Artemis left the council room with the familiar exhaustion that had plagued her each time she met with the pompous blowhards. The meetings' only purpose seemed to be to notify her of problems that apparently no one but her could fix. 

Artemis swallowed a yawn as she walked through the operation's base. Young and seasoned resistance soldiers alike gave her respectful nods of acknowledgment. Artemis kept her gaze unwavering and straight ahead. She valued her soldiers, but she found the chain of command in general to be stifling. Although she'd been fulfilling the duties of a leader long before she had been officially made one, Artemis hadn't gotten used to the reverence that came with the position.   

Artemis decided to indulge herself with a ten minute rest in her room. At least in her dreams she wouldn't need to make any life or death decisions. 

She walked through the long halls of the resistance's HQ, thankful for once that her room had been situated so closely to her work. As she approached her room, a boyish voice bounced around the halls. 

Artemis exhaled deeply. Rest would have to come later.

"Let me see her!"

Artemis rounded the corner. The scene she witnessed was as much as she suspected from what she'd heard. 

Two poor soldiers stood guard outside of her quarters while they were preventing the unrelenting young agent from entering. 

Artemis' eyes narrowed when she met the disruptor's gaze. Not flinching from her apparent displeasure, the plucky soldier's face instead lit up when he saw her.

"Commander!" He cried. 

The other two guards quickly stood at attention and then saluted her. Artemis nodded at them and they eased their stances. Turning back to the young soldier, she demanded, "Why are you bothering my guards, Byte?"

To his credit, Byte had the decency to falter under her glare, but not enough to get the hell away from her.

"Did you talk about Annabelle?" He blurted out. 

Artemis' stomach flipped at the name. As always, she didn't show it on her face. Instead, she turned to the guards and dismissed them with a wave. They saluted her once more, and stepped away from the door. 

Artemis entered her quarters, but not before jerking her neck towards the doorway for Byte to follow. He entered after her, closing the door behind them. 

Artemis could tell he had a lot to say, but the young soldier went quiet as he took in her quarters. It was a large space with multiple rooms filled with maps, war tables, and strategies written out on piles of paper. These weren't fully formed plans—Artemis just liked brainstorming when she could. 

The room they entered into directly from the hallway was big, with couches and tables and a refreshment bar—curtsey of the previous commander.

Though Byte's eyes were drawn to the window that spanned the length of the wall. It displayed a majestic view of the sprawling metropolis. 

Artemis regarded the young soldier as he took in the view. He was an explorer in his own right. He'd gone to many different places and Shrinkee settlements, but she knew this city was larger than anything he had ever seen. 

His wide eyed curiosity often made Artemis forget that he was only a few months younger than her. The boy was bright, but his naiveite irritated her. They were at war, but she wasn't sure if Byte understood that.

"Did I not already provide you with a mission?" Artemis asked briskly.

Byte flinched, pulling his gaze away from the window. "I wanted to get your permission before I left," he said.

"For?"

"To extract Annabelle."

Artemis clicked her tongue. Byte continued before she could collect her thoughts. "Intel reports that she will be there at the location of the mission you assigned me. I can finish my mission and extract her right after," he proposed.

Artemis didn't hesitate. "No."

Byte's lips twisted into a scowl. "Why not?" He demanded.

Artemis turned from him and towards the refreshment table. She ignored the many containers of liquor and instead pulled out the ginger ale. She typically found the sheer number of beverages allotted to her quarters to be a luxurious waste, but for once she appreciated the superfluous benefits that came with her high-ranking position. Byte's words were upsetting her stomach.

"Because I'm your Commander," she responded shortly. Few soldiers would dare ask for further explanation once they received an order, but Byte was no ordinary soldier. It hadn't been long in the grand scheme of things since he'd officially joined their ranks. The boy hadn't yet grown accustomed to the hierarchical  system of the resistance.

"She needs help," Byte urged.

"A lot of people need our help."

"But she's your sister."

Artemis froze for a moment before she began to pour the ginger ale into a glass. As she did so, she caught her reflection in the reflective table's surface. There had been a time when she used to search for her sister in her reflection. But as the years passed, she knew she had long since left her sister's image far behind. Her grey eyes took in her long red hair that was tied up in its usual French braid. Tiny scars littered her face. Though what Artemis supposed differentiated them the most was her left arm. Dull metal sprouted out of her shoulder. The arm that had been made from flesh and bone had been ripped from her body years ago. She'd been given the artificial limb sometime after losing her real arm. Over the years, various engineers and similarly tech-minded people—made tweaks to her arm. Eventually, the prostheses had evolved to the point where it was just as useful as her original arm. 

She glanced at the mechanical thing. Her sister was nowhere near this world. Thank god.

Artemis turned to the restless soldier. "The Princesses' pet is not my sister," she said calmly, taking a sip of the ginger ale. 

"How can you be so sure?" Byte retorted. "Did you send out someone from recon to confirm it?"

Artemis scoffed, "The recon agents have more important things to do than waste time on an Influenced captive."

Byte scowled, "She's not Influenced! She doesn't believe any of their shit. Why can't you just trust me on this? She's your sister."

Artemis placed the glass down. "You've heard the reports regarding the Princesses' pet. My sister isn't violent like that," she stated. Her mind drifted to memories of her sister gently washing various sparkly rocks she'd collected from outside. 

"Those reports are bark muck," Byte insisted, cursing in the slang only Shrinkees born outside of the non-shrunken world knew. He pleaded, "If you met her, you'd know there was no way—"

Artemis cut him off, "There were multiple eye witnesses."

Byte ran his fingers through his long hair, obviously frustrated. "Then they're wrong. She wouldn't hurt anyone."

"Byte—"

"She looks just like you. Ask Mike Richards or Agent X or—"

"Mike Richards has enough on his plate without me dragging him into pointless leads from your wild imagination," Artemis sighed.

