Evelynn Mons, a master thief with the ability to freely alter her size or that of anything she touches, uses her special powers and irresistible charms to pull off elaborate heists. Her only obstacle is the relentless ICPO inspector, Vittoria Napolitano, a hard-boiled woman with zero tolerance for criminals and the drive to bring them all to justice. Evelynn will use every tool at her disposal, including a prodigious samurai with an unhealthy attachment to her, to evade arrest and get at whatever prize she so desires.

"All of life's riches belong to yours truly, for I can fit everything in the palm of my hand."

Ch 1. Cop and Robber

Word Count: 3830

Added: 03/16/2025

Updated: 04/12/2025

Chapter Notes:

First chapter originally uploaded on April 9, 2024.

“In other news, authorities remain baffled by the sudden disappearance of the Statue of Liberty. It joins an extensive list of missing monuments and artefacts, including the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Unity, and the Mona Lisa. Law agencies around the globe suspect these events to be connected but have yet to determine the means or motive, let alone a culprit. Current speculation points to Manipulator involvement.”

…

“Lotta freaky shit going on lately, huh?” Clyde remarked, scratching his shoulder. His Kevlar vest was too tight, and his regular requests to get a larger replacement all went unheeded.

“You’s said it,” Biggs replied, tapping the side of his AK-47. “Mabel’s acting all paranoid, thinks she’s going to wake up to the whole house missing. So I says to Mabel I says, ‘Honey, it’s only things worth a damn are going missing. Our shack’s staying right where it is, next to that sumbitch neighbor of ours and his shit slinging pupper.’” Biggs and Clyde stood outside the front entrance to the Percival Memorial Bank, decked out in their uniforms and armed to the teeth. Normally, the financial institution would keep its manned security more discreet, but this afternoon the whole building was teeming with armed guards.

“I wouldn’t be too sure. I heard the other day all the elephants in the zoo went missing. Not escaped, like they all went poof and vanished into thin air. And there’s all this talk of a calling card.” Two days ago, the bank’s director, Henry Percival, found an alarming note stuffed in his mailbox.

In two days’ time, I shall abscond with the Sapphire of Iskandar. Be a dear and keep it polished for me ‘til then. -Forever my own, Evelynn Mons.

Such toothless threats would usually be written off as a prank in poor taste, but the sapphire, a one-of-a-kind treasure coveted by the legendary conqueror, Alexander the Great, was a recent addition to the bank’s storied collection, its inclusion only known to the director and the jewel’s owner. And with all the recent disappearances, not to mention the rise in eccentric Manipulators out to make a name for themselves any way they saw fit, the director wasn’t letting some wannabe phantom thief besmirch his institution’s good name.

“Hey, Clyde, you’s seeing what I’m seeing?”

“You talking about that giant red balloon floating our way?” A rubber bubble drifted through the city street, hovering over busy traffic like a rogue parade float. It was a red balloon with a long string, the classic design one would expect a child to hold onto while strolling through the park, only this one was large enough to put Macy’s to shame. Cars stopped and pedestrians gaped as the unknown floating object cast them in shadow, inching ever closer to the downtown bank building.

“No, I’m talking ‘bout the partly cloudy weather.” Biggs smacked Clyde upside the head. “Of course I’m talking about the balloon, you numbskull!”

“You asked!” Clyde cried, clutching the side of his dome.

Biggs reached for the radio strapped to his vest. “Yo, Boss, we’s got a situation on our hands. Do we’s got permission to shoot?” The radio crackled and the voice of a cranky geezer clamored out.

“Yes! Shoot! What do you think I armed you pillocks for!?” The pair didn’t hesitate, drawing their rifles at the balloon. Armed guards peeked out from windows spread across the twenty-story high-rise, as well as flooding the roof’s guardrail, each pointing heavy artillery at the foreign object. In a matter of seconds, the once calm city block erupted in a cacophony of gunfire as a relentless storm of led was poured into the rubber sphere. The balloon put up no resistance, popping with a thunderous bang and releasing a white cloud of smoke out onto the street, enshrouding the bank and all around it in a translucent haze.

“Tear gas!” Biggs shouted, as he collapsed in a coughing fit. Clyde and the rest of the armed forces were no better off, water leaking out of his eyes harder than the leak in his basement’s sum pump. Through the gas and the tears, the two could barely make out the shady figure dashing past them into the bank.

“What are you idiots doing!?” Mr. Percival shouted from the command center. He was surrounded by television screens giving him a near omniscient view of every corner of his bank while desk jockeys scrambled sending updates to the operatives scattered throughout the building. “Get this situation under control!”

The shady figure, donned in a gas mask and covered from head to toe in skintight leather, darted through the hallways, barreling towards the staircase further into the first floor. Beside the stairs was the public bathrooms, a guard standing outside hastily fastening his belt.

“H-hold it right there!” he yelled, but before he could even unholster his gun, an expanding mass of grey hide burst out of the restroom.

“Bvarooooooooomf!” An elephant rapidly expanded into the hallway, the shocked bewilderment etched into its face mirroring the guard it nearly trampled. A trumpeting chorus rang out throughout the upper floors as elephants stampeded out of every bathroom, wrecking everything in their path and preventing the guards from performing their duties in any semblance of an organized manner. The intruder slipped past the rampaging beast and ran up the staircase, echoes of the savannah blaring from every exit as she made her ascent.

The shady figure leapt out onto the fifth floor and made for the center of the building, running into a group of guards on the way.

“Freeze!” one shouted, but it was too late. From out of nowhere, a cup of chocolate pudding appeared in the intruder’s hand. The guards, with guns drawn, glanced at one another, each as bemused as the next. The intruder peeled open the pudding cup and dipped her bare forefinger into the treat. With a flick, the cup went flying towards the guards, the pudding expanding into a chocolate tidal wave. “Agh!” The guards all collapsed under the spreading sea of sweetness, the unknown entity vanishing from sight as pudding overtook the floor. The entire hallway and every room filled up with the yummy dessert until the floor caved under the increasing weight.

“Dammit!” Mr. Percival slammed his fist against a desk. “You utterly useless nincompoops!” The vault containing the treasured sapphire, a 1’x1’ steel alloy box mounted firmly in a carbon-reinforced wall, lied on the fourth floor, tucked away in a once secure room built with the intent of holding the bank’s rarest oddities. But with the destruction of the floor above and everything covered in pudding, not to mention the stampeding elephants, the guards had no easy means of reaching the vault. Surely, the intruder must have fallen victim to the topsy-turvey maelstrom of her own devising, but the security camera live-feed painted a different picture. The vault’s dial twisted clockwise, counterclockwise, and clockwise again, moving all on its own until the safe door creaked open ajar, not even enough for a fly to fit through. But that proved no problem for the speck slipping in.

Once inside, the thief’s body stretched upwards and out, a grain of dust filling into a half-foot hourglass veiled in leather. Even at six inches, her curves put any doll’s to shame, her assets accentuated by the skin-tight bodysuit. She tossed her now obsolete gas mask aside and shrunk it to oblivion, revealing a stunning visage framed by a brilliant brunette bouffant that cascaded into curly waves crashing off her back and shoulders. Those who met Evelynn Mons, had seen her in the flesh, knew her to be a jewel worth more than all the splendor in the world. “All of life's riches belong to yours truly,” she once declared, “for I can fit everything in the palm of my hand.”

Before her sat a lockbox containing her treasure, a less resplendent jewel but desirable all the same to the comely cat burglar. A simple padlock was the last line of defense, and a touch was all it took to reduce it to nothing, shattering the metal clasp as the shrinking lock tightened around it. Lifting open the box’s lid was easy enough, letting the sliver of light dripping through the cracked door glimmer off the radiant blue gem. But Evelynn didn’t have the time to admire its gleam, shrinking it smaller than a pebble with but a touch. She unzipped her bodysuit past her chest, opening the only pocket available in her form fitting attire, and pushed the shrunken sapphire between the folds of her ample breasts. With her prize in tow, the thief reverted to speck size and slipped out of the vault.

