being asked them over and over again each week… it’s like…” She then looked down at Harry whose eyes seemed to be glazing over now a tiny bit. She then leaned over to me and whispered. “Like they’re just waiting for us to become like Harry.” I nodded and the conversation soon dropped after that.

While we waited for our testing to begin today, Kelsey, and to some degree, Harry, and I began to get to know each other. It turns out that Kelsey had also grown up in the city but had moved away when she was a teen after the Big abductions of Littles began to happen more and more. For my part, when she asked, I just recited my practiced lines and was only grateful that I could still include my time in the city of New Eboracum, this dimensions name for the Big Apple. I still liked the name of New York so much better, but I was just grateful that Kelsey and I began to slowly bond more. With all that was going on, a new friend in all this started to feel really nice.

Finally, they began to call each of us back in groups of five. Kelsey, Harry, and I were all ushered back as part of the same group, but then were quickly separated into our own rooms. The door slammed behind me, and I immediately felt like I was back in the interrogation room with Officer Jake or Amy once more.

A mid 50’s Big in a lab coat sat across from a metallic desk that I could see was adorned with various implements that all seemed to match more with a daycare than an interrogation room instead. Before I could think of it all any further though, the man then gestured to the seat in front of him on the other side of the table. “Please, take a seat.”

I could feel my heart thud inside my chest, but my legs soon shakily walked over to the offered seat. I could see there was a booster already in place, but not seeing any other option, I then hopped up into the seat without much difficulty.

The next few minutes then ticked by, and the Big man only continued to write more notes on his clipboard. Finally, my rapid pulse and nervous thoughts couldn’t take it anymore. “Is there… I don’t know… a test or something I need be taking right now?”

The man smiled and lowered his clipboard. “Right… you’re new here. Explains why no previous recordings.” He then cleared his throat. “Well, Megan, my name is Dr. Orgill, and to answer your question, the test has already started.”

My mind tried to think back to how the test could have started but then I remembered getting into the booster seat beforehand, and then, as if to confirm my suspicions, Dr. Orgill then shuffled the toys and other babyish implements to one side of the table. “Now then,” he said bringing his clipboard back up and clicking his pen once, “how often do you pee per day?”

My heart sank at that terrible start to the questions, but I then began to answer each of those that the doctor laid out for me. The first few were actually about the juice at lunch, but that’s where my assumptions of what was going to be asked ended. Soon, some of the questions were just more innocent seeming, like what my favorite color was… robin’s blue, but others tended to veer more towards the types that I might have suspected with an assignment like this, such as what I thought of diapers or stuffed animals. To be honest, I think only the pill that I had taken earlier kept me from responding with “I’m an adult and I never think about them, you idiot,” and instead replied with the more agreeable, “I haven’t thought about them except when I see my friends with them.” It might have been a small difference, but from his relaxed and pleasant expression afterward, I felt that I gave an acceptable answer.

The test soon concluded though, and I exited back out the way I came. Already, Kelsey and Harry were out there waiting for me and soon waved me over to a spot that had two thick pillows and a single large colorful blanket. “That was… interesting…”

“Told you so…” Kelsey noted as she patted the ground in front of one of the pillows for me to sit.

“I thought it was fun!” Harry exclaimed happily. I smiled at his younger reaction, but I only saw a look of concern grow on Kelsey’s face. I was confused at first, but then I remembered the various parts of the test… if my responses were a ‘pass,’ Harry’s responses were a… I then looked over at a growing crowd of the doctors exiting out the door I had just exited myself.

I quickly spotted Dr. Orgill, but I didn’t recognize the rest. Still, Dr. Orgill and three of the others seemed pleased. The fifth, however, seemed more concerned and just solemnly nodded his head. The five then looked back over in our direction and I quickly snapped my head away, but if Dr. Orgill was pleased and Kelsey seemed like me… I realized they were likely looking at Harry.   

My thoughts didn’t linger long though, as the lights suddenly dimmed. Mrs. Harrington then stepped in front of the screen. “Now, Mrs. Louder normally does this, but I expect each of you to be on your best behavior and stay quiet during this time. Any yelling will be quickly dealt with.” I then saw almost every Little rapidly nod their heads and I was rapidly getting the opinion that Mrs. Harrington was not a person to mess with here.

The movie popped up though before I could think too much more about it. It was an animated film about a dancing princess and a singing horse, and it was at least entertaining to some degree. That being said, I also noticed that other Littles were soon being taken away, and based on their clothing, the younger of the group.

“Relax,” Kelsey whispered. “They’re just going for their naps in the other room. This is quiet time, so to keep the rest of us calmer, we watch a movie usually.”

“Oh…” As if to confirm her explanation almost immediately, Harry began to drift off against me. It was actually very cute to see but Miss Ginny soon came and collected him and entered another room where all the others had gone. She was starting to seem like the better worker here to befriend, but once again, my thoughts were soon interrupted.

“Come on, Erin. It’s time to go with these lovely doctors,” Mrs. Harrington said as she hoisted another Little from nearby up and out of the crowd.

“No! Pwease don’ make me go! I’ll be good!” she cried. “No masheen! No gwo-up! I too widdle!” From her looks alone, not even including her broken speech, I could quickly tell that she could likely be classified as even younger than Harry. Her pink onesie did little to hide the bulk of her diapers and her thrashing about only seemed to be weak and uncoordinated, causing the tiny sewn-in tutu to flap about more than to truly affect her captor Mrs. Harrington. It didn’t take me long to realize that she wasn’t headed for a nap like the others had been. ‘She was the one they were looking at! Not Harry!’

“Shhh, shhh,” Mrs. Harrington cooed at the distressed Little, but Erin refused to calm down. “Here you go, baby.” She then popped a pacifier directly into her mouth and Erin’s cries were quickly subdued. Seemingly satisfied, Mrs. Harrington began to walk her away and toward the awaiting group of doctors through one of the open doors to the rear of the room.

Knowing the time and the fact that the pill might have been wearing off a little, my body popped up a bit to go after them as the cop in me surged through. A hand, however, then firmly grasped my shoulder and pulled me back down. I quickly snapped back. It was Kelsey.

“Stop, Megan. It’s too late for Erin. That pacifier’s been drugged. She’s not the first and certainly won’t be the last, but she’s gone…” I had so many questions now and so few answers, but the grave look on Kelsey’s face told me not to push it and just accept what had happened to my fellow Little, so with a degree of sadness, I only nodded and eased up. With a sympathetic and resigned smile, Kelsey then held up the blanket that was now covering her legs. “Wanna share?”

I hated to just give up on an obviously distressed person, but the door where she had been taken into had just closed anyways. Now, from what Kelsey’s wording seemed to imply, Erin would just become another lost Little in the system and based on the lack of reaction by most in this room currently, it wasn’t a rare circumstance around here. For the record though, I wanted to know, but for now, I could do nothing, so I just accepted the comforting gesture from my new friend.

Once the movie was over, I was relieved to see Harry again and the three of us just talked and played aimlessly for the next hour or so until our caregivers began to pick us up. To my relief, Jennifer soon showed up and I needed no prompting to soon fling myself into her arms once I was through the door.  

Jennifer and Miss Ginny only chuckled at my reaction to seeing my caregiver here. “Well, I’m glad to see you too, sweetie. Did you have a good day?” Jennifer asked down at me while stroking my hair back in a calming manner.

During the movie, I could begin to feel the drugs wearing off and the burden of the day were catching up to me and my overall demeanor. Already now, I could feel myself acting more than just naturally reacting to stimulus around me as I had done before. The hug was honestly genuine, but I now worried that something in my words could also give me away by now. So, without much more thought on the subject, I then just buried myself further into Jennifer’s legs.

“Awww,’ Miss Ginny cooed over my likely incorrectly perceived gesture. “I think someone missed you, but also, that’s just to be expected on her first day here. We’ll take good care of her here, and soon, she won’t even want to leave this place.”

At that moment, despite her nodding, I think Jennifer was catching on, or at least still playing her role, and therefore then picked me up and cradled my tiny form against her strong body. I knew we were supposed to be partners on some level, but there was a part of me that couldn’t deny the wonderful and safe feeling that I had while I was in her arms. After seeing the terrified and then silenced Erin be taken away to the doctors… it was a feeling I craved desperately.