"Commander—"

"Enough!" Artemis snapped. She'd indulged him far more than she would any other soldier. Her soft spot for the wild child-turned-soldier could only allot him so much leeway. It was obvious he had a bit of a growing crush on the Princesses' pet—whoever the hell she was. 

Still, slight guilt panged her when she watched him flinch at her tone. She exhaled and softened her voice. 

"Byte, I've already been made aware—my sister is at an ivy league university, probably studying something that will change the world for the better," she said.  

Her sister was safe. Although she'd closed the chapter on her family long ago after she'd decided to take a more prominent role in the resistance, she occasionally received brief updates on her sister's life. Last she had heard, her twin had spent Thanksgiving with some friends over break. 

That was just fine for Artemis. As kids she often thought her sister was far too delicate even for the world they lived in as non-shrunken children. One day in her chaotic shrunken life would have her sister shattering into tiny pieces. 

Artemis pulled herself out of her memories and turned back to the frustrated young solider in front of her.

Byte gritted his teeth. He looked like he wanted to continue arguing, but instead he shook his head with an exhale. 

"Fine," he started, "If you won't face the truth and see her as your sister, then can you at least consider getting her away from the BSA since she's Blood-Blessed?"

Artemis grimaced. She had spoken to enough trusted advisors to take their word that Type 0s truly did exist. She'd heard all about the seemingly mystical properties of Type 0's blood. If even half of them were true then they would be in serious trouble if it was discovered by the BSA.

But she couldn't make decisions so recklessly.  

She frowned, "There's still too much uncertainty surrounding the Princesses' pet. The BSA also increased security after the Thanksgiving mission. I'm not risking lives for something so unpredictable." 

Byte surprised her when his face crumbled up with sorrow. He clenched his fists and lowered his gaze to the floor. "Commander, I told her I would help her. The last time I saw her, her face was all bloody and swollen—"

Artemis held her hand up to stop him, "I recall your report, solider—in which you admitted to breaking protocol. I'm aware of what you said transpired, but what you told her was outside of my orders. If you made a promise you can't keep that's not my fault."

Byte didn't move an inch. Artemis could practically feel his frustration emitting from him. She sighed. 

"Your assigned mission will delay the BSA from finding out about her blood for a while. If you truly want to open up the door to save her, then you'll do this and buy us more time to figure out how to move forward."

Byte finally lifted his head back up. He relented. "Yes Commander Artemis," he muttered. 

Artemis picked up her glass again and brought it to her lips. She sympathized with Byte. His heart was in the right place, but he didn't grasp the bigger picture. Of course separating the Princesses' pet from the BSA was important, but there were hundreds, if not thousands of Shrinkees that needed the resistance's help. The Princesses' pet could wait. 

With his shoulders slumped, Byte started to make his way out the door. He abruptly stopped himself. With his eyes wide, he hissed, "Sludge sticks!" 

Byte shoved his hand in one of his pockets and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. He handed it to Artemis with an apologetic grimace. 

"Sorry Commander, I forgot to give you this. It's from Commander Grey," he said.

Artemis took the paper and glanced over it. She instantly recognized the old man's shitty handwriting scrawled onto the stained paper. 

It took her a second to decipher, but she managed to make out its contents: You know I'm not one for goodbyes. I left a journal in my quarters under the floorboard near my smokes—should be able to clear some things up for you. Sorry in advance for bending the truth, but you know I've always been a selfish bastard. Good luck saving our people's sorry asses—if you even try half as hard as I did, then I'm sure you'll be twice the commander I was. Good luck, Sticks. 

Artemis' face must've revealed the horrific dread she felt. By rule, she only showed the emotions she wanted to show on her face. If a solider needed to know she was angry, then she allowed her facial muscles to twist in such a way. But if she was terrified of a squad of her people being obliterated underneath a foot during a mission, only she would know it. 

However at that moment she lost control of the mask she wore as Commander. Fury took ahold of her. She crumbled the paper in her fist. Artemis pushed past Byte. She ran into an adjourning room in her quarters and the utility belt that held her gear and her bow and arrow. 

Byte, obviously alarmed, followed her as she fastened her gear and weapon to her person. "Where are you going?" He asked, startled. 

Artemis ignored his question and instead stormed up to him until she was inches away from his flustered face. 

"When did he give this to you?" She demanded, holding up the note in her fist. 

"U-Um, I met him on the way to your room. He was going to leave it for you in your quarters, but I offered to pass it on to you," he explained. 

"How long ago was that?" She barked. 

"I don't know, the sun hadn't started resting yet," Byte replied frantically. 

Artemis huffed. She would force him to learn how to read a clock when she returned. She turned to leave, but not before spinning back around to Byte when she reached the doorway. 

"Fulfill your mission," she growled, "Do not make contact with the Princesses' pet again."

Before she could see his reaction, she rushed out of her quarter's door. Artemis ran down the hallway at full speed, passing confused and distressed soldiers. She reached for the small satchel attached to her utility belt and pulled out an ear piece. 

She placed it onto her ear and pressed it a few times before she head the static sound she was looking for. Holding onto the earpiece, she demanded, "Control, this is your Commander. Open dock 11, and call for transportation. I need to depart immediately."

A surprised, but compliant voice answered over the earpiece, "Of course Commander Artemis, transportation ETA is in ten minutes." 

She was grateful the council had ultimately agreed to implement underground tunnels for quick travel through the city. Years of intense training payed off as she zipped through the subterranean pathways. It wasn't long before she arrived at her destination. 

The path lead to a locked door. She entered the keycode and ran through the door once she heard the high pitched beep echo around her. Artemis was greeted by a large dome-like space that contained about twenty dark red panels lined up in rows. 

Artemis rushed over to the nearest panel and stoop atop of it. She pressed her earpiece again.

"On panel 32. Send me out," she ordered. 

"Yes Commander Artemis. Countdown commencing in...ten...nine...eight...seven..."

Above her, the ceiling opened, revealing the orange and pink sky. 