Guards could be heard around the corner, wading through a stagnant river of pudding, so Evelynn made escaping her priority. Outside the safe, she landed on the chocolate canal and dipped her hand into the desert, causing it to expand and create an upstream that shot her towards a vent near the ceiling. At her diminished size, she easily snaked through the grate, landing in the ventilation shaft and growing to a more comfortable size to sprint through the metal corridor. In a matter of minutes, the shady intruder would make it out of the building into the bustling metropolis without a trace, another rat in the concrete jungle.

…

“Inspector Vittoria Napolitano, ICPO.” The woman in a grey suit and old-timey trench coat held out her badge to the copper behind the yellow tape. “I’m here on orders from Interpol to investigate the Sapphire of Iskandar theft.” Underneath her brimmed hat were black bangs with an edge as straight as a ruler, her hair cut in an orderly bob. Her features were sharp, her thick black brows angled in a permanent display of righteous determination.

The beat cop had his doubts, eyeing her and her badge, but lifted the tape for her, notifying his superior via radio as she passed by. The inspector had a powerful gait, each step deliberate and orderly as she approached a police van parked outside the building. The bank itself was a mess, pudding pouring out of the fourth and fifth floor windows, the outside covered in tattered shreds of rubber, and animal control leading elephants out the front entrance to be returned to the zoo; the ones trapped on the higher floors had to be lifted out with cranes.

Vittoria entered the van and clocked the multiple monitors reviewing the security footage. “What have you guys got so far?” she asked, the collapsing fifth floor repeating on loop.

“We’re cleaning up the footage we managed to salvage, but a lot of the fourth-floor ceiling cameras were taken out in the collapse,” Officer Reynolds responded. One look at the woman's wardrobe was all he needed to know he was talking to a detective. He cut over to first floor footage of Evelynn darting through the halls and taking out a guard with an elephant. “It's safe to say we're dealing with a Manipulator, and judging by her ‘features,’ I'm pretty confident it's a woman.”

“She identified herself in the calling card as Evelynn Mons,” the inspector recalled. “Doubt it's her real name. No fingerprints on the card and the handwriting didn't match anything in our database. What of her breaking into the vault? Did you recover any footage of that?”

“We did. Fortunate for us, that was one of the few cameras left standing.” Footage of the vault's dial moving on its own popped up on screen, showing the upstream of pudding shooting towards the vent shortly after.

“Can you zoom in on the dial?”

“Yes, but it's a blurry mess at the moment. We're enhancing the images as we speak. Should be done in a minute.” The inspector contemplated the facts known so far. The officer's earlier assessment was correct; there could be no doubt these miracles were performed by a Manipulator. Excitement bubbled in the back of Vittoria's brain, behind her stoic façade. Superior specimens to the traditional criminal, Manipulators were each their own puzzle to crack. What powers did they hold? How did they trigger them? What flaws did their abilities come with, and how best to exploit them? The gears spun as the inspector put the pieces together.

“Can I help you, Miss?” An old, portly fellow in a blue uniform stepped into the van. Judging by his authoritative demeanor, caddish tone, and balding head, Vittoria figured him the captain in charge of the crime scene.

“Inspector Vittoria Napolitano, ICPO. I'm here on orders from…”

“I don't give a damn why you're here,” the captain barked. “You can ship your pretty little ass back to France and tell Interpol that we have everything under con- cuh- c- Achoo!” The captain felt his blood chill the longer he spoke, goosebumps breaking out across his arms as the temperature around him plummeted.

“Do you have any Manipulators on your task force?” Vittoria asked with a frigid bite.

“N-n-n-no.” The captain shivered, unsure of where this sudden cold wave came from or why he was the only one that felt it. The only thing harsher than the arctic air was the icy glare Inspector Napolitano shot his way. “We don't need those freaks. You don't have any evidence to prove the perp's a Manipulator.”

“If you have another explanation for the dozen elephants appearing out of nowhere inside an inner-city bank and the two tons of pudding leaking from the windows, then I'm all ears. But until then, on behalf of Interpol, I will be immediately acquiescing control of this case. I expect the complete cooperation of your officers and all local personnel.”

“Y-you have no right!”

“Article 626a of the Global Manipulator Accords gives me, as a licensed ICPO inspector, full authority to assume leadership over any case involving Manipulators with total compliance from local law enforcement. If you have any grievances to air, you can take the trip to France yourself.”

“Ma'am, the footage is ready,” the officer said, ignoring the steam pouring out of his superior's ears. Vittoria returned her attention to the monitor, turning her back on the captain as if he were no longer there.

“Good. Zoom in on that dial and play back the footage.” The officer complied, blowing up the image until the dial took up the entirety of the screen. Running along the top as if it were a treadmill, a woman, no taller than half an inch and clad in skintight leather, spun the dial with her feet, stopping whenever she heard the click. “There's all the proof I need, Captain. This Evelynn Mons character is a Manipulator with size shifting capabilities.” Her focus turned inward as she formulated a hypothesis. “It appears she can alter the size of herself and objects around her, including living things. That would explain the giant balloon from the witness accounts, the sudden reappearance of the missing elephants, and where all this pudding came from. She probably planted the elephants throughout the bank ahead of the heist. We’ll want to look over security footage from past week to see if we can spot her scoping out the place.” Vittoria noted that the thief wore no gloves, odd behavior for a professional crook. “Zoom out and continue playing.” The footage continued for a minute until the pudding began to bubble up. “Freeze it there!” She pointed at the rising dessert on the screen. “Zoom in there.” Enhancing the image showed the thief, no longer donning her mask, dipping her bare hands in the pudding just as it shot her upwards. “That's it. It's through touch. She must need to touch objects to affect them, otherwise she could have shrunk all the guards from a distance and not bothered with this madness.”

“But ma'am,” Officer Reynolds raised, “what about the elephants? Witness accounts corroborate that the elephants all appeared at the same time.”

Vittoria rubbed her chin and mulled it over. “Right, that's a good point. There must be more to it. Perhaps she only needs to touch the objects during the initial change, but can restore them to their original size on a whim? Or maybe her powers are set to an internal timer. We'll need to investigate further. When we get to the station, I want to run a full check on her face and her name against the Interpol database, see what turns up. Captain!”

“W-what?” he answered with a scowl, still shivering in the cold.

“I’ll need an office set aside for me. I would prefer a mahogany desk, but I’ll settle for oak if that’s all that’s available. I also expect you to supply coffee to me and the rest of the force; it’s going to be a long night. I take one cream and no sugar. Check with Reynolds here on everyone else’s preferences.” Reynolds was shocked she caught his name without introducing himself, but he supposed a detective from Interpol should be observant enough to clock a nametag. The captain didn’t respond, refusing to meet such ridiculous demands. “Captain!”

“Y-yes ma’am.”

…

That evening, Evelynn stopped by The Junkyard, an outdoor club built out of a long-abandoned scrap heap. The club featured a bar, dining area, dance floor, and DJ set with towering subwoofers, all surrounded by mountains of garbage and tucked away from prying eyes, making it the preferred pitstop for those who made a living skirting the law. Still adorned in her thief’s attire, the busty brunette drew eyes from across the club as she moseyed over to her usual table, sitting across from a female samurai.

“How'd it go, Lady Evelynn?” the young woman asked. Tomoe Uesugi, in her haori, kimono, and hakama, stood out amongst the street punks and ne’er-do-wells frequenting the club. Her straight, raven hair hung past her gaunt face, drooping over her scrawny shoulders. In one hand, she held a katana with a plain, wooden hilt, and in the other, a designer, name-brand purse that clashed with her traditional ensemble. She was the only one in the club drinking tea instead of booze, Tomoe being the only reason the establishment even carried the beverage.

“See for yourself,” Evelynn replied, pulling the miniaturized sapphire out from her cleavage and restoring it to size between her fingers. The gem dazzled brilliantly in the sporadic rave lights, drawing a delightful grin from the thief’s cohort. “Darling thing, isn’t it? It’ll pair well with the rest of my collection.” On cue, Tomoe opened the purse and grabbed the gemstone, placing the blue rock between the shrunken Statue of Liberty and the deflated Eiffel Tower.