Thankfully, without another word, Jennifer then collected my bag and made sure my coat was all snug before waving goodbye to Miss Ginny and exiting out the front door. For appearances sake, I gave her a tiny wave as well. I knew full well that I had to keep up my cover, but I also wanted to see if I could gain her as an ally of sorts. As a Big working for the daycare, I wasn’t sure just how much I could trust her with some aspects, but having a friend who worked where I would be spending so much of my time only seemed to be a positive.

Soon, outside in the car, Jennifer quickly buckled me back into my booster seat and turned on the car before heading back home. I guess I was too focused on my day to speak first, so Jennifer soon took the initiative. “So, really… how was your day?”

Her question was so simple and routine, but for the life of me, I wasn’t sure how to answer it. I could tell her the truth about experiments, testing, questions, and a seemingly abducted Little, but I wasn’t sure if those were the types of things she wanted to know. As a transportation van pulled in front of us and then began to head toward the research facility, I tried to think of just how to answer my caregiver and partner in this truly messed up maze of a tale. Still, all I knew though, was that today was day one of a more thorough search, and if it was any indication, I knew that I had a long road ahead of me yet to happen.

[Guilend]

I'm totally not addicted (and totally didn't keep refreshing the page every 5 to 15 minutes since you were last on)

I hope you enjoy your vacation. If all goes well I'll have enough paid time off built up to finally have my first, hopefully, 9 day vacation around May or June of next year (my 2 year anniversary at this job). 

I am very curious as to what the "incident" is and I'm guessing it has to do with Mrs Louder since apparently she was supposed to be there. (I can't ever remember this, Mrs means married or not married? That could be important lol) My guess is something happened, a Big or several Bigs that work in the daycare did something they shouldn't have. Something apparently was news worthy enough to call it an "incident". Kind of hoping she pooped herself, but if that was the case I'd imagine there would've of been at least a few giggles when she mentioned Mrs Louder not being there unless it was another Big and Mrs Louder not being there had nothing to do with the "incident". (Yes I like putting quotation marks on that word that many times lol)

I think her plan to basically survey,gather information about her surroundings without engaging was a good idea. Easier to not step in the traps if you can spot them way beforehand. 

I'm curious to how Jennifer's day went. I'm sure it was just as nerve wracking as Magens and Jennifer didn't have a magical pill to help her out. Especially if she got front row seats to some Amazon or Amazon's getting punished. I wouldn't be surprised that would be something they'd show the new recruits on their first day, the "punishment room" or whatever so they know not to screw up. 

On a side note, I don't trust Miss Ginny. Just saying. 

Guilend signing off.

[LostBBoyBear]

Ugh. Was so close to posting this yesterday, but right before I started editing it, I realized I couldn’t find one of my shirts for a family photo on my upcoming trip. Oh well, but at least I’m still making my goal of at least one chapter a day this week before I leave and go on my little hiatus with this story.

That being said, looking ahead, things will be a little busy, so I ask for your patience in posting the rest of this story even when I return. By now, my goal is to get it out and completed before the New Year, but things will be posted when I feel comfortable with them. I’m sure most of you would prefer better storytelling to a rushed narrative full of holes and mistakes.

Additionally, I just want to note that due to how this story is about to flow, I want to warn you all that there will be some time jumps like that occurred in Chapter 5 previously. I figured in an operation like this and one with so much security with the research facility and caution with both Jennifer and Megan, things wouldn’t proceed very quickly. As such, I just want to warn you all to make sure you pay attention to some of the times I note so you aren’t thinking it’s still February when in fact it’s June for example.

Anyways, I hope everyone enjoys this next chapter!

Chapter 11: Anything?

Jennifer was a professional agent for sure, but I was quickly noticing her other more compassionate and understanding side as well. Her question of ‘how was my day,’ still hung in the air as the car rounded the few streets and then parked in our driveway. Others may have pushed me for an answer right away, but likely seeing the delicate nature of the mission, she just allowed me to take my time.

“It was okay,” I finally managed to say once we were back inside and sitting on the couch facing each other.

“I see… my day was just okay too…” she answered. There was then a pause between us for a moment. I had declined the snack offered at the daycare today, fearing that it could have been spiked with something as I heard could be the case sometimes in other locations. I used the experiment day juice at lunch to justify that I was still full to the daycare workers at the time, but now, creeping closer to dinner and becoming ravenous, my stomach let out a loud and empty growl.

Jennifer smiled at the noise and taking it on herself to take the risk first, she spoke up so that I wouldn’t have to with what actually happened. “You know… my day was a bit difficult if I’m being completely honest.” I looked up and raised my eyebrows. “I saw a bunch of experiments, Megan… some really concerning stuff on my tour today, but… nothing actionable still on the portal though. Maybe the authorities when all this is over, but nothing for our mission.”

I nodded. “Same here. Lots of concerning things… they even tested us and yanked out one Little while we were watching a movie. It was…” I wanted to say scary, but the word didn’t feel right to say as a truly non-regressed Little or without being on my drug. “I guess… concerning is the word…? I’m still here and all, but it makes me wonder… how much longer until that Little is me that gets dragged away?”

Jennifer then reached forward and patted my leg. “That must be really terrible, but I’m still proud of you, Megan.”

“Proud of me?” I asked, not sure what she would even be referring to after what I had just told her about.

Jennifer nodded. “Yes. You survived your first day of daycare here. You survived their tests, and that’s no easy feat.” She then paused. “But I understand that you may feel a little down about it all, so I’ll tell you what.” She then stood up and headed over to the kitchen. “We’re going to do something that my family used to do whenever one of us had a rough day.”

I racked my brain for what she could be referring to, but after a few minutes, I heard a loud beeping coming from the kitchen. A pleasant smell then wafted over to me, and Jennifer soon returned with two mugs of something steaming from inside them. “We used to have a nice soothing cup of herbal tea, and you might think it to be a little weird, but it helps a lot to cope with what happened.”

Now, tea was still around, but it was certainly a much rarer commodity back home, so I rarely drank it, but as soon as I accepted the tea from Jennifer and placed my lips upon the steaming hot beverage, I knew that drinking tea here would probably start to become part of my routine. “Thank you, Jennifer. I don’t think it’s weird at all, and besides, the tea is delicious.”

She then smiled back at me warmly after taking a sip of her own tea. “I’m glad. Just don’t be shy about asking for a cup from now on if you need it after I pick you up.”

I nodded back and after blowing on my tea a little bit, I took another sip. I then briefly wondered if from what Jennifer had described to me that she now considered me part of her family. It felt too soon in some ways, but it was an admittedly minor thing to truly be worried about. What soon tickled my brain more though, was that based on my first day alone, I wondered just how many teas Jennifer and I would share in the coming times of our mission here.

As it turned out, it was quite a lot. The weeks rolled by, and January soon passed into February when Jennifer received a coded message for a time and place to meet up with Amy once more for our debriefing. I hadn’t seen her or even had a single debriefing since my initial encounter with her the night I was captured. Needless to say, even with my thoughts plagued by my own worries at daycare with yet another testing day, our meetup once Jennifer picked me up weighed heavily on my mind.

“Hello? Earth to Megan! Earth to Megan!” Kelsey almost shouted at me as she also snapped her fingers in front of my face.

“Wha…?” I then realized the rest of the group was staring back at me. “Oh… sorry… just thinking about getting picked up today. Jennifer said we might get a treat afterward,” I partially lied. Jennifer did promise a treat, but it was only after our first debriefing, but the group didn’t need to know the little details like that.

“Oh! So jealous of you! Chrissy did something like that the other day but then ruined her new dress all over.” Ben cried out. He… well, technically she was becoming my best source of gossip around here. Ben had been curious about dresses since he was six but had never dipped his toe into anything more than an occasional glance or curiosity. When his caregivers had found out after they took him in though, he was now slowly becoming ‘Beatrice,’ or ‘Bea,’ as most of the staff now called him. Needless to say, he was still struggling with part of it from the suddenness and fast pace of it all, so we still referred to him as a ‘him’ and as Ben until he was more comfortable with what was happening to him.

“Which one?” Jasper asked as he adjusted his glasses once more. “Spencer’s or that new place for Littles near the salon on main street?” He was the most mature of the group and I often questioned why he was even here at daycare in the first place or why more daycare workers didn’t focus on him more to try and trick or regress him as they did with others above the preschool level here. We were still friends, but I also knew I needed to keep my distance in case he was used as some sort of Big trap to get other mature Littles to reveal themselves after having a conversation about physics or the meaning of life.