"Six...five...four..."

Artemis crotched down in a prepared stance. 

"Three...two..."

She braced herself and steeled her mind. No matter how often she did this, she would never allow herself to become careless. 

"One!"

Artemis was launched into the air. Wind forcefully brushed against her body as she was propelled up to great heights. She was quickly far above the metropolis of which she resided. The hundreds of buildings down below seemed to sparkle as their evening lights came on. Artemis watched them for a second before the city seemingly disappeared. 

It was arguably the most important feature of the city—the bubble surrounding them that acted as both a shield and as camouflage. 

Artemis tore her eyes away from the now transparent city and returned to the mission at hand. She was running on borrowed time. Artemis soon was surrounded by branches upon branches of trees. With ease that came from countless hours of practice, she reached her hand out and grabbed onto one of many branches around her. 

She had waited for her momentum to lessen, so she didn't tear up her palms trying to stop herself. Artemis gripped onto the branch and shifted her body so she landed safely on her feet. 

Once she was on solid footing she wasted no time. Artemis hit the ground running. She pulled out her grappling gun from her utility belt and aimed at the furthest tree that it could reach. She stuck it on the first try and was pulled through the forest. She dodged leaves, branches, and curious insects as she rapidly moved through the trees.

Not much time had passed when she eventually came to a clearing. She was too far away to reach Control, but she knew she didn't need them. 

A mid-sized car was already parked at the edge of the clearing. Artemis once again used her grappling gun to climb higher along the tree she was on. Once she reached the branch that was high enough for her, she dug into the satchel on her belt and pulled out one of the newer gadgets her resource team had made for her specifically. It came in the form of a palm-sized metal box. Artemis tapped it twice and quickly placed it on the branch's surface. The box opened and a long pole began to rise from the container. The pole began to snap into different angles as it continued to expand. Eventually they all began to take the shape of a triangle.

When it stopped, a green cloth emerged from a slot in the poles. Artemis took in the hang glider in front of her. Although it was a terrible position that plagued her every second of her life, being the Commander certainly had its perks. 

Artemis took hold of the glider's handle and jumped from the branch without another wasted second. Once again she soared through the air, this time at a slightly downward trend. The setting sun framed her view as she glided towards the car. It would've been a peaceful moment if she wasn't fighting against time. She didn't know how long she had. 

Artemis reached the car and landed directly onto its rear tire. She pressed a button on the hang glider and it retracted back into the metal box, of which Artemis returned to her satchel. She took back out her grappling gun and pointed it at the underside of the car. Artemis lifted herself to the car's underbelly and perched herself on the undercarriage. 

Just as a restless anxiety started to rise within Artemis, the car began to move. Artemis' shoulders relaxed and she released a relieved sigh.

She and a few members of her strategic team had devised this transportation method. It was simple enough—request a carpool ride from a ride share app where the car was going to the desired destination. The driver shows up and waits for the passenger that never comes. The Shrinkee then sneaks onto the car and waits until ultimately the driver cancels the initial request and proceeds to take the other passenger to the destination. 

Returning to HQ was more difficult, but Artemis wasn't worried about that at the moment. She was more concerned with Grey's message. She was certain of what he planned on doing, and she would stop him before he had the chance, but the contents of the note gave her pause. 

Apparently he had been lying to her about something—something that he didn't want to tell her to her face. 

Artemis tsked. She wouldn't let him get off that easily. 

After a little less than a half an hour later the car arrived. Artemis used the grappling gun to drop down onto the pavement down below. 

As always, Artemis waited for the passenger to exit the car so she could hitch a ride—it was usually safer hiding on an unsuspecting non-Shrinkee than walking around on the ground. She could always jump off when she got closer to her destination.

However, when Artemis saw the passenger exit the car her mouth pulled itself into a grin. She truly had stumbled upon the best case scenario.

The passenger was a long haired brunette carrying a tote bag that displayed the exact organization she was looking for. 

Before the she could walk away, Artemis used her grappling gun to shoot up into the young woman's bag. Like all non-shrunken people, the woman was oblivious to her. Artemis climbed into the tote and was met with half of a dozen lip gloss containers and various items of other makeup. 

Artemis listened to the heels of the massive young woman click against the pavement. After a while the clicking slowed down. Artemis heard the opening of a door. Instantly she was overwhelmed by a cacophony of squealing, giggling, and high-pitched chattering.

"Tam-Tam you're back!" A chipper voice squealed through the noise.

The young woman who Artemis had hitched a ride on replied warily, "Yeah, I accidently got a carpool ride instead of a normal one. The driver took me to this weird abandoned forest place and I thought he was gonna like murder me or something, but I guess he was waiting for the other carpool person, but they didn't show so he just dropped me off."

"Ah that sucks girlie! But I'm glad you made it. We're about to play trivia with the pledges now," the chipper voice said.

Whatever wariness the sorority girl had was seemingly squished at that information. "Omg yass," she laughed. 

Artemis felt the massive sorority girl begin to move. The two girls chattered about inane things Artemis didn't care about. She needed to find Grey. She knew he was somewhere around the sorority. 

Suddenly Artemis was tossed around in the bag as the sorority girl most likely threw it down somewhere. Slowly, the Shrinkee poked her head out of the bag. Her heart nearly exploded from her chest when a gigantic barefoot slammed down inches away from her. 

She looked up and saw a thankfully unaware sorority girl. Artemis received an unwanted view of the co-ed's purple panties under her black dress. 

The purple panties girl clasped her hands together and the room's volume lowered. Artemis looked out into the room. They were in a large shared common area of sorts. A couple dozen or so girls in white sat on the floor while a crowd of sorority girls in short black dresses sat around them on huge sectionals and cushy chairs. 

The purple panties girl flipped her black hair over her shoulder and addressed the room.

"All right girls, tonight's event is going to be trivia. I want to see how well you know Delta Omega. Rules are you have to drink if you give the wrong answer. First one to puke or pass out will face a special penalty," she said, giggling towards the end. 