“Have you set your set eyes on your next mark?” Tomoe asked eagerly. The young samurai’s eyes pleaded like a puppy’s. “I can make myself available, if you’d like my assistance. Not that you need it, of course, but if you’d like to let me carry some of the burden, not that helping you would be a burden, but if you’d prefer I accompany you…”

“I’m not sure yet,” Evelynn responded, cutting off the rambling ronin. “A real challenge would be nice for once. I mean, the Mona Lisa had its hurdles, what with locating the real one’s whereabouts, but I’m looking for something that will really set my heart ablaze.”

I could set your heart ablaze, Tomoe dreamed, if you’d let me.

“Seriously, I thought sending an advance notice would heighten the stakes, but it seems I put too much faith in the target’s security measures. Maybe next time they’ll set me up with a proper welcome party. Oh, but if I ever stumble upon a can I can’t open, I’ll be sure to call for you. For now, I’m in the mood to celebrate.” Evelynn stood up, kicked off her boots, and unzipped her bodysuit, stepping out into her birthday suit. By the time she handed her discarded clothing to her awe-struck cohort, the buxom brunette was already ten feet tall and growing further.

“Would you care for me to join you?” Tomoe kept her eyes trained on her partner in crime’s as the words plunked from her quivering lips.

“Here, darling? Oh no, I wouldn’t want to muss your pretty kimono. Besides, you have an important job to do,” she said, pointing at her purse. “You’re the only one I can trust to look after my collection. Can’t have you getting distracted, can we?” The ever-expanding giantess sauntered into the center of the dance floor, her thirty going on fifty-foot figure stretching above the mountains of garbage surrounding the club. The clubgoers all made way, their wide grins and wanting eyes sparkling in anticipation. “Which of you should I play with tonight?” Evelynn asked, bending forward with her hands on her knees and scanning the crowd for cuties. A shapely woman in a sequin dress stole her attention, the little one’s legs shaking as a massive hand reached down for her.

Evelynn sat down in the middle of the dance floor, her gargantuan ass missing a couple below by a hair. The DJ didn’t stop the beat. If anything, he ramped the tempo up, ready to blow the roof off this outdoor crib. The patrons either kept pace with the rising bpm or tried to join in on the main attraction. While men and women began scaling her, Evelynn shoved the woman headfirst into her vagina, bucking at the body writhing against the wet prison walls. Whether that wriggling was out of arousal or anguish wasn’t Evelynn’s concern. The dance floor shook with every step of the dancers and every gyration of the fifty-foot beauty. Clubgoers climbed up her thigh, her arm, her feet; one man hopped onto her breast, scrambling onto it using the nipple as a foothold.

Tomoe watched the public display from the table; bitterness, envy, disgust, yearning, and all manner of selfish emotions corroded her mind. They're just toys to her, she convinced herself. Playthings to be forgotten once their use has worn out. I'm special. She's not going to pleasure herself with me on a whim, out in public for all the drooling fools to gawk at. She's saving me, waiting for the pristine moment to savor an unforgettable experience, to throw herself at me with her whole heart, to love me as I do her. Yes, release your base desires on these unworthy dolts. I'll wait as long as you require and be ready the moment you desire.

While Tomoe fantasized, Evelynn continued to ravage the dance floor. The woman inside her sunk so far in that only her flailing feet stuck out between the voracious lips. A dozen people crawled along the giantess’ body, kissing, dancing, massaging, humping, whatever their lust drove them to do, their souls relinquishing control to the beat of the music. Evelynn leaned back, her long hair sweeping dancers off their feet, and filled the airwaves with her moaning. Pangs of jealousy threatened to tear Tomoe's mind asunder as she watched dutifully from afar.

Someday, she will be mine.

Ch 2. First Contact

Word Count: 8851

Added: 03/16/2025

Updated: 04/12/2025

Chapter Notes:

Chapter originally uploaded on May 23, 2024

Evelynn infiltrates a luxury hotel to steal a foreign diplomat's royal heirloom. In the process, she encounters Inspector Napolitano of Interpol, culminating in a big chase through the city,

Tags for this chapter: F/f, Shrinking and Growing Women, in-hand and underfoot entrapment, light destruction, and foot worship

“I appreciate your concern, Ms. Napolean, but I assure you that my people have everything under control.”

“It’s Napolitano, your Highness,” Vittoria corrected, her tone as biting as ever. “And while I’m sure the Neaneland secret service are capable, I have to remind you that we are dealing with a size shifting Manipulator, someone who is not to be underestimated.”

Neaneland was a landlocked territory as small as it was traditional. Under the enforcement of stringent, self-imposed isolation, the humble nation was currently struggling against an aging population endemic. With the acting King on his deathbed, Prince Theobald, heir to the throne, embarked on a diplomatic tour around the world to form relations and prepare to open his country's borders upon his coronation. His first stop was to America to meet several diplomats and eventually the president himself, staying at the luxury Lentinal Hotel in the meantime.

“And I'll remind you, Inspector, that my kingdom is not the backwater Podunk your United Nations assumes it to be.” The prince sat in a leather upholstered armchair surrounded by men and women in black suits and blacker shades. His suite on the seventh floor was of modest size for royalty, hosting two bedrooms, two baths, a large common area, and a well-equipped kitchenette. The outer wall was a glass pane stretching from floor to ceiling, offering a picturesque view of the surrounding metropolis. Vittoria clocked fourteen agents inside the suite, plus the prince, herself, and a personal chef. Outside the door stood two guards; a total of nine agents patrolled the sixth, seventh, and eighth floor’s hallways, two stood by the elevator doors, and several more occupied the lobby, roof, and all strategic vantage points. “Vivienne! Demonstrate for the inspector.”

The woman standing beside Theobald stepped forward. Though her attire was identical to every other agent, she was head coordinator of Neaneland’s secret service and personal bodyguard to his majesty. Her only defining trait was her hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. As she walked forward, the prince spent his time eyeing her rear; the slight curl rising at one end of her lips suggested she was aware of her voyeur and derived pleasure from his uncouth attention.

“We have over fifty agents stationed throughout the hotel, all armed and trained to give their lives to our lord prince. Security cameras are present in every public space and capture every angle of this room and the hallway. The prince's meals are all prepared by his personal chef using ingredients shipped directly from the motherland. As for your shrinking thief…” Vivienne pressed a button on the rim of her shades. The world around her turned blue with every person in view giving off a radiant white bordered by red. “…our glasses come equipped with infrared sensors. No matter how small the intruder, whether a fly, a mouse, or a thief, their temperature signature will pop up in our view. In addition, they’re connected wirelessly to the hotel’s security feed, meaning any object visible to the cameras will appear in our glasses, even if it’s behind a wall or on the other end of the floor. Suffice it to say, we have total surveillance on every corner of this hotel.” Vivienne offered a smug grin. She could see the three ants dragging crumbs into a crack in the wall, the spider resting on the cobweb in the corner of the ceiling, and the toy chihuahua going for a walk on the floor below. However, she couldn’t see the inspector at all. “Hm?”

“Your efforts would be commendable against the common crook, but Manipulators have ways of slipping past the most watchful eyes.” Vittoria presented the calling card in her hand. “And a thief brash enough to announce their intentions will not fall victim to such trivial defenses.”

Welcome to America, Prince Theobald! I apologize for not greeting you properly, but time is of the essence, and I have a historic family heirloom to steal, namely the Saber’s Ring wrapped around your finger. Be a dear and keep it warm for me, will you? ~Forever my own, Evelynn Mons.

The Saber’s Ring was an ancient artifact crafted out of the ivory found in the tusks of saber-toothed tigers. It bore an inscription of the long-extinct predator, the emblem of Neaneland’s monarchy, around its bend. The ring had been in the sole possession of the royal family since the kingdom's founding, passed down to the throne's heir for generations, and as such, accrued tremendous value for what was ultimately a simple piece of jewelry.

“I understand that your nation is not yet a member state of the United Nations, but I implore you to cooperate with the ICPO. You need my talents to capture this Manipulator.”