“I think Spencer’s…” I said unsure. “Jennifer didn’t say… I just know I’m getting a treat though, so… yay for me either way!” I had to take my victories now where I could.

“Ice cweam?” Harry then asked from off to the side of the group.

I nodded. “Yeah, buddy. Ice cream.” Harry had only gotten worse since I had first met him. I could still hold a conversation with him, but I kept noticing as each week passed, his abilities seemed to only be decreasing. It almost seemed like dementia or ALS, but he still had his memories and all… but more and more, I couldn’t help but start to think of him as the baby of the group. Jasper, Kelsey, or I had even begun to ensure his safety while we played outside so that he wouldn’t get hurt anymore. It only took a single errant dodgeball to his head last week for us to realize his potential new problems.  

“Right… anyways…” Ben said, clearly uncomfortable with the downward progress of his friend. I suspected that being the only other one in diapers of the group, at least from what I could see from my view so far, only added to his discomfort around the Little that potentially broadcasted out his own future. “Anyone hear a rumor of the new toys they’re making up at the lab?”

“Toys?” Harry asked excitedly.

Kelsey chuckled a little bit. “Yes, Harry, toys, but I heard they may not be ready for another few months. Something about wanting even more features and getting stuck with another department.”

“Sounds like more than a rumor to me,” Jasper interjected. We all knew he had no real love of toys, but his need to be right or discover things was something that I had noticed as one of his primary drives around here.

“That’s because my caregiver, Drew, is some big wig up there,” Kelsey explained. “Management or whatnot, I think… I kind of tune that part out though. More curious just about what new thing he’s making for us down here to try and test out.”

“Your Daddy sounds really important then,” Ben noted.

“Caregiver…” Kelsey corrected swiftly, “but yes, I think he is. Would never directly share his work with me, but I’ve taken a peek at a few things.”

“Just a peek?” I asked, doubtful that it was all she did. Since I had come to know her a few weeks ago, I had learned a lot, but her curiosity was nearly insatiable at times. It had even earned her a timeout two weeks ago when she opened a door she shouldn’t have when she was bored one day while I had been reading a book.  

Kelsey looked back at me with a twinkle of guilt in her eyes and a smirk growing on her face. “No… I looked through his files when he was watching the track and field event on the TV, but that’s what I just told him when he caught me.”

“And he wasn’t mad?” Jasper asked skeptically.

“Oh no,” Kelsey clarified, “he was really mad… even said my punishment might be the ‘reverse of the machine’ if I wasn’t careful. Whatever that means anyway… Still, I got a timeout for about an hour.”

Before I could ask more questions about Drew, Mrs. Louder then came over to the group and handed Ben and Jasper two pieces of paper. “For your uh, caregivers… all aces today you two.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Louder,” both said in unison.

Mrs. Louder only smiled and ruffled the ever-growing hair of Ben as she had done on the past few testing days as part of some subgroup that they were in. She probably would have ruffled Jasper’s hair as well, but I found her to be one of the more caring Bigs working here and paid attention to what each of her Littles actually like or didn’t. She could still dole out punishment for sure, like she did when Harry began writing on the walls one day, but she also knew her limits and had a soft side that knew how to actually forgive some of the Littles… unlike Mrs. Harrington.

Mrs. Harrington… if there was ever a Big I had truly come to fear so far here, it would have been her. Her rigid and bony form seemed frail from an outsider’s perspective, but every Little she disciplined knew better. In fact, she was even known throughout the daycare for the love she gave to her favorite-colored red paddle that she administered out her justice with, whom she even creepily nicknamed ‘Crimson.’

Today, as a testament to the fear she instilled, she had even taken another Little, Hector. Harry was close to him, so I even played with him after his nap to distract him from the fact that his friend had left without warning only hours ago as Mrs. Harrington had warned of anyone acting out in the next hour would be taken as well. Fearing for his safety, I also knew that while Harry might have been regressing at an alarming rate, he still had his memories and would have certainly reacted sorrowfully regarding his friend Hector. In fact, from his still intact memory, I could even still see glimpses of his original self before all this happened to him.

As the group began to be picked up by their respective caregivers, or now for some of them, mommies and daddies, Kelsey and I were the last to leave and looked after Harry to keep him entertained and out of trouble. “You like trains, don’t you, Harry?” Kelsey asked as Harry made cute little chugging noises with the tiny plush train he now was pushing forward on the floor.

“Yeah… wemine’s me of da pass… pass…” Harry struggled with saying some words more than others now.

“Past?” I offered in order to help him along with what he was trying to say.

Harry nodded. “Yeah… use ta be a dwivah… you know… a co… con-duc-to…” I could see him struggle once more and he even looked at me this time to help him out.

“Conductor?” I offered up once again. It was times like these that I hoped beyond anything else that I would never reach this level here. I wasn’t sure how long Harry had been at the daycare, but the more I learned about his past, the more I knew that whatever was happening to him, could happen to anyone. It was a fact I was slowly coming to terms with, but also something that was beginning to plague my dreams since I first saw Erin being taken on my first day.

Jennifer had rushed in a few of the times during those fearful nights, much to my embarrassment, but she ended up being very comforting about the whole business. I waited for her to console me like a child, but to my relief, I was only offered the sympathy of a caring partner.

“Do you aww… dink… abou’ da pass?” Harry asked, his concentration briefly wavering. If I was a betting person and seeing that face like I had in the past few weeks, he was likely just wetting his fresh diaper after his post-naptime bottle of juice.

“It’s best not to, Harry,” Kelsey said with a sad look on her face. I still didn’t know why she was here in the first place after moving out of New Eboracum City, but I had a learned that it was better not to ask those types of questions as I had found out when another new Little asked one of the younger ones about their past.

It turns out that particular Little, Marcy, had a criminal past and was here as a punishment of sorts by her new caregivers, which the other Little learned of too late and ended up with a black eye and a crayon jammed into her thigh. She ended up in the infirmary with a lollipop afterward. Marcy had gone up to the research facility and still wasn’t the same, though most gave her a wide berth now. Still, all that could have been avoided if just more personal questions weren’t asked in the first place.  

Harry looked sadder than I had seen him in a long time, so I took it upon myself to try and cheer him up. “I do sometimes, Harry. Kelsey is right that we shouldn’t dwell on it, but I think that just occasionally reminiscing isn’t too bad either.” I quickly looked around as I realized a larger word had slipped into my vocabulary as the drugs that I had taken this morning began to wear off. It wouldn’t automatically give me away, but it could still raise suspicions, something I was still cautious of even a few weeks in here and not even being the newest Little anymore. I felt that one could never be too careful in a place like this.

“I’m glad I’m nah da only one…” he said, slightly stroking a stuffed cat I had occasionally seen him with in here before called… Noodles… maybe?  

The time passed by quickly, and soon, Jennifer picked me up once again. I waved goodbye once more to Miss Ginny by the front desk and then buckled myself into the booster seat waiting for me in Jennifer’s still-running car outside in the parking lot.

As we sped off, I instantly noticed that we were oddly leaving town, the first time since I had arrived here. “Evening, Miss Gallup,” Bob, the security guard greeted Jennifer as we approached the gate. “Headed out to the city tonight?”

Jennifer shook her head. “No. That’s a little far for us. Just taking a spin out to good old nearby Centerton. I saw from one of the store’s websites that they just got the most darling light fixture that I think would be perfect for my living room.”

“Ah,” Bob acknowledged while double checking Jennifer’s ID, “Makes sense. Just be careful driving tonight. I heard a storm might be brewing to the west of here.”

Jennifer then took back her ID. “Thanks, Bob. Will do.” She then waved goodbye and we sped off further toward the nearby town.

Once we were out of view, my curiosity got the better of me. “So… are we actually going into town to get a light fixture, or…”

Jennifer gravely smiled in her rearview mirror. “We actually are going to stop in town to get a light fixture, but it’s also to establish our cover story if anyone asks… like Bob just did. Plus, I did promise you that treat.”

I smiled over the treat, but I still wanted to know more. “Oh… so, we’re still seeing Amy, right?” I asked, noticing the openness of everything still out here. If the portal ever did collapse or blew up, I doubted many people would be in harms way for a decent distance outside of the research facility.

“We are but remember to keep that a secret… and I mean from everyone, understand?” she questioned me with her serious voice that I had learned to always pay close attention to now.