The pledges' faces flashed with worry and unease, while the sorority girls looked downright gleeful. Artemis noticed a lot of them already had alcohol in their hands. 

The purple panties girl began, "Okay, what is the name of the third president of this chapter?" She pointed to a anxious-looking Asian girl.

"Ummm, Jane Ryder?" She answered, uncertain.

The sorority girls erupted with a giddy, "Wrong!" 

The pledge jumped, and the purple panties girl held her hand out to one other sorority girls. A giggling blonde jumped up from the couch with a bottle of vodka. Artemis shook as the blonde's footfalls make quakes across the floor. 

The purple panties girl grinned as she accepted the bottle from the blonde. She stepped in front of the pledge sneered down at her.

"Open your mouth, pledge," she ordered. 

Tentatively, the pledge opened her mouth. The purple panties girl tilted the vodka bottle until the liquid spilled from the nozzle. To her credit, the stream landed perfectly in the pledge's mouth. 

"Drink up," the purple panties girl said as she giggled along with the other sorority girls. 

She stopped pouring and the pledge's kneeled over and started coughing. The laughter from the other girls only grew. 

"It was Jane Meyers by the way," the purple panties girl giggled. 

Artemis rolled her eyes as they continued the game. This was so stupid. It never stopped boiling her blood to see non-Shrinkees living such different lives from her and her people. These girls were all around her age and yet she was sure they'd never experienced a fraction of the horrors she'd seen. 

The Shrinkee directed her energy to finding Grey. He wouldn't be out in the open. Not yet at least. Her hand lowered to her utility belt. She took out her binoculars and scanned the room. 

Artemis kept her eyes low to the ground. She looked past the many pedicured toes of the increasingly drunken co-eds and tried to focus on locating the frame of a Shrinkee. 

Her heart skipped when she noticed something move under the couch. She zeroed in on the figure. A wave of relief washed over Artemis as she took the figure in. She recognized his long sliver hair and scruffy beard right away. 

Her former commander stood next to the heels of one of the co-eds. His notorious pervy smile was on full display as he stared at the giant foot. 

Artemis took in the scene, attempting to figure out Grey's exact plan. The giant foot he was drooling over belonged to the giggling blonde who had previously transported the vodka of water over to the purple panties girl. Artemis' eyes trailed up her ankles to the rest of her body. She was settled against the end of the couch. 

Artemis didn't notice anything too out of the ordinary until she noticed the girl next to her. She was another giggly blonde. The two of them were playing their own little drinking game. Though they had ignored the trivia aspect of it and were apparently having a contest as to who could take the longest swig of alcohol. Artemis' eyes fell back down to the giant sorority girl's feet. Blondie number two removed her feet from her flats and slowly began to glide her bare foot on top of blondie number one's. Her gigantic toes began to wiggle on top of her sorority sister's flesh. She could see that Grey was practically vibrating. The Shrinkee raised her binoculars back up as she realized what was happening. The drunken blondes were giggling, but Artemis started to notice their lingering touches and just how close they were sitting next to one another.

Artemis grunted and placed the binoculars back on her belt. She wasn't surprised. If there was one thing she could count on in this world, it was her mentor's perverseness.

Artemis scanned the room, looking for the safest path to reach him. Thankfully, the absurdly long sectional couch created a lot of coverage for her to run under. Although there was some distance between the couch and the bag Artemis hid in, the Shrinkee was certain she could make it underneath the couch without being seen. 

For a while she watched the gigantic sorority girls woo and giggle, and waited for an opening. She found her opportunity when another pledge got a question wrong. The second the wrong answer passed from the pale girl's lips, the room erupted with drunken laughter and taunts. 

In the ruckus, Artemis shot out of the bag and ran straight for the couch. Inconspicuous short bursts of speed were her specialty, so she wasn't surprised when she made it underneath the couch without being detected. 

She ran quickly, but quietly towards Grey. She knew he would get spooked if he saw her. She dodged the dust bunnies as she made her way over to him. Once she turned the the corner of the sectional, Artemis slowed herself. She shifted the weight of her feet, so she was virtually silent, just as Grey had taught her. 

Artemis lowered her shoulders and started to creep up on him. His eyes were practically attached to the two blondes' gigantic feet as they played footies in front of him. 

Just as Artemis started to near him, a disgusting retch pierced the room. What sounded like a waterfall of vomit crashed onto the floor. A chorus of sounds of pretend-disgust mixed with laughter erupted from the sorority girls. 

Artemis faltered. The Shrinkee generally found non-shrunken people to be revolting. Their smells, their clumsy movements were all sickening to her. Plus, no feature was particularly flattering when it was blown up a hundreds times its normal size. 

So hearing one of them empty their massive stomach was nauseating for her. The Shrinkee audibly gagged and slightly bent over as the smell of vodka and stomach acid hit her. 

"Sticks?" A shocked voice called out over the barking commands of the purple panties sorority girl to clean up the vomit. 

Artemis grimaced. She'd been spotted. She straightened herself back up, swallowing down any bile that threatened to upchuck itself. She glared when her eyes met Grey's. 

He was dressed in his off duty clothes—a T-Shirt that read, BEACH BABE, and a pair of cargo shorts. His silver hair was tied up in low ponytail, something he only did when he wanted to concentrate. Artemis swallowed a groan. She was sure he wanted to memorize every second of his prevented plan.

"How did you find me?" He asked, the surprise evident in his voice.

Artemis folded her arms as she walked up to him. "Are you serious? How many times have you said your ideal way to go out is to—"

They both finished, "Be smushed in the middle of a sorority sandwich."

Artemis raised an eyebrow, "You've been saying that before I even knew what a sorority was."

Grey grunted, scratching his thick beard, "That's what I get for sharing my hopes and dreams."

Artemis reached into her pack and pulled out his note. His face flooded with guilt when he saw it in her hands. 