“Try and see things from my perspective, Inspector,” Theobald said, clasping his hands together in front of his mouth. “My dissenters are already up in arms over my request for international aid. I need all the help I can get to feed and shelter a stubborn population. I'm afraid I must be cautious regarding what help I can afford to accept. If my people back home learned I required foreign police to protect me and my immediate possessions, my image would be tainted and my weakness paraded for all to witness. That is my final decision.” The prince waved his hand, shooing the detective away. “I ask you vacate the premises immediately, so as to not get in the way of my guard detail. When I depart from this country, the Saber’s Ring still on my hand, I will send your supervisors a note of gratitude for your efforts and misplaced concern.”

“Very well. If there’s no convincing you, then so be it.” Vittoria turned and made for the door held open by an agent. “But I'll remind you: agreement to the Global Manipulator Accords is a requirement for joining the U.N. Once you become a member state, Interpol will have full authority over any Manipulator related cases with or without your approval.”

“Duly noted.”

With her piece said, Vittoria exited the suite, guided through the hallway by an armed escort. Would guns even be effective against her? she wondered. The gears turned in her mind as she walked, predicting what her adversary had in store. No matter what, Inspector Napolitano refused to make things easy for her.

…

“Hurry up! Hurry up! These fruits have to reach the king on the double!” A delivery truck was parked in the hotel’s loading dock, filled with boxes of fruit, vegetables, grains, and other ingredients all shipped directly from Neaneland. The truck driver, a fiery lass with thick, brown hair pouring out of her brimmed cap, shouted commands at the hotel staff unloading her truck while secret service supervised and scanned the boxes with their glasses and portable metal detectors. “If I don’t see those butts fire into gear, I’ll take it all up to him myself!”

“That won’t be necessary, ma’am,” an agent advised, struggling to keep his cool around the firecracker. “Only hotel staff are cleared to enter his majesty’s, the prince’s, floor.”

“You heard the man!” The delivery woman smacked one of the staffers on the back, nearly spilling his load onto the ground. “Get these to room 416 pronto!”

“No, no, it’s room 732. Will you just leave this to us?” The agent turned to one of his cohorts scanning a box of oranges with a metal detector. “Anything out of place?”

“Everything is in the clear,” the other agent replied. “Nothing comes up on the metal detector nor the thermal scanners.”

The delivery woman let out a sigh of relief. All the boxes had been unloaded and were on their way to their destination. “Suppose my job here is done. I’ll be on my way so you handsome fellas can get back on track.”

…

“Bring me that crate of oranges. I need them for the prince's dessert.” Under the secret service's careful watch, Theobald's personal chef, Micah, labored away at preparing his highness’ dinner in the suite's kitchenette. Peering through the gap between the counter and the hanging cabinets, Chef Micah watched the prince enjoy his caprese salad from the comfort of his leather chair. An agent carried the box of oranges into the kitchenette and placed it at the chef's station. Most of the delivered ingredients were being stored in the hotel's walk-in fridge, but those being used for the prince's current meal were piled into the suite, carried there by verified hotel staff.

Micah opened the box and examined his stock, squeezing and sniffing to check for freshness. “Ugh,” he muttered, pressing into a squishy orange.

“What's the matter?” the agent asked, ready to enter high-alert at the drop of a hat.

“One of these is overripe, that's all.” Micah tossed the orange into a nearby trash receptacle. Feeling out the others, he found the rest to be in prime condition. “Nothing to get your knickers twisted over.” To be safe, the agent performed a thermal scan on both the crate and the discarded orange, but found nothing.

Nevertheless, the prince's guard detail remained attentive, scanning every inch of the suite and everything in view across each floor. Though advanced, their thermal vision could not see through walls directly, instead using live data from the hotel's own security cameras to send thermal images to their display. This came with its own drawback however. Any area in the hotel not under supervision lacked all visible thermal data. For the other patrons’ privacy, none of the hotel rooms had interior surveillance, creating several blind spots on every floor. To compensate, the Kingdom of Neaneland booked the entire seventh floor for their personal use, banning entry to all public or unauthorized personnel. The secret service also closely monitored the comings and goings on every other floor, ensuring no suspicious entities entered rooms they did not belong in.

“We have a 10-4 on the sixth floor,” Vivienne's earpiece sounded out. “An unkown women entered a vacant room, 603. Hotel records show that room has not been booked.”

“I want all eyes on the ventilation shafts leading to 603,” Vivienne ordered. “Give me a description, stat.”

“Average build…” Curvaceous with a knockout ass didn't follow protocol. “Brown hair past her shoulders, green jumpsuit and brimmed cap.”

“That matches the description of the driver who delivered the prince's food!” the agent in the loading docks reported. “She drove off ten minutes ago.”

Vivienne's blood pressure rose, adrenaline coursing through her veins in a riptide. “Sixth squad, barge into 603 immediately! All units on high alert!” She darted towards the prince and snatched away his half-eaten caprese. “Chef!”

“I tasted the ingredients,” Micah responded. “If anything were poisoned, it would affect me first.” The chef showed no signs of sickness, looking and feeling as healthy as ever, but that did little to calm the prince's nerves. Sweat poured down Theobald's face. His breathing hastened until he was hyperventilating.

“I'm not taking any chances. Your majesty, let's go to the bathro-”

“There's something in the vents!” An agent called out. The whole room pointed their guns at the small thermal reading moving through the wall. Vivienne rushed over to the vent grate, pulling out a knife and unscrewing it from the wall. Once the grate was off, she stuck her arm inside and grabbed the intruder, prying it from its hiding spot within the metal shaft.

It was a rat. A chubby rat squirmed within Vivienne's tight grip, desperate to escape its assailant. The agents all lowered their guns. Most of them scanned the room, expecting to find something worth fussing over; a few of them chuckled at the false alarm. But Vivienne's grip didn't waver. She stared at that rat, discerning its secrets.

Despite its writhing, the vermin's eyes were still as a tree on windless afternoon, and so was its mouth. Frozen like taxidermy. A crease ran along the neckline like one would expect from a mascot costume. Vivienne tore the head off, revealing the naked brunette nestled within the fake fur.

“You thought you could pull one over on us with such rudimentary deceit?” Vivienne goaded. She plucked the woman from her costume, dangling the poor thing far above the floor before wrapping her unyielding fingers around the tiny lady once more, squeezing any signs of defiance out of her trembling form. The surrounding agents drew their weapons on the would-be thief. “This is what you deserve for underestimating us. Now please, give me one good reason not to dispose of a wretched varmint such as yourself.”

“Huh? Wha?” The brunette glanced around the room, blubbering at the giants pointing their weapons at her defenseless, puny self. “What’s going on? Who are you people?!”

Vivienne squeezed harder, eliciting a yelp from her captive. “Don’t play dumb! We know you’re the size shifting thief, Evelynn Mons. You targeted our prince, and now you face the consequences.”

“Please, I don’t know what’s going on! Why is everything so big?” Tears streamed down her cheeks and her little heart raced a mile a minute. Vivienne softened her grip, taken aback by the sincerity in the woman’s voice.

“Who are you? Explain yourself this instant!”

“Natalie Benice!” she squeaked. “I was… I was walking outside, and I felt a hand on my shoulder, and next thing I knew this woman, she was taller than my apartment complex, she grabbed me and, and, and, she stuffed me in a rat suit and threw me into this metal corridor, and, and, and…”

It appears she’s a victim of Mons’, Vivienne contemplated, but what if this is an act? That Interpol officer never said she could shrink other people. “I can't verify the validity of your claims, but I promise not to hurt you before clarifying your intentions. Until then, I will have to keep you confined…” Vivienne paused. The weight in her hand increased exponentially from a feather to a dumbbell as Natalie's body pushed against her fingers.

The shrunken suspect was growing. What was once a rodent was now a doll and on its way to becoming a woman. Vivienne dropped her several feet onto the floor, though Natalie's rapid growth made the descent only as jerky as falling off the top bunk. Still, Natalie screamed as a dozen agents, Vivienne included, trained their guns on her.

“Please! Don't shoot!” Natalie pleaded, waving her arms around. She had reached her original height, kneeling on the floor, and continued expanding beyond it. “I'm not doing this, I swear! What the hell is going on?!”

The agents held their aim, tilting their weapons up to follow Natalie's ascent. Everything withdrew around her, like watching the ground floor distance itself from an elevator window. Eventually, her head banged on the ceiling, forcing her to hunch over. Prince Theobald got off his chair and stepped back, the growing woman's legs knocking furniture away like toys.