“Absolutely. Won’t even tell Kelsey… even if she asks,” I added on. Kelsey and I were becoming closer friends through all this, and I was very glad about that fact, but at the same time, I just knew there were things she couldn’t know about in my life.

After more straight roadways surrounded by little more than trees and grass, the town of Centerton soon came into view. It was barely bigger population-wise than the research facility’s own numbers, but it also served as a hub of sorts around here for some of the bigger brand name stores and dining options. The research facility town had everything a person could need in life, but shopping for that special dress or eating somewhere fancy beyond the one place in town, meant driving here.

Instead of heading into the main part of town though, Jennifer veered off into the older section of the town that had fallen on hard times. Few people lived here anymore after the factory had shut down that produced oil-run cars, so most buildings were either dilapidated or even on the verge of collapse in most areas. To the detriment of my nerves though, Jennifer soon parked right outside the old factory building with her lights pointed inward to the almost nearly completely open inside now.   

With night rapidly approaching, I clearly saw Jennifer flash her lights in a burst of one short, one long, and then two shorts. The other car only flashed theirs twice, but Jennifer quickly seemed satisfied and turned around to face me. “Alright. They’re here. Just answer Amy’s questions as well as you can. She shouldn’t be expecting anything major this time, so just tell the truth.”

I nodded my head and quickly unbuckled my booster seat. “I got it. Only the truth.”

Jennifer warmly smiled back at me once more and then exited the car. I soon followed and we walked together over to the other car.

Halfway there, a voice I didn’t recognize shouted back at us. “Hold. Identify.”

Jennifer froze in place, but quickly and confidently replied. “Jennifer. A6G348. Verify.”

“HQ. Code word, bumble bee,” the voice replied.

I was a little confused, but then quickly remembered back to when Amy had explained there were two sides to all this mess. They were likely confirming each other’s identity to ensure that the mission still wouldn’t be compromised. To my relief and soon, the passenger’s side door of the other car opened, and Amy stepped out.

“I’m glad you all could find this place,” she said, walking over to us. “Still in one piece as well, I see, huh Megan?” I just wordlessly nodded my head. “Good. Well, this first time shouldn’t be too long, but I definitely want to hear what you all want to report back to me.”

“It’s been a month…” Jennifer quickly tried to justify, understanding Amy’s tone to mean that she wanted results, while also knowing that neither of us really had any at this point.

“Yes… and we’ve given you all the resources we could without practically breaking down the door with all our agents,” she noted.

“So, why don’t you?” I asked without thinking and more just reacting. I could immediately feel the tension in the air, and I didn’t have to look up at Jennifer now to know that she was likely now grimacing over what I had just asked.

Amy just stared back at both of us for a moment and seemed both shocked at the question and my boldness for even asking it in the first place. “Well, she finally said, “if we assaulted the building now, our detractors… enemies more like… might use it to brandish us as traitors or at least disruptors of the peaceful scientists brilliantly working so hard to better progress our society. We would be outcasts and then they would proceed with their testing with a new practically cart blanche sort of attitude in our government. The public would probably even support them and then there would be no stopping anything. Is that what you want?”

I hadn’t thought about all the consequences of what it could mean for a government agency to suddenly storm what amounted to a civilian organization… possibly governmentally backed, but still run mainly by ordinary citizens. In embarrassment over what now seemed like a foolish question to the division leader of this mission and sector, I wiggled back a little bit and more into the shadows.  

Seeing her opportunity to speak up and fill the void from the aftermath of my question, Jennifer spoke up. “Well, ma’am, we’ve both successfully infiltrated the research facility in both our respective positions. We have made several points of contacts and have made several discoveries about events there.”

Amy stood and seemed to be waiting for something more. Finally, her impatience gave out. “Is there something more for me, Agent Jennifer?” she asked seemingly less than impressed.

Jennifer seemed to stumble around to find her courage to inform Amy of the truth. “We…” she then bowed her head a little bit. “No, ma’am. The intelligence we have gathered is just cursory and possibly only incidental. It may lead to more paths and even actionable intelligence in the future, but not at this time.”

Amy’s eyes seemed to quiver in the steadily growing darker abandoned and caved-in factory. The car’s lights were turned on but low, but still cast her in an almost menacing shadow. “How… disappointing,” she said with a great deal of dissatisfaction in her voice. “I expected more from this mission… from you Agent Jennifer…”

I wanted to defend her against this woman who barely seemed to make any effort with this project other than its outset. We were the ones infiltrating a highly secure facility. We were the ones on the ground. We were the ones taking the risk… not her.

Amy seemed to ponder it all and kept silent for about a few solid minutes. She even looked up at the giant hole in the once strong roof overhead, but then finally looked back down and spoke up. “You two have infiltrated the building in a manner that is at least satisfactory for now. You haven’t been caught, and that says something as well, but,” she emphasized, “we need that actionable intelligence you were talking about previously. I want to know the ticks and the subtleties of that place. I also acknowledge though, that further measures may need to be taken to ensure that success.” She then heavily sighed. “I’m sure I don’t need to tell either one of you of the stakes here. More Littles have gone missing and more bright lights have appeared.”

She then paused and looked at me. “You, Megan, might want to start there. Find out who is a portal Little and who is a native. It might give you a pattern to follow of sorts, but it could also give you some common ground as well to get more intelligence with.” She then turned to Jennifer. “As for you… well, by now, I should hope I don’t have to give you suggestions for ways to do your job, do I?”

Jennifer then became rigid and practically clicked her heels together as if to salute as some countries used to. “No, ma’am!”

“Good,” Amy said with a smile. “The consequences of your failure here could be grave indeed, so I will discuss further options with our intelligence sectors back at HQ. It may take some time to formulate a plan that could be both beneficial to you all while also maintaining your cover and not putting you into immediate danger or as a set up for failure though.”

I quickly shook my head to indicate that I didn’t want that, and then Jennifer did as well with a little more grace and rigidity. “Perfect!” Amy exclaimed. “So, with that, your debriefing is done. Go back to the facility but also make sure you get what you needed to ensure the believability of your cover story. I don’t need to hear it, but just get it done, agent.”

“Yes, ma’am!” Jennifer called out. Amy only nodded her head and then got back in her car. Before we could even turn to each other once again, their car had sped off into the darkness of the night. Jennifer and I then wordlessly went back to our car and soon drove away as well.

I hated the silence, so I spoke up first. “Well, that was… interesting.”

Jennifer continued to concentrate on the road getting out of the downtrodden factory district and over to the more brightly lit shopping district. “Yes,” she said sternly.

I could tell she was holding back, but I decided to wait until she had parked and maybe even had time to decompress a little bit. Once we had parked though, it turned out that I didn’t need to prompt Jennifer to start speaking again.

“That was… ugh! I hate it when those meetings go like that!” she said as she banged her fist on the dashboard of the car.

“That happen often?” I asked, unsure about the usual occurrences within the ABI. I had been undercover before, mostly with a gang like most rookie cops were required to do straight out of the academy for practical experience and understanding of the life, but those were usually faster assignments with the high rates of turnover with gangs in the city.

“Not very, but more than you might think.” She then sighed. “Still, she at least seemed understanding by the end. Probably an expectation thing, but we do need to try and figure out more. You think that would be possible from your end?”

I shrugged. “Maybe? I mean, it’s a daycare after all… not the central hub of intelligence for the facility or anything.” Despite my instincts to the contrary though, I still tried to think of a possibility, and I only came up with one. “There is one thing… but I don’t think I would be willing to do it right now.”

Jennifer’s eyebrow rose and she turned further to face me more directly in the car. “What is it?”

“Well…” I hesitated even telling her this in the first place out of fear that she would actually want me to do it. “I saw a program… almost like a job for the Littles there at the daycare. We have experiment and testing days but the research lab offers a few more incentives for further testing, but there’s a catch.” Jennfier motioned her hand about for me to continue. “They only accept the more regressed Littles.”

“How much more?” she shockingly asked me as if she was actually considering it.

“Uh…” My brain still reeled from the possibility of her signing me up for it. “I think a lack of potty training is a requirement… but I really, ummm, I would, uhhh… prefer not…”

Jennifer seemed to then clue in about my nervousness quickly and held up her hand to stop me from spiraling further. “Easy, Megan. I’m not considering it myself. I just know that look that Amy gave us. I might not be down for something like that, but when the stakes are this high and there’s even a possibility of learning more… she’ll usually take it.”