"What the fuck is this shit, Grey?" Artemis barked.

Grey gave her small smirk and tilted his head. "Is that any way for the Commander of the resistance to speak? I swear, you have the mouth of a drunken sailor," he taunted. 

Artemis scoffed, "I learned from my predecessor. Now can you please just tell me what's going on? What the fuck do you mean 'goodbye' and what's this about bending the truth?"

He tsked, "I told you to read the journal I left you. Why can you never follow simple instructions? You always have to have to do things your own way."

"I don't want to read your fucking journal! I want to hear what you have to say from you," she snapped.

Grey huffed, "You are so damn stubb—"

He cut himself off when he noticed the gigantic feet began to detangle themself from each other. The giant sorority girls started to make the movements to stand up.

Grey's eyes widened. He turned to Artemis with a sympathetic grin. "Sorry Sticks, but there goes my ride," he said. 

His large hand suddenly grabbed her shirt and shoved her as hard as he could. Artemis was thrown back onto the floor, sliding back a yard or so. 

In a second, Artemis was back on her feet. Blood rushed to her face. She would've normally seen his attack coming from a mile away, but she was still nauseated from the giant pledge's vomiting. 

Grey had already run from underneath the couch. Artemis was terrified that he would be seen, but relief poured over her when she saw he had jumped into blondie number two's flats. The Shrinkee quickly followed after him. Being younger and more fit, it took all of two seconds for Artemis to join Grey in the shoe.

She collided into him as she slid into the toe section of the gigantic footwear. 

"You sure are living up to your name, Sticks," Grey grumbled.

Artemis' lips couldn't help but break out into a smirk. "That's why you gave it to me," she retorted.  

"Eight years later and I still can't get rid of you," he grunted. Though Artemis could see the slightest curling of his lips.  

Whatever nostalgic sentiment was rapidly undercut by the putrid stench of the giant sorority girl's shoe. Artemis' skin crawled from the sticky sweat that was drenched into insole of the flat.

Grey, on the other hand, buried his face into the insole and inhaled deeply. Artemis swiftly kneed him in the gut. The older man groaned and turned on his side. He glared at the teenage Shrinkee.

Artemis glared right back. The shoe began to move as blonde number two started to leave the room. Both Artemis and Grey held their place by stretching their limbs against the walls of the shoe. 

"You fucking blow, you know that?" She said to him. "After all this time you can't just shoot it to me straight? Why are you trying to off yourself?"

Grey started to respond, when the entire shoe began to suddenly jerk up and down. Artemis turned her head as much as she could to see what was happening. The two blondes were bouncing up the stairs, giggling drunkenly.

Artemis turned her head back to Grey when he answered her. "Sticks, I'm old and tired. Let me just go in peace. Don't you think I've earned that much?" He whined.

Artemis scoffed, "You're fifty-two, Grey. What's this really about?"

Grey groaned. He was saved from answering her as the two blondes reached the top of the stairway. They stumbled into a bedroom that had been vomited on by the color pink. Artemis had to tighten her grip as the drunken blonde haphazardly tossed her shoe onto the floor. Fortunately for the Shrinkees, the flat landed right side up and they weren't thrown from the shoe. The giant footwear slid underneath across the floor until it landed underneath the bed. 

Artemis quickly jumped out of the shoe and found she was surrounded by dirty laundry. She bent over and started to retch again. 

"Sticks, will you shut your trap? I've been waiting months for this moment," Grey barked. He was standing near the edge of the bed's coverage, apparently unaffected by the intense transportation method they'd experienced. He was watching the two blondes from the reflection of a floor mirror that showed them sitting on the bed. They were just laughing drunkenly, seemingly at nothing. 

Artemis sneered at him. "You are so disgusting," she scoffed, walking over to him.

"I never claimed I wasn't," he shrugged. "How did you know it was this sorority, anyway?" He asked, his eyes not leaving the giggling girls. 

"Because you're lazy as shit," Artemis replied, "I just went to the nearest university."

Grey scoffed, "That's where you're wrong, Sticks. There is no such thing as too much effort if there is a chance to see the love between friends blossom into a deep carnal desire."

Artemis only grunted in disgust. Grey ignored her and continued to explain. "I've been watching these two for a while. They were here over the summer when Delta Omega was doing some charity work. Of all the sorority sisters, I noticed a certain...connection between these two. I knew something was bound to come of it," he said with pride.

"Is this why you stepped down from the role as Commander? So you could use your mind for dumb shit like this?" Artemis tsked. 

"No, I told you," Grey said, his eyes still glued to the giant sorority girls, "I'm too old. Plus, you've got the hang of it from what I've seen."

Artemis scowled, "Fine, then retire! Why are you trying to kill your—"

Grey abruptly shushed her. A wide grin spread across his face. "It's happening," he said, giddy.

The two blondes had finally stopped laughing. Blonde number two scrunched her face. "That was so gross! These pledges really can't hold their liquor," she snickered. 

Blonde number one nodded, "Right? Like how hard is it to like not throw up?"

Artemis figured if she rolled her eyes any harder, they would fall out of her head. It was difficult to believe these girls were around her age. They were so stupid. If they'd been shrunken they would've died in a matter of hours.

Blonde number two swung her giant feet, creating a rancid smelling wind of her feet for the Shrinkees under the bed. Artemins struggled to keep herself from gagging again.

"We were much better pledges," blonde number two said. "Remember how we had to get one of the Alpha Gama's to buy us a case of beer or else we would have to kiss another pledge?" 

Blonde number one laughed, "I know! That was so much fun, my Alpha Gama got me like three cases."

Blonde number two grinned, "Mine got me four!" 

They both erupted into uproarious laughter again. Artemis threw her hands in the air, "Grey are you seriously just going to listen to their stupid--"

"Shush!" He hissed at her. "This is the moment of truth," he said. 