“Sixth squad reporting. Room 603 is empty, though we did find a discarded hat and jumpsuit.”

“We're busy at the moment!” Vivienne shouted into her earpiece. “All units! Red alert! We need backup on the seventh floor, stat!”

With everyone's eyes looking up at the colossus threatening to tear through the ceiling, no one noticed the speck of a woman slide down her back and dash along the floor.

Outfitted in a skintight catsuit, Evelynn Mons rushed towards her prize, growing two feet tall to reach it. Amidst the confusion, she casually slipped beneath everyone's view and pulled the ring off the startled prince's finger before he even knew it. By the time Theobald felt the absence of his heirloom, Evelynn was already at the window overlooking the sprawling downtown.

“Stop! There she is! The thief!” Theobald announced, pointing at his assailant. Vivienne and the rest of the guards snapped their focus onto the real threat.

“Freeze! Move and we shoot!” A few guards had to step around Natalie's monumental frame to take aim at Evelynn. Natalie had stopped growing once the Manipulator dropped off of her, though she remained larger than any woman ought to be. Hunched over, Natalie's chest pressed into her knees, her entire body sandwiched between the suite's floor and ceiling. Any sudden movement would be enough to destroy the room she was packed into, but she managed to stay still through her panic, save for some seismic trembling.

Evelynn put her hands up, playing with the ring in one hand, and turned around. Her plush lips arced in a smug grin, certain of her victory no matter the circumstances.

“I suggest you put those down,” Evelynn goaded to no response. Vivienne felt odd pointing her gun at a two-foot-tall woman, but she would show no mercy to anyone who threatened his majesty. “I shrunk several cars and snuck them into the ingredients of that scrumptious looking salad. If I so desire, or if I were to die, they would all return to their original size, including the ones currently marinating in the prince's stomach.”

“You're bluffing,” Vivienne claimed, sweat forming along her brow. “A shrunken car would have been picked up by our metal detectors.”

“Honey, this ain't the White House,” Evelynn chuckled. “Most metal detectors aren't sensitive enough to pick up objects less than a millimeter long. But if you still don't believe me…”

A Dodge Challenger exploded out of the kitchen trash can, ruining the car, the counters, and the cabinets, and sending the nearby Chef Micah to his knees in fright. “Th-that rotten orange…” he muttered, his voice drowned out by the blaring car alarm. “There was a car in that rotten orange?”

“If you don't want the prince looking like that trash can, then do as I say and throw your weapons to the floor.” No one complied, the agents waiting for Vivienne's order. “And I'll remind you that should I die, anything I've shrunk will return to normal, so perhaps be more considerate where you point those things.”

Vivienne grimaced as she weighed her options. To her people, the Saber’s Ring was a priceless artifact, a symbol of hope the next royal wore as a promise to move his country forward. Losing it here in a foreign land would only bolster his majesty’s critics and forever taint the prince’s legacy. However…

“Everyone, do as she says,” Vivienne commanded, dropping her gun to the floor. Whether or not they agreed with her judgment, every member of the secret service followed suit.

“But Vivienne! The Saber’s Ring is our kingdom’s greatest treasure! We cannot let it fall in the hands of this villain!” Theobald argued. High on disgruntled determination, he forgot about the imminent danger he was supposedly in.

“It’s just a ring, your highness. It cannot lead a nation, nor can it negotiate. Whatever it may symbolize, it cannot bring about hope, nor can it manifest the dreams of the people. That is your duty, my dear prince, one only you can fulfill. Your safety is my highest priority, and I would empty the kingdom’s vaults to maintain it. I would die before I see you come in harm’s way.” Vivienne took small comfort in knowing that her shades obscured the tears welling in her eyes. Prince Theobald noted her resolve and conceded to her judgment.

“Wise decision, Miss Vivienne. Now, I’ll be on my way.” Evelynn shrunk the ring to match her current scale and tucked it away in her cleavage. Without breaking eye contact, she backed herself into the window pane and palmed it. The glass reverberated, expanding to her touch until the whole thing shattered into crystalline rain. A harsh breeze breeched the suite, blowing Evelynn’s hair into roaring waves. She dug deep into her cleavage and pulled out a piece of paper, expanding it to full size within her grasp. With finesse fitting for a thief, she folded the sheet into a paper airplane and let the wind swallow it with her, the woman shrinking small enough to fit in the paper aircraft’s fold as it took flight.

Evelynn soared through the air, her paper plane carrying her several yards above the bustling streets. By adjusting her size, she could maneuver the papercraft’s trajectory, increasing its weight to descend faster. Leaning to either side, she steered her plane a block over to her desired destination. She glided between a pair of buildings, down an alley, and safely landed in a backlot a fair enough distance from the hotel. There was no telling how chaotic the crime scene had become, but it was of no concern to her.

Oh right. A thought popped into her head as she disembarked onto the backlot’s cragged asphalt, her current height mirroring that of a toothpick. I better put that Natalie woman back to her proper size. Though, who knows? Maybe she wants to stay a twenty-foot-tall Amazon. Now that I think about it, I could probably make bank adjusting people to their ideal height.

Before Evelynn had the chance to restore Natalie’s size, a great weight crashed against her back, pinning her to the ground. She turned her head and looked up past the tip of the brown leather tuxedo shoe to see a trench coat-clad detective looming over her.

“Gotcha, scumbag.” Inspector Napolitano pressed her toes into the asphalt, exerting her position of authority on the miniature criminal. Rarely did a Manipulator put themselves into such a vulnerable state without first requiring a little elbow grease, and Vittoria was all too happy to savor such favorable conditions. “Inspector Vittoria Napolitano, ICPO. You’re under arrest for grand larceny, neglecting to register as a Manipulator, and practicing your powers without a permit.”

“H-how…?”

“I’ve been keeping the Lentinal under careful surveillance. When I saw a window shatter and a paper airplane come flying out, I simply followed it to its landing point. Infiltrating the hotel as a delivery driver? Not bad, especially when dealing with amateurs. Of course, I’d have clocked you the moment you pulled into the loading bay.” Vittoria grinded her foot against Evelynn. The shrunken thief’s arms were splayed out, flattened against the pavement, meaning her bare hands weren’t able to touch anything worth size-shifting. “According to article 637b, section II of the Global Manipulator Accords, you relinquish all rights and protections offered by this country. If you wish to remain silent, I have the power to force an answer out of you any way I see fit. So, a suitable first question: how much pressure can your tiny body take?”

“It depends.” Evelynn squealed as Vittoria leaned forward, apparently unsatisfied with that answer. “An object’s durability increases the further I alter it from its original size. At this height, your weight can only bruise me. At half an inch, I’m practically invincib- Ow!” Vittoria pushed her foot down harder, her shit-eating grin suggesting she was satisfied by that answer.

“Explain how your powers are triggered. It’s obvious that touch is a component, but there are discrepancies. Tell me everything.”

“I can shrink or grow anything my skin touches.” Talking got harder the more pressure Vittoria put on, Evelynn’s lungs decompressing inside her squashed chest. Her corpulent breasts didn’t make this interrogation any comfier. “Clothing, people, machinery, you name it. Obviously, that applies to myself as well. For complex objects with multiple parts, as long as I’m touching one piece, I can affect the whole. Whether that’s cells in a body or gears in a clock, touching any part of it is enough, but clothes for example are an additional item. They aren’t part of the body and have to be altered separately.”

“What about the elephants from the last case?” Vittoria inquired, easing off a smidge. “How did you grow them all simultaneously?”

“Restoration is a different process. For anything I’ve altered, I don’t need to touch it again to return it to normal. I can trigger the reaction with my mind from anywhere. I don’t have to have eye contact or be in the same room. I just have to remember that the object exists and that I’ve altered it.” As she explained her abilities, Evelynn spotted a drainage grate a few feet away. This was the escape route she was looking for, the reason she came to the backlot before Vittoria’s ambush disoriented her. This heist was far from over; the thief still had plenty of fight in her.

“Are there limits to your alterations? A maximum degree to which something’s size can be changed?”