Not liking that answer at all, I didn’t want to think about it any further and quickly ended the conversation not long after. Jennifer and I then shook off our negative feelings about the debriefing with Amy and went into town to do some shopping. She quickly purchased the lighting feature for her cover story, but then also purchased a candle for herself and a new shirt for me.

As we finished our evening with a chocolatey treat at this location of Spencer’s, I thought back to the day that I just had. Kelsey was my friend and my circle of other friends only seemed to continue to grow, but Harry felt like he was regressing more each day now. Then, we had finally met up with Amy, but our lack of progress had been met with more pessimism from her than I was originally expecting.

Still, all things considered, I had Jennifer at the end of it all, and the gooey slice of chocolate cake that I now devouring was mostly making up for everything that had been bringing me down. As I looked ahead toward the future though, I only hoped that more days would be of the ending with a chocolate cake rather than be composed of the disappointing day that I had instead. Somehow though, I doubted it.     

[Guilend]

Very well done. I think the time jump was a good idea. I'm still curious about the "incident" 😂 So far it looks like Mrs Louder wasn't involved with it, as far as Magen can tell there wasn't anything note worthy of her actions or appearance. I wonder what would happen to Jennifer if they fail to bring anything promising back the second time? Will they simply punish her quickly at the meet-up and send her back in or would they replace her? The last part doesn't sound like a good plan in the long run. But I'm afraid that the fear of whatever punishment they might use on Jennifer for not showing results might push her to do something far too risky or even push Magen into doing something risky. Yes, they have to do something more risky to get anywhere, but they still need to not force it or "jump off the cliff" in hopes they find something and are saved before hitting bottom.  

I can't wait to see how Bigs are punished in the facility, in the agency and in general in society. 

Have a wonderful vacation. 

[LostBBoyBear]

Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay in posting this chapter. I really wanted to last night, but I need to add a few bits before I started editing it, and it took me about five minutes to write one sentence, and then another ten to finish the paragraph. Needless to say, I was way too tired to finish this chapter up last night.

That being said, I am also hard at work at my next chapter. It should be good to go by tonight and a good place to stop, but if not, I will post another announcement talking about my upcoming break.

Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this next chapter!

Chapter 12: Spring Awakenings

The beauty of the daycare shone brightly all around us. My friends and I had never been so happy, and all just felt right with the world for once. After all this time on this mission… all the tears… the agony… those stupid and seemingly pointless debriefings with that know-nothing Amy, I finally felt happy.

My friends and I played freely amongst the swings without a care in the world after testing day. The questions felt harder today, but again, it didn’t matter. Only Kelsey, Bea, and Jasper mattered. We mourned the loss of our little friend, but everyone said that I basically just replaced him and that was just how things went around here. I wasn’t sure exactly what they meant by ‘replacing’ him, but the swing set was just too fun to really dwell on those types of thoughts anymore.

“Go higher, Meggy!” Kelsey tried to convince me.

“I already am! I don’t want to touch the moon or anything. You can’t breathe up there,” I tried to justify. In truth, I really just didn’t want to go any higher, but I couldn’t let my friend beat me. Hopefully, she wouldn’t edge me out any higher.

“Oh no!” she cried. “I need to breathe! We should just stay where we are then.”

WE played happily for a moment, until we heard our friend speak up from down below. “You all could just wear invisible breathing helmets…” Bea said as she swung low on the swings, her legs not carrying the strength they used to in order to push her further. Soon, she would likely need to just be pushed. ‘What a baby… unlike us! We’re big girls!’

Kelsey looked at me and only smiled in a peculiar sort of way. “Nah. Thanks, Bea, but I think I’m going to stay on the ground more or less with Meggy today.”

I then realized what was happening. ‘She knew…’ We swung a little more, and as soon as Bea had turned back to trying to coordinate well enough to not fall off her swing, I turned to Kelsey and whispered. “Thanks Kelsey. It means a lot for you to stay down today with me.”

She then winked at me and whispered back. “No problem, Meggy. After all, that’s what friends are for.”

We then started to gossip about the other Littles around us or what we would do if we ever left this place or our… caregivers. She wanted to grow vegetables somewhere remote… I wanted to build a castle. Humility or earthliness aside, my idea was better, but I didn’t tell her that.

An hour of jokes, gossiping, and swinging or rolling around in the grass later, Mrs. Louder called us in. “You girls have fun?” she asked us sweetly as she inspected our shoes and clothing to ensure we didn’t track any mud on the floor once we were all back inside.

“Yes, Mrs. Louder,” Kelsey said quickly.

“Uh huh,” I agreed. “The swings were extra fun today!”

“I’m so glad to hear that, girls.” She then turned to Bea, who seemed to be fidgeting around with her dress. “Bea? What did you like?”

“I… uh… I…” she stuttered as she then blushed as her hand glanced the back of her outfit.

‘Uh oh…’ I had seen that face plenty of times before. Bea had made a stinky and was now only just realizing it. It didn’t take long for the smell to reach our noses.

“Oh, pee yew, Bea! What are you eating?” Kelsey exclaimed as she plugged her nose with one hand and waved her other rapidly in front of the air to clear it of the noxious fumes now emanating from our friend.

“Now, girls,” Mrs. Louder warned, “You know she can’t help it.”

“Yes, Mrs. Louder,” we said resignedly in unison. Being in a daycare full of un-potty-trained Littles, we had heard the same speech about a billion times before.

“Good, now, I’m going to…” she then paused and looked right behind us. “Oh Mrs. Harrington. I didn’t see you there. Is everything okay?”

She only blinked once while still wearing her perpetual scowl. “I need to see Megan right away,” she replied sternly.

“Oh. You mean…?” Mrs. Louder didn’t finish her question, but Mrs. Harrington only nodded. “Okay… I’m sorry girls, but Megan, you need to go with Mrs. Harrington right now.”

“But… I…” I only managed to make out before Mrs. Harrington quickly snatched my hand and led me away. After, I was too shocked and scared to say anything, and the only sounds that could be heard were my diaper quickly being used. Apparently, Mrs. Harrington had only exacerbated my problem these days… ‘Stupid diapers and not making it to the potty… Where’s Jenn to help me out when I need her most?’

I was then dragged into a room I had never been to before, but I could clearly see a gigantic machine in the middle of the room. Before I could ask why I was in this room and what the machine was, Mrs. Louder used her deceptively strong body and quickly plopped me into the previously empty and plastic-coated seat. Straps were applied all over my body and soon, I couldn’t move an inch below my chin.

“Please… let me go, Mrs. Harrington. I was a good girl for you… please.” I begged and pleaded but she just hunched over the controls nearby like some demonic carrion bird. Horrifically, she then turned to me and smiled for a moment before flicking on one of the switches.

“Ahhh!” Immense bolts of pain shot through my system. I went rigid and then began to spasm. My diaper grew warmer, and my head grew thicker… I was having a hard time acting… thinking… like a big girl…

Mrs. Harrington then looked back over me. “A good girl, you say?” She then began clacking her sinisterly long and painted red nails together. “That’s not what we’ve been hearing, but it makes no difference now. All you Littles are such fibbers! That’s why we made this machine.” She then walked over and stroked the shiny curved steel side of it above my head.

“Took forever, but it pushes through everything that you all fibbers come along with… even specialized medications.” I gulped immediately as she looked down at me.

‘She knew! Who spilled my secret? What was she going to do with me? Why did I suddenly want to start sucking my thumb in public instead of just in private as I had been since last June?’ Amassed in my own thoughts, I didn’t see Mrs. Harrington soon walk over to the door and open it carefully before another figure then walked in.

“Megan,” she began, “this is Dr. Hurtsalot. He’s here to begin you’re questioning.”

The doctor was already wearing a surgeon’s mask and then practically waddled over to me. He seemed way too happy right now. “Ah! Another Little for me to play with… you shouldn’t have, Mrs. Harrington! It’s not my birthday for another month!”

Mrs. Harrington chuckled. “Oh, stop that! This one is just special. She’s with…” she then jerked her head toward the door and a sound of distant screaming I had just noticed, “… well, you know…”

The doctor’s cheeks rose as if he was suddenly smiling underneath his mask. “Oh, indeed I do. Let’s bring her in, shall we? They are a pair after all.” Mrs. Harrington nodded and then left before the doctor then turned back to me. “Now, I know the truth, but I just want to hear you say it, my dear. Be a good girl for me, huh?”