The giant blondes giggles faded. After a moment of comfortable silence, blonde number one said, "Well, like I wouldn't have, like, minded kissing another pledge."

Blonde number two's legs stopped swinging. She replied, "Oh, I mean me too."

After another bout of silence, blonde number one said, "I've never kissed a girl before."

Artemis groaned as Grey bounced on his toes joyfully. 

"Me neither," blonde number two replied. "I mean it's kinda weird, right? We're like almost done with our teen years and we haven't kissed another girl before...it's kinda like homophobic right?"

Grey nodded seriously, as though he were watching a great intellectual conversation. 

Blonde number one considered blonde number two's reply. "A little," she answered. She thought for a while before saying, "I think girls' lips are probably softer than guys'.

Blonde number two nodded, "Yeah, I'd think so."

"We won't really know until we try it out," Blonde number one said. 

"You're literally like so right," Blonde number two said. Her mouth twisted into a frown, "But we're like besties, is that okay?"

Artemis watched Grey clench his jaw. "Of course it's okay," he whispered to himself. 

Blonde number one pondered her friend's question. She suddenly jumped up, creating a tremor for Artemis and Grey on the floor with her huge feet. Artemis' eyes followed the giant feet as they slapped their way across the hardwood floor over to the dresser. 

Blonde number one opened the bottom drawer in the dresser and pulled out a plastic bag. She reached in and revealed two fluffy pink blindfolds.

Grey clasped his hands together, "Fuck yeah Courtney, way to take initiative."

Artemis exhaled deeply as blonde number one, apparently named Courtney, walked back over to blonde two. She sat back down on the bed, causing it to creak above the Shrinkees.

"These are for tomorrow's pledge activity. If we wear these then it won't be like we're kissing each other, it will be like we're kissing some other girl who, like, isn't one of us," Courtney said, handing a blindfold to blonde number two. 

Artemis was certain she was losing brain cells listening to to the two idiots. 

"You're right! That's such a good idea!" Blonde number two gasped. 

Grey made his hand into a fist and shot it up in the air in celebration. "And thank you Kourtney for being so receptive. It's all coming together," he breathed.

Artemis furrowed her brow. "I thought the other one's name was Courtney," she said.

Grey sighed, seeming annoyed that his fantasy was being interrupted, "Their names are Courtney and Kourtney. One is with a 'K' and the other is with a 'C'."

"Be fucking serious," Artemis said dryly.

"Shut it, Sticks," Grey snapped. "They're individuals in their own way. Like Courtney is a double 'D' cup, while Kourtney is an 'E'," he added.

Artemis ignored him. She didn't want to know how he had obtained that information.

Courtney and Kourtney both started to put the blindfolds on. The room filled with their nervous and drunken giggles. Grey's eyes widened with apparent excitement as the girls successfully placed their blindfolds over their eyes. They sat next to each, just giggling for a moment, their legs slightly swinging. They slowly both began leaning towards one another. 

Artemis noticed Grey had stopped breathing and blinking. She could tell only the girls were in his world.

The massive sorority girls were inches away from each other. Their breathing was heavy with anticipation. Slowly they moved closer to one another. Their pink lips gently touched for a second before they leaned in to one another. 

They pressed their mouths together briefly, before moving back slightly and reconnecting their lips again. They kissed like that for a minute, slightly uncertain as their pecks turned into longer and lingering kisses. 

"Yeah," Courtney said through their kiss, "Your lips are softer than any guys'."

"Yours too," Kourtney breathed. "Can I just like.." Kourtney started. She gently grabbed Courtney's chin and leaned in with an open mouth. She slipped her tongue into the other blonde's mouth. Smacking sounds emerged from the two as their kissing became deeper. Courtney's hands found their way to Kourtney's waist. They moved up and down her torso as she started feeling her friend up. 

Artemis cringed at the display, unimpressed. "There, they're kissing. Can we go now and can you finally tell me what's going on with you?" She asked. 

Grey looked at her incredulously, "Are you kidding? This is all I could've hoped for! You read my message, Sticks, this is how I'm going out."

Artemis grabbed his shoulder. "Will you stop saying that? You don't want to do field work anymore? Fine! Don't do it, you can just be an advisor—"

"No!" Grey yelled. Artemis faltered. Grey looked genuinely upset. He was never upset. He always was frustratingly easy going.

His eyes fell to the floor. He lowered his voice, "Stop it, Sticks. Just read my journal...please."

He took a step forward towards the area where a blanket from the bed met the floor. Artemis knew he was going to climb it so join the sorority girls. 

She stepped in front of him. "No," she said. He looked at her with pleading eyes. For the first time, Artemis noticed how tired he looked. 

Still, she needed answers. She glared at him. "As your commander I am ordering you to disclose your motivations," she demanded. 

Grey glared back at her, before allowing his shoulders to slump. His face crumpled. After a moment of painful silence, he finally answered her.

"I'm dying, Beth."

Artemis' ears could only hear her heartbeat. "What?" She felt herself say, but she wasn't sure if she'd spoken aloud.

"It's bad, and before you say anything, I already met with the med team. Don't be angry with them, I told them not to tell you. At the very most they can prolong my life by a few months, but I won't even be myself. I would be in so much pain, and just...I don't want to live like that," he whispered.

Artemis shook her head, "Y-You're wrong. They're wrong. You have to do more tests, I'm sure they just made a mistake somewhere--"

"Sticks, it's over for me," Grey said. 

Tears filled her eyes. She hadn't cried in years, but she found herself holding back a sob. 

"Grey, I can't lose you. I don't know how to do this without you," she pleaded.  

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "You already have been. You don't need me anymore, Sticks. You've got this," he said.

Artemis sniffed, "It's always been me and you. I don't even know how—"

"Yes you do. Sure, I taught you things here and there, but you've always been twice the Shrinkee I could ever hope to be," he said. "It's time to make your own path without me."

With that he took his hand away from her shoulder and started walking over to the blanket so he could climb up the bed.

