After a restless night with very little sleep, Mary stood in the shower, the water flowing over her naked form. She couldn’t shake any of what had happened the day before, and she couldn’t help but feel something wasn’t being told to her…but today she would find out. She had the day off from work, so she decided to investigate, and head on down to 1428 Elm, and see what this was all about.

She quickly got dressed, and poured herself some of the coffee Sarah had made before she ventured out to work. She sipped slowly as she pondered what the day might hold. Might she see her long lost boyfriend...Might she get to hold him in her arms once more…or could this be more sinister? She wasn’t afraid, but she knew that this could be a big joke, but who would go to such troubles. Once she was finished, she put her cup on the counter, grabbed her purse and jacket, and left…putting one foot in front of the other…leading to an adventure she couldn’t fathom…

The city streets were packed with people on this blustery Wednesday, and Mary struggled her way through the masses to head to her destination. She patted her pocket, making sure she still had the metal key she was given in the letter.

The building stood there, large as life, when she arrived. There on the side, by the door was a decorative name plate which read “The Collective” with a notice to ring the buzzer for assistance.

She pushed her finger to the buzzer and heard a noise go off in the building. A few moments later an older man, perhaps in his 50’s, opened the door.

“Do you have a key?” the man said as he starred at her.

“Uh…Yes…My Boyfriend, Alex had it sent to me…I think.” She said quickly as she pulled the key out of her pocket.

Upon seeing the key, the man’s face brightened immensely. “Come on in!” he said waving his hands around excitedly.

The lobby of the building was empty besides a desk for a receptionist, who…wasn’t there. The pristine white walls of the place made her feel like she was in a hospital or something.

“Come, Come…” the man said “Here to join the Collective, I presume.”

“Well, to learn more about it…” Mary said.

“Of course. My name is Professor Strickland. We are glad to have you onboard…” he paused, indicating the desire to learn her name.

“Mary…Mary Sinclair.” She said firmly as she looked towards the door from which the Professor was signaling her to follow.

“We have such things to show you, my dear!”


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

“Where are we going?” She asked.

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

“He’s here?” Mary gasped.

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

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

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

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

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

“This is wonderful! Did you make this?”

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Miniaturization?” Mary asked

“...4”

“Just technical jargon, my dear” Strickland stated

“…3”

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

“…2”

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

“…1”

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

“Engage”

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

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

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