He wanted secrets and all the things I knew about the government and portals. I couldn’t give in, so I just shook my head and kept my lips sealed, going even so far as to bite them shut as an extra precaution. “Very well… I don’t want to hurt you all, but you make me do such wicked things. Oh well…”

He then pushed another button and the machine whirred to life once more. Incredible pain arced through my head again. I screamed, but no words came out. I felt the tears… the agony… it was all too much to bear, but no sound beyond a few raspy exhaled breaths. Seemingly smiling once again, Dr. Hurstalot turned off the machine. “Now, are you ready?”

Before I could answer like the good baby girl that I knew I was for these adults, the door opened and Mrs. Harrington was dragging a beaten, wet, and almost broken woman, but it only took a few seconds for me to realize who it was. “Jennifer?” I asked, finally getting my voice back.

She looked up at me in pain and her makeup was heavily streaked down her cheeks… it also didn’t take me long to realize her arm was bent the wrong way or the myriad of bruise marks all over her body. “I’m… I’m sorry… I…”

“Shhh, shhh, sweetie,” Mrs. Harrington said as she stroked Jennifer’s tear-soaked cheek. I couldn’t help but notice that Jennifer flinched at the touch before Mrs. Harrington smiled and looked back up at me. “She wasn’t a very good girl herself… but we fixed that… she told us everything.”

I was speechless, but that only seemed to encourage Dr. Hurstalot and Mrs. Harrington to smile more. “You see? All this is already over. I gave you a chance to come clean… to be a good girl for us, but no. We know you work for the ABI, and now, you’re going to be a good baby girl for us.” He then took off his mask and exposed his rotting twisted face and yellow crooked teeth. “We always make you all good boys and girls here… it’s our specialty.” Before I could try and apologize about it all in hopes of some kind of mercy, the doctor just smiled again and pulled down the lever. Now, only pain and my screams followed. “Ahhh!”

*              *              *

“Ahhh!” I bolted upright in bed. I could hear my heart in my ears and my bed was once again soaked with sweat. I was continually worried that it wasn’t sweat, but it only took a quick smell test to alleviate that fear at least. Once again though, it didn’t take long for the hallway light to flick on outside my room and then my door to burst wide open.

“Megan! Are you okay?” Jennfier breathlessly asked as she stood there in her pajamas and untethered robe.

“I…” I looked around my room and there were no signs of change from when I had gone to sleep. I was still mature in this house and still a perceived ‘big girl’ when not being watched outside of the relative safety of these walls. I even patted my crotch as subtly as I could, and to my relief, there wasn’t any padding there either. “I’m fine… sorry… just… another dream.”

Jennifer’s expression soon relaxed, yet still bore her now practiced and usual face of concern. “I understand,” she said sympathetically before sitting on my bed as she had done many times before. “How about you tell me about it and try and calm down before going back to sleep?” I breathlessly nodded and spent a while describing the dream to her before slipping back to bed under her tender watchful eye.

Despite going back to bed once again, it didn’t prevent me from being exhausted and continually yawning later that day at the celebration of the Munichion. It was some religious festival here with a procession toward their local temple to celebrate Spring, but honestly, I just liked the sweets that went along with it afterward.

After the parade was done, most of the town soon gathered around the town square where I soon met up with Kelsey and the rest of the gang. Six pastries later for each of us, the still-present Harry had made a complete mess of himself, and I was about to pop. Unfortunately, I forgotten to take my pill, being a Sunday and all, so as soon as I felt the need to pee, I just went with my buddy system from back home to go to the bathroom. Stupidly, though, I forgot to ask Jennifer, or any Big for that matter.

“What are you doing, Megan?” Kelsey asked me in panic as I dragged her into the public bathroom on the other side of the town square.

“I need to go, and I needed a buddy. I chose you as my friend,” I said as I entered a stall and then quickly relieved myself. “Stick together, right?”

Kelsey seemed to pause for a moment outside the stall door. “But what about Jennifer? Couldn’t she have taken you?”

Her words were simple but straightforward and I almost dropped my shirt and got it dirty as I began to go again. ‘Why was I going so much lately?’ Catching the shirt though before disaster struck, my thoughts quickly switched back to just how big of an error I had made. It still plagued me as soon as I exited and washed my hands. “I…” I said, beginning to explain my actions, “I didn’t think about it. I just really had to go.”

“I…” Kelsey then immediately began squirming in place. “Oh! I gotta go as well, but… uh…” She then looked down at her pants. “Can you help a friend out here?”

I was shocked by her sudden ask, not that I hadn’t helped a drunk friend out at the academy one night, but I still sometimes forgot that Kelsey was a bit more immature than me as a Little, particularly when I hadn’t taken my meds today. “I… yep! Just one sec.” I quickly dried off my hands and then went about to undo her main button and take down the zipper. To my shock, a pink pull-up soon greeted me.

“Thanks!” she said without any hesitation and partially snapping me out of my internal surprise. I then remembered, however, when I had first met her and noticed a bit of a bulge in her leggings that day, though I had never really noticed it since. She had mostly worn jeans, and to be honest, I wasn’t really looking, but still. My head was still in a briar patch of chaos as I then heard a flush and Kelsey exited as she was still pulling her pants back around her hips. She quickly saw me staring at her gratefully dry pull-up.

“Oh… sorry about that. I’m just all thumbs when I need to go potty these days. It’s the strangest thing…” She then finished buttoning up her jeans and looked at me with a sense of clear accomplishment. “Keep bouncing in and out of them, but I guess that’s just how it goes as a Little. You know, right?”

I slowly shook my head. I didn’t want to make her feel bad, which seemed to be the case from her immediate reaction, but I also couldn’t lie to her about something like this. I felt bad, but she then started looking at me like she didn’t believe me. “Sorry, but,” I then opened my own jeans and revealed my horse-themed training pants, “I wear training pants.”

Her eyes stared back unblinking until I zipped my pants back up. “Oh… I guess being a big girl just comes easier to some…” she said with a clear sense of disappointment that we were no longer equals. In truth, we weren’t but she had definitely become my biggest friend around here and had even hung out outside of daycare on what Jennifer insisted on called ‘playdates’ when Kelsey was in the room those times. Still… I kept getting the feeling lately with Amy’s growing impatience that something was about to change and soon. Being equals with her now felt like a real possibility in some way.

“Don’t feel bad. I’m sure you’ll get it. As you said, you’ve been entering in and out of them,” I tried to justify. “I’m guessing you’ll next be out of them really soon.” At that, she gratefully quickly began to resume her cheery demeanor. “Now, wash your hands really quickly so we can get out of here before we’re noticed.”

Kelsey nodded and quickly washed her hands in the sink designed for Littles. Despite this town’s reputation and my own investigation, I had noticed how friendly it was to so many Littles. Still, if I had any doubts about how most Littles were treated, I also noticed the large changing table right next to the sink as well.

Once outside, we then began to look for our group, but they were all missing from where we had left them. Deciding to search for our caregivers instead, I quickly whispered to Kelsey, “We might get in trouble. Just blame me and my needing to pee really badly. You can even tell her that I’m worried that I might end up in pull-ups soon and dragged you along for comfort.” She nodded and quickly found her caregiver first.

What I told her wasn’t a complete lie, but wearing pull-ups in this place and on this mission was also something I was going to try at all costs to avoid. Unfortunately, right as Kelsey left, I saw a clearly upset Jennifer surrounded by several other Bigs. It didn’t take her long to see me and come marching right over. “You… you… you ran off and didn’t ask permission!” I tried to speak up to defend myself, but she just held up a single finger to silence me. “You were very, very naughty, Megan. This has been coming for a while, but you need to be punished.”

“Wha…?” was about all I could make out before Jennifer quickly yanked me away by the wrist. I noticed several other Bigs shaking their heads at me in disapproval, but I just kept my head down and tried to signal to Jennifer to slow down or explain things. Unfortunately, it only caused her already firm grip on my wrist to tighten even further. Starting to panic, soon, she sped around the corner and into an empty alleyway.

She then halted me and spun me around to face her clearly still furious face. “That was very stupid, Megan. What were you thinking going off like that? You could have been taken… or even have been considered a runaway.” I hadn’t thought about that, and I could now see that Jennifer may have been acting a bit back around the other Bigs and Littles, but that she was also legitimately upset with me right now.