Artemis stood frozen. This couldn't be happening. It was Grey. Grey never died. He didn't die when he was trapped in a sandwich and almost eaten by a BSA solider during a recon mission. He didn't die when a bird scooped him and tried to feed him to her babies. He didn't die when they had first teamed up together to escape her classmate's uncle. Even in the most insane situations, he somehow always made it out alive—and he would always make sure she would make it out too. 

Artemis clenched her fists. She dried her eyes. She wouldn't let it end like this. The teenage Shrinkee burst out running after him. She reached the blanket and saw he was halfway up to the bed. Artemis started to climb after him. He had a decent head start, but she was faster. It was moments like these in which she appreciated the sheer bad-assery of her mechanical arm. It easily allowed her the speed she needed to try to catch up to him.

When he reached the top, she wasn't too far behind. She realized the closer she got to the mattress, the more it was moving. She hadn't been paying too much attention to Courtney and Kourtney on the account of her world turning upside down, but she realized their moaning had gotten pornographic. Artemis hadn't realized just how fucking loud they had become.

As she climbed over to the top, she was stunned to see the scene before her. Like two horny mountains, the sorority girls were aggressively making out with each other. Courtney lay on top of Kourtney, both still blindfolded. Their enormous hands were all over each others' bodies. They groped their huge breasts and behinds like they were addicted to each other. The sound of a torrent of saliva passing from the huge girls' mouths filled the room. 

Artemis blinked back to reality when she saw Grey headed straight for them. She ran after him at full speed. It didn't take long to catch up to him. She launched herself into the air and tackled him onto the soft mattress. 

"What the fuck!" He yelped.

Artemis wasn't worried about being heard. There was no way the two blondes could hear the Shrinkees over their own moans and smacking lips. 

"I don't fucking accept this, Grey," Artemis hissed as she held him down. "I won't let you just give up. We can figure this out together."

Grey grunted as he pushed her off. "Will you stop it? I already told you, I'm done!" 

Both Shrinkees shook as the blondes began to shift. Artemis looked at them with wide eyes. Courtney began to shift back as she lifted Kourtney's dress to her midriff. She slid her hands along the other blonde's thighs until they at her waist. 

Slowly, she removed her white panties. Artemis was nauseated once more when she saw a string of liquid stretch from Kourtney's pussy to her panties. 

"Your panties feel so wet," Courtney giggled, her voice booming now that Artemis was so close to the massive sorority girls. 

The teenage Shrinkee watched in horror as the giant blonde carelessly tossed her bestie's panties—right towards Artemis and Grey. A vast shadow overtook them as the enormous panties headed straight for them.

Artemis was thrown to the ground as Grey jumped on top of her, shielding her from the gigantic undergarment. The material covered them completely as it draped over them. The thick scent of arousal was potent enough to choke Artemis. 

Grey stood up and they both removed the heavy fabric from their persons. 

"Is this really how you want to go?" Artemis coughed as she tried to take in fresh air. 

Grey nodded as if it was obvious, "This is the only way I want to go. But I don't think you feel the same way about your own death, so how about you get the hell out of here?"

Artemis shook her head, "No, I'm not leaving without you, I need you."

Grey growled, "Why are you so fucking stubborn?" He turned and started running towards the giant blondes again. Artemis ran after him, stopping him again before he reached them.

"I'm not fucking letting you do this, so just give up," she yelled. 

"Why? God damnit why?" He hissed.

"Because it's always been the two of us. You're my only family! You're a good person, you shouldn't go out like this," Artemis cried. 

Grey became deathly silent. His face darkened. Artemis went quiet when she saw his expression. 

He looked at her with steely eyes and uttered, "That's not true."

Artemis frowned, "What?"

"I'm not a good person. I lied," Grey said. "Your sister is the Princesses' pet."

Artemis blinked. "What?" She couldn't even comprehend what he was saying. "No, she's not, you told me she just finished her Thanksgiving break."

"I lied," Grey said again, his voice quiet. He was nearly drowned out by the giant blondes' moaning. "I lied about a lot of things. I did check in on your family, but they weren't how I said they were," he said.

He took a deep breath before speaking again. Artemis saw his hands shaking. 

"Your family didn't move to a beach town after they thought you died. Your father moved your mother and sister to an apartment in a city. He left and remarried—"

Artemis rubbed her hands along her face, "W-Wait wait wait wait, what are you—"

"Your mother...your mother didn't handle your death well. She left your sister a while after your father did. Your sister lived by herself in that apartment for a couple of years until your father came to get her after she got hurt—"

Artemis raised her hands for Grey to slow down. "I can't—I don't—"

Grey kept going. His voice lost its even tone. Tears clouded his eyes. "He took her to live with him and his new family in a small town. Your sister was terrorized by her step-sister and abused at school," he croaked out.

"T-This isn't true, Grey. Why are you lying—"

"Your sister got into Queenston University—that part was true—but in October she was lured into one of the BSA's controlled exterminations where they found out she was a Type 0 Shrinkee. The Princesses have been holding her captive ever since." 

Artemis shook her head continuously. "No. Sorry no, I don't believe it. You're just trying to make it so I won't stop you from killing yourself," Artemis said. "My sister is not the Princesses' pet. Sorry, but you can't make me believe you."

Tears streamed down Grey's face. "I'm not a good person, Sticks," he sniffed.

"No," Artemis said, "You wouldn't do that."

Grey choked out a sob, "I watched her get slapped around by her step-sister." 

Artemis balled her fists, "Shut up! You wouldn't just let that happen. You told me your dad used to beat you. You wouldn't just let someone else—you wouldn't let my sister—"

"I did," Grey whimpered. "I used to watch her cut herself too. She was so fucking sad. She was fucking drowning and no one knew—no one knew but me—and I—" 

"Stop it! Fucking stop it, Grey!" Artemis cried. 

