Honey, I Shrunk the Egos

Who Wants to be Five Inches Tall?

"The Host assumed it was the cockroach touching him again." The Host muttered, reaching a hand out to pat Dirty Jim's hard shell as the creature tapped its antennae along his leg.

"Do not hurt him." Google Yellow warned.

"The cockroach meant no harm and the Host did now, find him oddly comforting." The Host explained, still patting the insect's shell.

"Right?" Kathryn grinned. "He's almost cute when you get used to him."

"Stop it!" Mark screamed from the front seat, standing up in Tyler's hand. "It's a cockroach! Not a pet!"

Google Blue was sitting in the corner of the box, and raised the volume of his voice so Mark could hear him. "People keep cockroaches as pets, it is not an unheard of practice. For most it is Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches, but there are few people who may keep Dirty Jim's species as pets."

Amy tilted her head. "Really? That's... interesting."

"Everyone is losing their minds." Mark groaned, sitting down again and looked up at Tyler. "You-"

"I think the cockroach is gross." Tyler nodded.

"Thank god." Mark sighed, placing his face in his hands and shook his head.

About ten minutes later, Amy pulled into the parking lot of an apartment building. "Alright... we're here."

"Is 'here' an Arby's?" Ed stood up, grabbing the edge of the box and attempted to pull himself up to look out the window. "Cause I could go for some Arby's!"

"We would be going to Cracker Barrel, WAY before we went to Arby's." Mark rolled his eyes, glancing out the window. "Bim has an apartment here... I'm pretty sure."

"Wait, you don't know?" Amy groaned.

Mark turned and glanced at her, pointing towards the box. "Do you have any idea how many of them there are? I have trouble keeping track of where I am half the time, let alone all of them!"

"If we don't know if he even has an apartment here... how do we know what number it is?" Tyler sighed.

"We're gonna ask at the front desk." Mark shrugged. "Well, one of you are going to.... I'm five fucking inches tall."

"You sound bitter!" Google Blue called from the back seat. "You should be used to being tiny."

"Okay..." Mark groaned. "Kathryn, I need you to drop which ever little monster that was, under the car when we drive away, alright?"

Kathryn chuckled, knowing full well that no matter how agitated Mark sounded, he didn't mean it for a second. By the smirk on Google Blue's tiny android face, he also knew it was a bluff. Tyler sighed, opening the door and climbed out, keeping Mark close so he didn't drop him. As Tyler carried Mark towards the building, cupping a hand over Mark so no one could see him, Amy and Kathryn, still carrying her box quickly joined him. As they entered the building, they made their way to the office and Amy smiled, knocking gently on the door frame. "Hi... we're looking a friend of ours. Bim Trimmer?"

The attendant glanced at her through a protective window with a hole it and groaned. "Bim? Is that a real name?"

Tyler could feel Mark squirming in his hands and sighed. "Yes." He answered quickly, happy that answering seemed to calm Mark.

The person groaned, opening a book and flipped a few pages. "Uhm, yeah... 416, I guess."

"He gave us a key, but we forget it." Kathryn blurted out, and Amy glanced at her wide eyed.

"Whatever." The attendant rolled their eyes, opening a drawer and dug through it a little before tossing a key up on the counter. "If he owes you money or something, could you not break his legs here? It's probably a liability or something. Plus then I have to deal with the cops... it's messy." They shook their head, then slumped back in their seat, returning to watching something on a tablet they had with them.