“I needed to pee,” I finally managed to spit out. “I shouldn’t have… I…”

“No,” Jennifer interrupted. “You shouldn’t have, but now I’m in a bind.” She paused for a moment, and I remained fearful of what was going to happen next. “I don’t want to, but other Bigs are already asking me why a Little so adorable is still just at a preschooler level.” I briefly enjoyed being called cute, but I also was nervous about where this conversation seemed to be headed.

“I didn’t know. I’m sorry, Jennifer,” I apologized. “I swear that I’ll try to do better. I’ll be a better Little.”

Jennfier sighed and I didn’t like the tone behind it. “I know that you’ll try, Megan… but all the Bigs… they are expecting a punishment today for you and there are security cameras everywhere. I see the feeds from them all the time at work… even in these alleyways, so I still need to punish you.”

I felt my stomach drop. As a Little, I knew punishment of some sort came with the territory, but I had always, as my nightmares had demonstrated to me, feared that it would have been some research facility doctor or Mrs. Harrington… not Jennifer herself. I even felt my knees begin quake over the thought of what she was about to do to me.  

Jennifer could clearly see my fear. “It’s okay… I won’t do any of what they suggested. You’ll still keep your potty training or your ability to walk…” she said so disturbingly casually, “but I was thinking a spanking might just do the trick.” She let that terrible word bounce off the narrow brick walls of the alleyway for a moment and let it slowly sink in what was just about to happen. “Just keep standing… I won’t have you go over my knee or remove your pants or training panties though.”

I wanted to protest… even run away, but I only knew the punishments would get worse… much worse. So, with heavy reluctance, I turned toward the street and leaned onto her offered arm as she leaned down a little bit to deliver my punishment.

“Okay. Really quick. Just five to sell it, okay?” I nodded and the world seemed to pause for a moment. Just five pops and even over my pants, but I guess my fear now may have been more due to the act itself and that we were even crossing this line now. Still, it was rough… humiliating, but gratefully quick.

The successive pops seemed to echo out of the alleyway and into the streets. I tried to stay quiet… calm… but the suddenness of it all and the tiny bit of a sting made me yelp after the third and fifth smack to my butt. It wasn’t painful, and I could even tell that Jennifer wasn’t using her full power, but the message came across loud and clear. In a funny way, I knew Jennifer didn’t want to do it, but the whole scene, and mainly how much worse it could have been, ensured that I would also never forget to get a Big to take me to the restroom ever again out in public.

After a festoon of other Bigs calling out my little punishment and how ‘lucky’ I was when we returned, the festival just continued into the night. Jennifer and I soon left the celebration, and my punishment seemed to be quickly forgotten about, especially, and horrifyingly considering that there were five other instances of punishments being doled out after mine.

Still though, the next morning and first half of my time at daycare came swiftly the following day. As it was Monday again though and therefore testing day, I just groaned as I answered the doctor’s questions in practically the same manner as I had since I had arrived here. It was boring, but they at least still seemed easy to me.

In fact, I was even getting better over the seemingly trick questions. Of course, an undercover or embarrassed Little may always deny liking diapers, but a Little’s regression or intentions could always be sniffed out in other ways I realized. For example, when they asked about what I would bring to a desert island, I would always just simply answer with a book. There was a lot of leeway to it, but being a preschooler, it could still make a certain amount of sense. They didn’t need to know that the book was the academy field guide for wilderness survival from back on Earth, but it showed me how others could slip up there and say something that would give away their identity or the extent of their regression. ‘I wondered how Harry now answered that particular question…’

Speaking of, once the testing was over, I walked back outside and saw Kelsey and Harry once again with each other and waiting together for me. Kelsey was very much the same, despite her still guilty look for my punishment the previous day, even though I had assured her everything was okay, but Harry… he was different even further still.

His regression had gratefully slowed down finally in the last month, but a new worry began to enter my mind. Due to the increasing influx of new Littles at daycare, the three main attendants who were here every day of the week were only Mrs. Louder, Mrs. Harrington, and Ms. Ginny. Others came as volunteers or part-time staff, but it meant that not every Little could be attended to. As such, Kelsey and I had essentially become the defacto babysitters for Harry, which meant that we were getting a front row seat of just how bad off he was. For instance, now, Kelsey was wiping his face off from a cookie he had apparently been given during his testing.

“How’d you get the cookie, Harry?” I asked with concern, sitting down in front of him. “You say a magic word or something?”

He quickly shook his head. “No! Jus’ wuccy I guess…” He grinned widely as if he was hiding a big secret still, and not really caring about the cookie, I decided to just play along. Still, his overall demeanor had begun to remind me of how Erin was right before she was taken out of here. Regardless though, I wanted to make him happy for the time being.

“Oh! I think I’ve spotted a little liar here, Kelsey. What do you think?” I asked my friend as she returned from throwing away the wet wipe that she had gotten to clean Harry off.

“Hmmm. I don’t know… but it is Harry… so… yes!” We both grinned at each other and immediately pounded on the romper-clad Little in front of us and began to tickle him mercilessly. As odd as it may have sounded, I kind of liked having Harry around. He had been annoying at first, but I considered him as much as a friend as he could be in his currently regressed condition.

“Stahp! Stahp!” he cried out between his peals of laughter. “No moh’! No moh’!”

Kelsey and I tickled him for a bit longer, but soon stopped, particularly when the lights began to dim once more, and we got ready to watch another animated movie. As it began to play, I was just happy that it wasn’t something I had already seen. Now, about midway through April and seeing at least three movies a week for quiet time, I had begun to dip into repeat movies for quiet time. Some were okay, but some… geez. I mean, we were Littles… but we still weren’t the types to laugh at seven fart jokes in a row.

As usual though, the younger Littles began to be picked up for their naptimes and I saw that as Jasper and Ben returned to us from their own testing. That being said, Ben soon was taken away, being now one of the Littles to be put down for their daily afternoon nap. Still, with Ben and the new movie, I was too distracted to notice the doctors watching… and preparing, behind us.

Mrs. Harrington, the Big who I was starting to feel was the devil incarnate or at least their horrific wife, snuck up behind Jasper, Kelsey, Harry, and I. We watched the movie with glee, and I guess in retrospect, it being a new movie, and all may have been a clue to what was about to happen to distract as many of us Littles as they could. I guess there was something to be said there that they would try and protect us like that.

Regardless of their intentions though, Mrs. Harrington struck fast. Like so many other Littles before him, our friend, Harry, was soon plucked away.

I didn’t notice at first, but after a giggle from nearby and looking up, I then saw a happy and content Harry being taken away. He was cooing up at Mrs. Louder, and knowing him at this point, I didn’t think he knew what was happening. He probably thought he was just being taken away for his usual nap, but that all changed when I bolted up and ran over to him.

“Meg! Meg!” he cried out as he saw me rush over to him. Tears immediately started pouring out of his eyes as he realized what was actually happening to him. To his credit, with all the strength and coordination he seemed to have left, he then tried to wiggle out of Mrs. Harrington’s arms and reach for me. Being who she was though, Harry proved no match for her strength.

“Harry! No! Wait!” I yelled out to my friend, but it was too late. Without an ounce of hesitation or remorse, Mrs. Harrington opened and then walked through the door that all the other taken Littles went through. Just as I got to the door, it slammed shut in my face with a deafening thud. Harry and his wails of pleading were no more.  

Harry had been an annoying Little who continually would attach himself to one of us and get in the way of the friend group trying to play. Like a stray puppy though, it was hard not to fall for the little dude. So now, I guess in my anger and sadness, and with the drugs starting to wear off, I lost any semblance of the rest of my calm demeanor and began banging on the door as tears began to flow from my eyes over the loss of my friend. “Harry! Harry! Talk to me!” I yelled at the top of my lungs, but it was no use, and everyone knew it.

In that moment though, the only good thing about these events happening at least every two weeks around here was that the daycare workers and the other Littles were used to the types of scenes that I was now making by the door. To the Littles, they knew that one day they could be the one on this side of the door or the one being taken away on the other side. For the Bigs though, I suspected that displays like this showed that a Little cared about their friend and that they weren’t afraid to show their emotions in front of others now under the right circumstances. After all, in their eyes, there wasn’t much of a leap between what I was doing and breaking down over a lost toy, but I didn’t care. I only cared about my friend and what they were doing to him beyond this single door.  