Artemis found her own vision was cloudy with tears. Dread and despair gripped every cell in her body. Her family. Her twin. She felt like the world was closing in on her. She turned to Grey.

"Why?" She breathed. 

Grey's lip quivered. "The resistance needed you. Our people needed you. II needed you." 

Artemis fell to her knees. Her sister's life had been tragic. It still was. As she sat, her sister was somewhere in the clutches of the Princesses. The Princesses. Artemis frantically went through every report of the Princesses in her mind. At best they were narcissistic psychopaths that rivaled their parents in cruelty. The Shrinkees they rescued who had come into contact with them were always devastatingly traumatized.  

And her sister had already spent more than two months with them. Her sweet sister who cried during thunderstorms. Her delicate sister who always seemed to need protecting.

Artemis pulled at her hair from her scalp. "No no no no no no no," she breathed. A memory from when they were children bulldozed into her mind. Her sister was in Artemis' bed, crying after one of their classmates had ripped up a drawing of a constellation she had drawn for their mother.

"I wish people were nicer," Annie sniffed as snot ran from her nose.

Beth took her sleeve and wiped away her sister's tears and mucus.

"Most people suck, Annie," Beth said.

Annie frowned, "Suck is a bad word."

"Sorry."

"It's okay...Beth?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think I'm weird?"

Beth considered her sister's question before nodding. "Yeah, I guess."

Tears filled Annie's eyes as she began to cry again. Beth frantically tried to comfort her. "No, it's okay that you're weird. I think it's fun that you know a lot about stars and all kinds of different things."

"But everyone makes fun of me," she whimpered.

"Who cares? I'll beat them all up, just like I beat up James for ripping up your picture."

"I don't want you to get in trouble," Annie said.

Beth grinned, "I don't mind getting into trouble, especially if it means kids don't bother you anymore. So stop crying so much."

"Okay...Beth?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

Artemis vomited at the memory. Her stomach emptied completely onto the mattress. She'd failed. She'd failed her sister. Guilt covered her. It suffocated her. 

Then came the anger. It wasn't all her fault. 

Artemis stood to her feet. She looked ahead and saw Grey was right beneath Kourtney's hovering thighs. Courtney was in the middle of finger fucking Kourtney with vigor. Kourtney was arched in the air as Courtney's gigantic fingers pumped in and out of her. Grey was below them, in a shallow pool of Kourtney's juices. 

Artemis stormed over to him. The wet, squelching sound of Kourtney being fucked was almost all she heard, but she ignored it and focused on the powerful beating of her furious heart.

Droplets of cum rained around her as she neared Grey. Her boots were drenched in cum with every step she took.

"Hey!" She screamed at Grey. He spun around and turned to her with surprised, wide eyes. The giant sorority girls above were too busy squealing, moaning, and squelching to hear them. 

"Get back!" Grey shouted. 

"How could you do this to me?" Artemis yelled. "My family was broken this entire time! Você fodeu tudo! You fucking lied to me!"

"I know—"

"You're fucking sick, you know that? Did you even care about me at all?"

"What? Of course I did!"  

"Fuck you! If you did, you wouldn't have lied to me after all this time you, selfish piece of—"

"Shut the fuck up you damn brat!" Grey roared back, effectively stunning Artemis into silence. "You need to take some god damned responsibility too. I taught you everything I know, which means I know you know when someone is lying. I was going to take the fall and let you paint me as the villain--which I know the fuck I am--but if you're going to lead our fucking people then you need to own up to your shit too."

Artemis balked, "A-Are you saying I knew that my family had gone to shit?"

Grey hissed, "I'm saying you know when I'm lying. I'm saying you could've easily checked on your sister at any point in time. You could've sent a recon solider who wouldn't have told you anything but the truth. But you didn't, because deep down you didn't want to know. You didn't want to know for the same reason I didn't want to tell you. Because if you knew, you would have to make a decision. It wasn't a decision I wanted you to make at twelve, it wasn't a decision I wanted you to make at sixteen, but it looks like it's gonna be a decision you're going to have to make now."

Grey's face softened. "Listen Sticks, now that you know your sister is the Princesses' pet—which I think you've known was the case deep down for a while—you need to choose how you'll move forward. Nothing has changed. If you can use her—good. If you can't...her life is not worth our people's. You need to remember that," he said.  

Artemis was a whirl of emotion. On one hand she was furious that he dared to lecture her after everything. On the other hand she knew he was right. 

Artemis found herself crying yet again. "Don't you think you should take some responsibility and fucking help me through all of this?" She croaked. 

Grey gave her a sad smile. "I think we both know you have better instincts than me. I'm sure whatever you decide to do will be the right choice for our people," he said.

Artemis sniffed and wiped her eyes. "I'm still mad at you," Artemis said, fully knowing she sounded like the ten year old she'd been when they'd met years ago. 

"That's okay, Sticks, but try not to stay mad. Life is too short to not enjoy it. You've got to stop and smell the pussies some times," he quipped. 

Artemis cringed, but laughed anyway. "I'm glad I met you, Grey."

Her mentor grinned. "Yeah, same goes for you Stic—"

Kourtney's massive behind came plummeting down, obliterating Grey under her round ass. Artemis was sprayed with the bloody remains of Grey's body. The Shrinkee looked, with bulging eyes, at her body covered in her mentor's blood and guts.  

Kourtney's gigantic body trembled as she smiled through her post-orgasm experience, shaking the bed and Artemis' frozen form. 

"Omg," she breathed, nearly breathless, "That was like so amazing. I came so much even my ass is wet." 

"Okay," Courtney giggled, "Now, like, do me." 

Artemis slowly turned away from the aroused blondes. She walked to the end of the bed. She felt the mattress indent and shake as the two blondes switched positions. The sound of kissing and moaning returned, but Artemis kept her eyes forward and her feet steady.

With one less mentor and the unavoidable truth of her sister's situation made evident, the weight of the world grew a little bit heavier for Artemis.