Evelynn smirked and shot her opponent one last glare. “Wouldn’t you like to know.” The brunette vanished beneath Vittoria’s sole. The inspector no longer felt her presence and lifted her foot to find nothing underneath.

“What?! Where did you go?”

A crack ran along the asphalt, leading to the drainage grate in a winding path. The crack had barely enough depth to fit an ant, but there was plenty of space for a micrometer-tall woman. The pavement rose around her as she sprinted through the tar canyon, climbing over bumps and crannies imperceptible to the human eye. At this size, it’d take her at least an hour to reach her destination, but she had no other choice. Vittoria’s eyes, miles above, spun in search of the missing thief, but there was no chance of finding her without a magnifying glass.

Evelynn made almost no progress but continued running like her life depended on it; her livelihood did anyway. She wanted so badly to grow. Even a centimeter would drastically reduce the travel time, but the increased visibility was too great a risk. Though invulnerable, Evelynn was defenseless at this size, incapable of avoiding capture were she to be found. She could always grow into a full-blown giantess, but the process would take too long from her current height. She’d first have to return to her regular size which would make her vulnerable to bullets and the like, and surely this cop was packing. Evelynn kept running, one microscopic step at a time. That was the only way forward.

A breeze blew through the alley, pouring into the backlot. It was weak, not worth noting by anyone in its path. To Vittoria, the woman eternally enshrouded in cold, the feeble wind was imperceptible. But to the meager Evelynn, a tempestuous storm raged within the tar canyon. The breeze brushed along the ground, picking up dust and shrunken thieves. Evelynn flailed through the air, her weightless figure trapped in the tumultuous zephyr.

Flung a considerable distance, Evelynn landed with a thump, her bum bouncing on the pavement contrary to the expectation that a cat always lands on her feet. But in a feat of tremendous luck, the drainage grate’s iron rim rose like a wall before her. In seconds, the wind carried her across the lengthy trail right to where she needed to be, bypassing the hour-long trek entirely.

Yes! Everything’s coming up Evelynn! she cheered internally. As it should be. Still, the rim was too tall for her micrometer self to climb. It was risky, but she had to grow at least a centimeter and bank on Vittoria not spotting her. She grew until she could reach the top and clambered on, a mere step from a near perfect getaway. But at the final stretch, Evelynn was cut off from the finish line.

The openings in the grate were frozen solid, thick sheets of ice filling in the gaps. There was no means of passing, no matter how small the thief got.

“Ha! You can’t escape me that easily!” Vittoria’s voice boomed like thunderclouds raining on the thief’s parade. “Slipping into the sewers? I saw that coming a mile away.”

A Manipulator? Evelynn turned to face her towering adversary. The inspector remained a few feet away, gun drawn and aimed at the bug before her. She wielded a Beretta 92 handgun which held fifteen rounds and was accurate enough to splatter a puny bug caught in her line of sight. This is bad. I can’t fight a Manipulator like this. I’ll have to ditch my getaway and reroute. If I can distract her for long enough, then-the-th-th-th-th.

Evelynn’s teeth chattered. Her eyes teared up. Goosebumps shot up all over her skin. Mucus leaked from her nostrils, her sinuses swelled, and she saw her breath escape from her mouth in misty clouds. In an instant, the air around her dipped to sub-artic levels.

“You’d be surprised how difficult it is to freeze a human body. We’re a resilient species, producing enough body heat, hair, and garments to survive locales we were never meant to tread on. Lowering those ninety-eight degrees inside you takes time and effort, but when you’re no bigger than a field mouse, you produce so little heat I can freeze you quicker than a fridge makes an ice cube.”

Evelynn’s muscles tensed and her joints stiffened. Her fingertips were turning blue. She can manipulate the cold? Ice? I have to grow out of this, but… Vittoria kept her gun trained on the thief.

“You’d survive a bullet at that size, right? Even if you were frozen solid? I’d prefer to take you in alive. I’ll let you return to your regular height if you’d prefer not to become a popsicle, but if you grow an inch further, I’ll fill your blown-up body with lead.”

Evelynn took the offer, flipping the mental switch and filling out her full figure. The air still felt chilly, but it was nothing unmanageable. A few extra layers would be appreciated; too bad her power’s skin contact requirement made extra accessories more hassle than their worth. Arms held up, Evelynn made eye contact with Inspector Napolitano past the barrel of her Beretta. In an insignificant twist of fate, the pair both stood at the same height.

“Since you’ve been so kind with me, let me return the favor by giving you some advice,” Evelynn mused. Vittoria remained stoic as a glacier, squinting at the remark. “Take two steps to your left.”

There was a rumbling from below followed by a fissure carving through the pavement. Vittoria glanced down and jumped away at the last second before the bow of a yacht burst through the asphalt. An entire boat had laid dormant in the sewage canal, now restored to its original size and obliterating much of the backlot.

“You didn’t expect me to swim through the sewers, did you?” Evelynn goaded, vaulting over debris to reach the alley nearest her. “Ta-ta!”

Vittoria pushed herself up off the ground. She had avoided a direct impact by the skin of her teeth, but in the time it took her to regain her composure, Evelynn was already running away through the alley twenty feet taller and rising.

“Stop! Get back here!” Vittoria shouted, picking up her gun and hauling after her target. She fired a round at the statuesque thief. It struck her enormous derriere and bounced off harmlessly, sending a ripple through her firm cheek.

“Yow!” Evelynn yelped, as if she had just been spanked. Still growing, Evelynn squeezed through the narrowing alley and leapt onto the city street. Drivers slammed on their brakes and veered onto the sidewalk as the thirty going on fifty-foot giantess took up the middle of the road. Car horns sung in a harmonious cacophony while Evelynn decided her path forward. Her head and chest now towered over the five story buildings surrounding her, giving her a premier vantage point over the city layout.

Vittoria gave chase through the alley, but she could never hope to match the growing woman’s stride. Once she finally reached streetside, her quarry was already sprinting down the road, shaking the earth with every step. Potholes the size of midsize sedans opened up beneath her feet, actual cars kicked around as she ran through busy intersections.

Approaching a hundred feet, Evelynn never liked this method of escape. It drew too much attention to her. People gathered on rooftops with their phones out, trying to catch a glimpse of her passing by. Her leather-clad ass eclipsed their views, large enough to crush a whole bakery. Shrinking was the way to go, disappearing into the infinite net of nooks and crannies afforded to her, oft overlooked sections of a densely populated metropolis. But gigantifying provided her with the strength to fend off a Manipulator. It didn’t matter if the whole world was about to get a view of the skyline’s newest addition, Evelynn refused to get caught.

“Reynolds! I need backup ASAP!” Vittoria shouted into her radio receiver.

“I’m almost there! Hold on!” Officer Reynolds kept his word, pulling up two seconds flat in a squad car. “Get in!”

“Follow her! Don’t slow down for anything!” The sirens whirred as Reynolds peeled off, maneuvering between crater-sized footprints as he followed after the ever-expanding Evelynn. She was over a hundred fifty feet by this point and increasing the gap between her and the inspector with every foot added. As they all whirred through the streets, the only thing slowing Evelynn’s pace was the constant turns, rows of buildings stopping her at every other intersection. But it wouldn’t be long before she was tall enough to step over any high-rises in her path.

“Dammit, Reynolds, you have to get us closer!” Vittoria leaned out of the passenger window, searching for a target to shoot. There was no point firing at Evelynn head on. At two hundred feet tall, a pebble of a bullet wasn’t even going to sting. And with the giantess’ leg-span further widening the gap between them, Vittoria was too far out of range for her powers to have any affect. She banged her pistol against the outside of the car door. “Can’t this thing go any faster?!”

“I’ve got an idea.” Officer Reynolds veered off the main road into a side street. Beset on either side by apartment complexes, Vittoria couldn’t see the skyline, and thus couldn’t see her target. All she could do was get a sense of her general direction through the strength of the tremors.

“I hope you know what you’re doing.”

Meanwhile, Evelynn’s stampede created enough ruckus to provoke the entire metropolitan police force. An armada of squad cars stormed after her, filling the streets in pursuit of the two hundred fifty-foot woman. Evelynn blitzed through downtown where the buildings managed to rival her stature. Looking back at the legion of cop cars, she couldn’t tell if the Manipulator was still among them. Either way, Evelynn wanted the pigs off her scent on the double.