“Sweetie…” Mrs. Louder said as she crouched down and rubbed my heaving back. “It’s okay. Harry is going to a better place now. He’ll be… different there… but back home even.” I was confused over what she was saying, but at this point, I only wanted to know where he was really going. ‘Why him and not the three other Littles who are far more regressed?’

Mrs. Louder continued to rub my back, but my anger and grief over the loss of my friend weren’t going away, and being a seasoned employee here, she could plainly see that. She then sighed with a little sadness. “Well, I can’t have you like this all day. It’s not healthy, so how about this? You come with me, and I’ll get you all sorted. I promise you’ll feel better afterward, okay?”

I didn’t want to leave, but I didn’t want to feel like this anymore… the knowledge that one of my friends was just here one day and gone the next. Not dead from what I knew at least but gone all the same. It was something I couldn’t do a thing about, so, with some reluctance, I just stopped by banging and nodded my head at her proposal.

Mrs. Louder smiled and nodded her head before standing back up. Slowly, she then helped me to my feet, and while holding my hand, led me away to the door I knew as the clinic here. I briefly looked back and could see that Jasper and Kelsey were crying as well, but to my surprise, they seemed to be muddling through it better than I was and even just encouraged me to go through the door with Mrs. Louder. I nodded and soon walked through the door.

Entering the room, I was then immediately greeted by a decently sized clinic of a sort that resembled those that one could find in any elementary school. Posters about general hygiene and medicine dotted the walls above three beds that had curtains drawn back to the walls. Off to one side, a kindly blonde woman dressed in a pair of cartoonish scrubs then looked up from her desk there and smiled broadly. “Well, looks like someone is in need of a hug or a loli, huh?”

Still too distraught over Harry, Mrs. Louder nodded in my place. “I think just that or the juice instead maybe.” She paused and the two nodded at each other before Mrs. Louder then spoke back up. “Nurse Betty, this is Megan.” She then lowered her voice. “She just lost one of her friends to… well, you know.”

Nurse Betty nodded in understanding and then walked directly over to me from behind her desk. “Well, Megan, as Mrs. Louder said, I’m Nurse Betty. Probably feeling a bit down about everything with your friend… what’s their name, sweetie?”

I could barely move my lips to form words, but I finally said softly, “Harry.”

“Harry… I’m sure he was your friend,” she said, “and grieving is important, but I’m going to give you something and I want you to drink it all by the time you leave for the day, okay? Can you do that for me?”

I only nodded and after smiling over my saddened cooperation, Nurse Betty produced a single sippy cup filled with a blueish white liquid. “This is… well, we call it ‘Blue-B-Gone,’ but it basically just calms your emotions down, ensures you’re hydrated, and even in some cases, helps you go to sleep if needed.” She then squinted at me for a moment. “Though, I’m guessing that won’t happen to you today from what I can see.”

My emotions were still fully overloading my system, so without question, I just took the sippy cup and began to slowly drink it. Mrs. Louder left briefly as Nurse Betty then guided me over to lay on one of the beds, and honestly, I did feel much better afterward. Not long as the first sweet drop hit my tongue, everything had just turned down in my body and soul and I felt a sense of peace. Not necessarily joyous, but peaceful, nonetheless.

After finishing about half of the sippy cup, Mrs. Louder then came back out and escorted me back to my still grieving friends. They started asking me the usual questions that I would have normally asked myself, but once they saw the Blues-B-Gone drink in my hands, I was just given hugs or pats on the back. Then, not long after the movie ended, Ben was told the news about his friend, and he began to cry as well. Like the others though, he seemed more in control of his emotions though, and everyone then just took the time and talked about their funny or touching stories with Harry.

Still feeling the effects of the juice, I went last, but despite all the emotions going on around me, I didn’t shed a single further tear. “That’s just the drink,” Kelsey then later answered after I was curious about what I was feeling. “Must have been really upset or they deemed it a special circumstance.”

“He was my friend,” I retorted near emotionlessly.

“Yeah… that’s not it… otherwise they would be handing them out very day around here, but still, I’m sure we’ll figure it out one day,” she conceded. I only nodded and waited for Jennifer to pick me up as I finished my drink.

To my relief, Jennifer then soon entered the building after a few Littles were already picked up, and Mrs. Louder was working at the front desk instead of Miss Ginny today. “I’m afraid that little Megan here lost her friend today. As such she had a tough time coping, so we gave her the special drink today. The blue one…”

“Ah,” Jennifer acknowledged, nodding her head up and down. “Explains a lot and I can’t say I’m the biggest fan long term, but… I would have probably just done the same thing under the same circumstances.” Still not knowing if she could trust Mrs. Louder or not fully, I knew that Jennifer had purposely kept the whole thing vague just to ensure nothing would slip out to the public unless it was already approved by ABI.

“Yes… it’s very sad with Harry, but as security, I’m sure you know how these things go,” Mrs. Louder said.

Even in my fog of the Blues-B-Gone, my mind halted for a moment. ‘Did Jennifer know what was happening and just not telling me?’

Fortunately for the sake of my own previous trust issues, Jennifer just shook her head. “Actually… I’m just one of the lower people on the totem pole. I’m not told much in my current position about those types of things.”

“Oh… well, you might think of considering changing that. I don’t know your background or anything, but no one stays on that low level for long around here unless they’ve messed up a bunch of times.” She then paused and looked at me. “Although… some little things might need to change a bit first.”

My mind didn’t seem to get the connection she was trying to make, but like my own personal guardian angel, Jennifer, did. “Oh, right. Yes, maybe… lots of things to consider.” She then hastily looked at her watch. “Oops! Got here a little later than I wanted. Gotta head home and get this one fed… I’m sure you can agree that she’s had a long day.”

Mrs. Louder nodded her head. “Oh, absolutely.” She then looked back down at me and gave me a tiny wave. “I’m sorry about Harry today, but you have a good rest and I’m sure you’ll feel better in the morning.”

Strangely, the Blues-B-Gone seemed to affect me at least partially like my morning meds, so almost involuntarily, I gave her a little wave back before Jennifer escorted me from the building. I wasn’t sure what to think about it all, and despite my current neutral appearance, I was still very much upset by the likely permanent loss of Harry.

Guiding me through the parking lot, Jennifer could tell that I was still a little out of it, so she gently guided me into my booster seat and buckled me in. It was kind of nice to just sit back and relax. It was almost like… ‘Wait!’

I looked over and behind the building just for a moment but then saw something different. Normally, a large transport van would then leave, likely taking the taken Little up to the main research facility that I had yet to visit for whatever reason. This time though, instead of the truck leaving the daycare, it was still parked and there, clear as day, was Harry.

I wanted to yell out, cry, scream for him. ‘Maybe the ABI could protect him? He could be used as an asset here, right? Like me even?’ My mind clouded with the possibilities of his rescue, and I tried to say anything for Jennifer to stop the car or go over there… she was security after all, but nothing would come out. My emotions were too pent up and too bombastic still, so I guessed that the Blues-B-Gone was still highly restricting my system.

Frustrated beyond mere words, I just continued to watch Harry as he was escorted out of the building; however, I also noticed something very odd about him. He was Harry for sure, but an older version of himself. For one, he was walking without any difficulty… something that he hadn’t been able to do since at least February now. Secondly, his clothing was different. No cutesy teddy bears or jungle animals or even diapers, but just normal street clothing that almost looked strangely… dirty. Lastly, and most bizarre, he looked like he was talking with no problem and even walking normally with the other security personnel and myriad of doctors around him.  

I was puzzled over what I had just witnessed. My taken friend almost looked… mature… like a real adult and the man whom I had never met before all this place had gotten to him. ‘But how could that be? Was he a spy? Faking it? Or is there a cure for every Little somewhere?’ The possibilities seemed endless, but I also remembered back to what Erin had screamed before she had been silenced back on my first day. She talked about a machine. I didn’t know what it was, but I felt that it needed to become a priority. My dreams even had plagued me about it like last night, but now, seeing my friend like this, it was now very personal.

Still, I wasn’t sure how everything connected, or even if it connected to my main mission of closing the portal or not. Either way, I knew that we would be seeing Amy again in only a few weeks. So, I had to ask myself, should I tell her about my friend and potentially get shut down in my own investigations, or not tell her and potentially disappoint her with a lack of information yet again? I had time to think about it, but I remained fearful that that perceived time might soon be running out.