On her left, rising up from the center of a memorial square, a monolithic monument stood proud, bearing the names of fallen heroes from decades past. Sorry about this, Evelynn thought. Defacing memorials isn’t normally my M.O., but desperate times and all that. The gigantic thief pivoted on one foot, unleashing the other in a sweeping kick that crashed straight through the base of the monolith. The monument toppled over onto the street below, blocking off the whole road and preventing the police from reaching the perpetrator.

“Hell yes!” Evelynn cheered, returning to her sprint. Just a little further and I can shrink down and disappear for good. But as she turned the corner, a lone squad car stood in her way down the block. Two bangs rang out on either side of her as the water tanks situated on top of the flanking towers exploded, drenching the giant woman between them.

Officer Reynolds laid atop his idle squad car, aiming a sniper rifle at the distant water towers. Evelynn stepped back, escaping one shower only to trip into another cascade behind her. Thousands of gallons of water poured over Evelynn, utterly soaking her from head to toe. She looked back towards the cop car. Reynolds was all alone, focused on tracking the giantess’ movements through his scope.

That's not her. Where's the Manipulator?

Vittoria sprinted along the sidewalk towards the three-hundred-foot woman, drawing her pistol and firing it at a fire hydrant a short distance from Evelynn’s enormous boot. Water erupted from the ground like a geyser up to the giant woman's knees. The air grew frigid, and Evelynn’s body stiffened, ice spreading across her sodden catsuit. Vittoria shoved her hand into the waterspout and froze a chunk of ice to hold onto, allowing the stream to lift her up it. As she approached the top of the spout, Vittoria froze more water, creating a platform for which to stand on. Ice spread down the stream, transforming the gushing fountain into a frozen tower, and as the hydrant continued to pump out water, the tower inched ever upward, elevating Vittoria past Evelynn’s waist and bringing her to chest level.

Ice formed all over Evelynn’s body, every drop of water solidifying to encase the giantess in a thick, unyielding frost. The extra heat produced by her gigantic body protected her from frostbite, but she couldn’t melt her frigid binds. Finally, Evelynn stopped growing, her shoulders brushing against the buildings on either side of her. She was stuck, a living statue set up in the center of the street. Ice molded around most of her frame, but much of her face remained exposed.

“Is this the part where you tell me to ‘freeze’?” Evelynn teased the tiny woman at her chest. How could she take the scowling inspector seriously when she appeared no bigger than a paperclip?

“I used to think that joke was funny too my first year on the force, but you’d be amazed how old it gets.” Vittoria held her right hand out, gesturing for Reynolds to hold all fire. “You could have made this easier by staying popsicle size. Look at all the property damage you’ll be forced to recompense.”

Evelynn rolled her eyes. “I recently fell into a fat reserve of wealth. Whatever paltry repairs this city needs from me gracing it with my presence would nary put a dent in my collection.”

“Your collection of stolen artifacts and monuments? Yeah, we’ll be confiscating that and saddling you with all the damages your little ventures caused.” Vittoria's brow furrowed as she surveyed her handiwork. Something wasn't right. Ice continued to accumulate overtop Evelynn’s binds despite all of the water on her having already been frozen.

Sirens echoed through the streets as the shaken off squad cars finally caught up. They circled the base of the living snow statue, barricading the already bound giantess. The ground beneath them rumbled with the arrival of each additional patty wagon, sending vibrations traveling through Vittoria’s makeshift tower.

“You're not from around here, correct?” Evelynn asked, the rumbling intensifying as her body became encased in more and more ice. “I'm not either, but I am familiar with this city's layout, especially the overlooked hideaways no one notices or remembers, say for example, the abandoned subway terminal underneath this block.”

The ice isn't spreading, it's growing! Vittoria deduced. Her hands are frozen over. She's increasing the amount of ice through touch, using my powers against me to…

Under the immense weight of Evelynn, a glacier’s worth of ice, and over a dozen police cars, a sinkhole opened up in the middle of the street, swallowing everything into the undercity depths. Evelynn winked and rapidly reduced her size, shrinking into the fractured base of her crystalline prison. The massive amount of ice shattered around the empty space her reduction left, creating an avalanche in the heart of downtown. Police cars sunk into the fissured asphalt, pelted with large chunks of ice as they descended into the empty subway terminal. Vittoria leapt from her crumbling platform and grabbed onto a nearby flagpole hanging off the side of a building, her frozen waterspout collapsing along with everything else.

Evelynn was nowhere to be seen, likely traipsing through abandoned tunnels like her murine peers. The path underground was blocked off by crumbled ice which would takes hours to melt and piled-up cars which would take hours to clear out.

“Inspector! Are you okay?” Reynolds called out from below, his rifle slung over his shoulder.

“I'm hanging in there.” The cold metal pole didn't give Vittoria enough traction, it slipping in her grip as she dangled two-hundred feet in the air.

“Hold on! I'll be right up to help you!” Reynolds bolted inside to rescue his superior. The chaos played far below Vittoria’s feet, ambulances and firetrucks joining the symphony of sirens.

This ain't the end, Evelynn Mons. Far from it.

…

“Goddammit, Napolitano! You're a loose cannon!” The old police captain's jowls flapped like a bulldog’s as he slammed his fist into his mahogany desk. “That chase of yours was the most reckless, hazardous, brainless, dangerous, unceremonious, preposterous tomfoolery I have ever seen in all my years on the force!”

Vittoria bore the brunt of the captain's reprimands. With her perp on the loose, she had no means by which to retort his tantrum.

“I don't care what they teach you at Interpol. In this city, you play by the books. You don't chase mile tall monsters down mainstreet!” Steam poured out of the captain's ears, his face redder than a baldy who forgot to bring a hat to the beach. Vittoria tried to cool him off, but his fury produced more body heat than a three hundred foot tall Evelynn. “All that destruction. I mean, have you seen those potholes? I didn't think East 30th could get more disheveled, but here we are. I can't even begin to imagine how many taxpayer dollars will be required to repair all this.”

“Interpol will foot the bill for any necessary reparations.”

“So what? You know where Interpol is going to get that dough? That's right, the taxpayers!” The captain slammed his desk again, ignoring the throbbing pain in his hand. “I want you out of my precinct. I want you out of my city. I want you out of this country and on the next flight to Lyon!”

“That's enough, Captain,” Mayor Bigsby said, walking into the cramped office. Accompanying him were Prince Theobald and his bodyguard, Vivienne. “The Inspector is here to stay.” Bigsby turned to address Vittoria. “I saw the footage of your romp through my town, and I must commend your efforts attempting to bring this heinous fiend to justice.”

“Sir, sixteen officers were injured in that road collapse. It's a miracle no one died!” the captain raised.

“There was no predicting that thief's intentions. Your officers crowding below her certainly hadn't. The fact of the matter is, between your police officers and Neaneland’s secret service, Inspector Napolitano got the closest to stopping this Evelynn character.”

“Inspector, I wish to apologize for underestimating your capabilities,” Prince Theobald declared, bowing.

“If we had accepted your help from the beginning, then the Saber's Ring would likely still be in our possession.” Vivienne bowed alongside her prince. “According to the MRIs, his majesty’s meals hadn’t been tampered with. It was all a bluff, and I fell right into it, just as I did with all the other tricks that she-devil played.”

“There's no point dwelling on what ifs,” Vittoria reassured her. She wasn’t in the mood for flattery, not with a job left unfinished. “Evelynn Mons is still out there, and I intend on correcting that. I'd like permission to get back to work now.”

“Of course, Inspector. Know that all the city's resources are at your disposal.” The mayor ignored the police captain's defiant murmuring. “It's our top priority to return the precious heirloom to our esteemed guests. I expect all parties to fully comply with the ICPO from here on out.”

Vittoria nodded and took her leave, stepping from one office into another next door. While the police commissioner was off on vacation, she had taken refuge in his exorbitant lair. She had scrawled all known evidence onto several whiteboards, tying lines between dots, newspaper clippings, blurry photographs, and any haphazard clue she came across. Vittoria’s paperwork littered the commissioner's desk, forcing Officer Reynolds to use a small table to the side of the room for his computer. He was typing a mile a minute when the Inspector entered, printing out various documents and forms for her to peruse.

“None of this adds up, ma'am. It's like Ms. Mons never existed.” Reynolds handed Vittoria a printed-out report which she immediately scanned through before even sitting down. “There were no fingerprints at any of the crime scenes. Not on her disguise nor on anything she shrunk or otherwise touched.”

“Maybe she burned them off? There are chemists who have lost their fingerprints from acid exposure,” Vittoria hypothesized.

“That's not all. We retrieved a hair sample from Baker's street. Fucking thing is longer than an elevator cable and just as thick.” Reynolds rubbed his hands together. He always felt a sudden chill come on when the Inspector was nearby.

“It probably no longer counts as part of her once it fell off her head,” Vittoria mused, kicking her legs up on the grand, blackwood desk. “Meaning it wouldn't shrink when she did. She'd have to restore it manually.”

“Either way, the DNA sample we got from it doesn't match anyone in Interpol's database.” Reynolds got up to fuss with the thermostat, but no matter how much he twisted the knob, the temperature wouldn't rise.

“That's not too shocking. We only have data on known offenders, and Evelynn was unknown until last week.”

“No birth certificates, no licenses, no deeds, no certificates nor diplomas, there's no official documents that link up to her. We don't even know her nationality or her age.” Now that he was full-on shivering, Reynolds grabbed a pairs of gloves and a scarf hanging from the commissioner's coat rack and bundled up. “Literally all I've found is an old Russian comic book that went out of print over a decade ago. It ran for only four issues, but it apparently starred the ‘world-class phantom thief,’ Evelynn Mons. It probably doesn’t mean anything. I went to high school with a Clark Kent, but he sure was no Superman.”

“Order me those comics,” Vittoria demanded. “They might be a clue.”

“Really? They’re probably going to be hard to come by, being as obscure as they are. If its run was that short, it couldn't have been very successful.”

“Doesn't matter. Coincidence or not, that's the only lead we have to go on, so we chase it.” Vittoria stood up and looked out the window. Hundreds of thousands of civilians went about their days, going to work, coming home to their loved ones, getting a bite to eat, or meeting up with a date. Normal people lived their normal lives, unphased by the bus-sized footprints dotting the streets. Somewhere among them, Evelynn Mons reveled in her spoils and likely plotted her next heist. “She won't slip away next time. We'll hound her until she's behind bars where she belongs.”

…

Evelynn walked through the gap beneath the door leading into her apartment, returning to normal upon reaching the other side. The apartment was simply furnished with little in the way of personal effects, a temporary hideout to be vacated once its usefulness had expired.

“Oh man, I’m bushed.” Evelynn collapsed face first on her sofa. Even giantesses get tired running all over town. She plunged one hand into her cleavage and fished around for her prize, pulling out the Saber’s Ring and turning over to examine it under the light. Not the prettiest accessory, but I’m sure someone will shell out for it. More than the ring itself, the real treasure was the thrill of the heist. The infiltration went smooth as planned, and that detective proved a delightful hiccup. She’s going to make things interesting going forward. A worthy rival to the world’s greatest thief? This is where the fun begins.

“My lady, did I keep you waiting?” The faithful samurai, Tomoe, appeared in the windowsill, answering the thief’s summons. “This important job, I’m honored to be of assistance. Whatever you need of me, I’ll exceed your expectations.”

“Thank goodness. After all that running, my feet are killing me.” Evelynn sat up and removed her boots, releasing her pent-up puppies and resting them on the coffee table in front of her. Her feet were always bare within her boots, the direct skin contact needed to keep her footwear at scale with the rest of her outfit. It wasn’t comfortable, the leather boots didn’t absorb sweat as effectively as socks, and she always got home sorer and smellier as a result, but it was a necessity, and she could always count on her partner in crime to rejuvenate her weary spirit.

“A f-foot rub?” Tomoe shot Evelynn a blank stare as she stepped inside. “That’s the important job you need me for?”

“You bet! You give the best shrunken foot rubs in the world. Who else can I entrust with such an important task?” As silly as it was, Evelynn was being sincere. Tomoe put her all into everything she did for her lady, no matter what size she did it at.

“I understand,” Tomoe said with a wry smile. She had no qualms serving her unrequited lover by any means the thief saw fit. Quite the opposite, Tomoe’s greatest pleasure was satisfying the buxom thief. But she wanted to be more than a faithful attendant; Tomoe wanted to be Evelynn’s partner in all things, to be on equal terms with the greatest, most talented, most beautiful woman in the entire world. She had the skills and the drive, all she needed was an opportunity to prove herself.

Tomoe approached the sofa and let Evelynn touch her forehead. Her fingers carried with them a pleasant warmth, and everything around the samurai stretched out beyond her. Tomoe disappeared inside her billowing kimono, the delicate fabric crumpling atop of her. Trapped in her own clothing, she squirmed in a fruitless attempt to find an opening. Giggling, Evelynn reached down and salvaged the naked samurai, holding her velvety figure softly in her grip before placing her on the coffee table beside her feet.

The samurai stood as tall as Evelynn’s foot on its heel, perfect height for a full-body massage. First, Tomoe circled to the far side of the ped, leaning forward and taking one long lick from the arch, over the ball, and up the big toe. Salty sweat filled her mouth; what she didn’t swallow dripped down her cheeks in winding trails. The first time they tried this, Tomoe orgasmed right then and there, overwhelmed by Evelynn’s titanic presence. Since then, the samurai had built up her resilience to better serve her partner, but if she ever lost focus, she’d be on her knees in an instant.

Next, Tomoe pressed her perky tits against the ball of Evelynn’s sole, grinding them against the callous skin as she kissed and licked every single toe. Her tongue crossed over every groove, picking up the sweat and dirt that accumulated within them. Her hips gyrated against Evelynn’s arch, staining it with her arousal. Tomoe wrapped her arms around each toe as she made out with it, treating it gently like a lover. How she yearned to one day treat Evelynn herself the same.

Evelynn leaned back with her hands crossed behind her head. For her, stealing was not a malicious act. She did not take to ruin others nor to teach them a lesson. Stealing was an expression of dominance, a reminder that all of life’s riches belong rightfully to her. Expressing control in a method uniquely her own, that was the art of thievery. Tomoe’s devotion elicited similar satisfaction. To have that petit dime writhe against the bottom of her foot, enraptured at having the honor to serve, it satisfied Evelynn in much the same way. If only she could convey how much the samurai meant to her. If only she herself understood how much she relied on her undying loyalty.

“Tomoe, what do you know of the Philosopher’s Stone?” Evelynn asked lazily.

“The gem used in alchemy to turn lead into gold? As far as I know, it was a myth sought by Europeans during the Middle Ages, a method to obtain eternal riches and an immortal life,” Tomoe explained, peeking through the gap between Evelynn’s big and index toe.

“What if I told you it’s real, and that I’ve chanced upon its whereabouts?” To Evelynn’s chagrin, Tomoe’s ears perked up, her attention temporarily torn from the ginormous foot before her. “This job’s going to be tougher than my last few. I’d really appreciate your help on this one.”

“Yes! Absolutely!” Tomoe hopped against the sole’s fleshy barrier, enthused to a euphoric degree. “I will cut down anything that dares obstruct your path.”

“Thank you.” Evelynn smiled down on her. That smile held more power than the strongest Manipulators to ever live. “I apologize for not bringing you with me more frequently, but most jobs are so pitifully easy, I couldn’t stand to waste your talents on them.”

“Working with you is never a burden, my lady.” Tomoe soaked Evelynn’s arch and heel in her own juices, enthusiasm tugging at her already ecstatic loins. “No order is beneath me if it comes from your graceful lips.”

“Well, don’t get too excited yet. You still have your current task to complete,” Evelynn winked. Tomoe blushed, remembering her place, and resumed worshipping her lady’s foot, her tongue lapping more fervently than before.

Forever My Own by TerryLarka

Ch 1. Cop and Robber

Ch 2. First Contact