Tiny Viola ~ Chapters 91-96

The FBI had honed into Lars location in Las Vegas ~ the Bellagio hotel. A beautiful Italian hotel with the lovely huge fountains out front and the colored glass art hanging from the ceiling in the lobby, Lars was spending the money he earned from Ming Testing lavishly.

People were disappearing at an alarming rate around the country, but it took a while for the FBI to conclude it was because they all had visited Las Vegas recently. By focusing on tourists, Lars was able to follow them back to their local home towns, spike their drinks, and then mail them off to Ming Testing the next morning, before anyone knew they had disappeared. He'd be out of town and back to Las Vegas before anyone knew he'd been there.

Ming Testing began requiring specific characteristics, like certain races for their testing. They found pale skin showed better results for some kinds of testing. So for a while, Lars found pale skinned red heads and blonds, and even Asians who had pale skin were chosen.

Lars assured Ming that he was growing these specimens in a lab and their age was from a process using cloned material of aged cells, meaning that he could grow a middle-aged person at the same rate as a young person. This allowed Lars freedom to find and shrink anyone he thought would be an easy target, rather than having to hunt down children, who would be found missing promptly.

Lars enjoyed the lavish lifestyle of the Bellagio and gambled recklessly. His streams of money still came in from his latest "harvest" of small bodies, so he didn't worry about it.

As long as the people he picked could not speak Mandarin, Lars felt safe.

The FBI came to the Bellagio with new agents and new faces. Old agents came too, including the whole team from the secret San Leandro location. The little people stayed safely in San Leandro. Plans were changed to keep them safe.

"We're the United States of America," said Frank McNiggit, head of the FBI. "We're not in the business of harming people or putting them in unnecessary danger. Those seven or eight -- what is it by the way? -- anyway, all those little people you have hidden away somewhere in San Leandro -- I want you to keep them there where they'll all be safe."

Geoffrey nodded. He would have to plan his sting without them. In the mean time, the scientists could try to code their blood to LSR potion, although going through Bonofacio's notes had not brought them closer to a solution yet.

The FBI hid on the same floor as Lars and waited for their opportunity to pounce.

In San Leandro, the little people were a bit miffed at the news, having wanted the chance for adventure and to get a chance to help put Lars in prison.

In Hong Kong, Bonofacio was despondent. Ling Ling seemed content to keep him as a pet without regard to his need to get out of there and get home to his lab.

In Vegas, Lars was quickly arrested by the FBI in a fast sting that left no one harmed. But at the last moment Lars drank H-Hydrobi Factor X potion, meaning he would wake up only 2 inches tall. In this way he hoped to either escape or avoid courtroom time or else, he just wanted to try life being only two inches tall.

The FBI still captured him. The supply of little two inch bodies to China stopped abruptly. People were safe from the harm of accidentally swallowing a harmful concoction that would shrink them to two inches.

But for those who remained only two inches tall, getting big -- getting Lycomobin Synclopia Rye potion remained their only option.

And that option was contained in the little brain of a scientist thousands of miles away in Ling Ling's apartment.

"We know Dr. Sacchi is somewhere in or near Hong Kong," said Audrey. "We just don't have him in the lab. Our insiders haven't seen him there in weeks."

Ming Testing Laboratories was doing poorly now. Without a constant supply of two inch bodies on which to test, they fell out of business and returned to using other animals for their testing.

One of the Federal Bureau of Investigation insiders shipped all the two inch people directly to the FBI in Quantico, VA. They were then flown to San Leandro. There were now 138 two inch little bodies, a whole city of little people, that the FBI was taking care of.

And no Dr. Bonofacio Sacchi.

But all was not lost.

Ling Ling was traveling to Taiwan, because she was half Taiwanese. She took Bonofacio with her to visit her family. Her American cousin, Dayani, got wind of Bonofacio, because Dayani finds out everything. Dayani promised to take Bonofacio off of Ming Ming's hands, for in truth, she was getting tired of caring for him and did want the best for him.

Dayani promised to turn the little man over to the authorities.

Even better, Dayani spoke English.

It was perfect.

Dayani hailed from San Leandro, California, although she did not know of any secret Federal Bureau of Investigation compound there. She was happy enough to help Bonofacio find the proper authorities upon their return trip home. She just had to go to work (she worked at the Castro Valley library) and take care of two wonderful little children, Savanna and Benjamin.

Dayani gave Bonofacio to her friend Mirjami, who was out of work and had much more time to deal with things. Mirjami was an actress and writer. She was 30 years old when this happened. She told her friends and they thought she went crazy.

So she kept hush about it and stayed up all night on the internet with Bonofacio until they located the proper FBI phone number. They dialed it and went through five phone trees before Audrey picked up. Arrangements were made and Mirjami borrowed her father's old Ford 150 truck to take Bonofacio to the Federal Bureau of Investigation compound in San Leandro.

Driving up to Alvarado street, it was pretty easy to guess which of the large warehouses housed the little people and the Federal Bureau of Investigation personnel. It had to be the one that had security all over the place.

Mirjami went right up to the front door of the warehouse and knocked. A security guard answered.

"May I talk to Audrey Turnover?" asked Mirjami.

The guard raised an eyebrow.

"And you are...?" asked the guard.

"Mirjami Stevenson," said Mirjami.

"I have Bonofacio," she continued, digging Bonofacio out of her pocket and holding him up for the guard to see.

The guards eyes widened.

"Follow me, please," he said.

He led Mirjami and Bonofacio down a long hallway and to the deck where Audrey sat sipping ice tea. It was a hot day at the complex and she was thirsty.
Mirjami was gay and so was Audrey.

They could tell just looking at each other, first glance, that things were looking up.

"I have Bonofacio," began Mirjami.

She and Bonofacio then related the story of how he managed to escape from Ming Testing to stay with Ling Ling, and then travel with Dayani, and finally find the Federal Bureau of Investigation again with the help of Mirjami.

"Wow," said Audrey. "Talk about luck."

"We need your help," said Audrey. "Can you work with our scientists to help them code each person's DNA to LSR potion?"

"No problem," said Bonofacio. "I'm completely done with being two inches tall myself."

"There are over 150 little people now," said Audrey.

"Dear Lord," said Bonofacio.

Working frantically, Bonofacio first grew himself with the help of scientists who followed his precise instructions in creating Lycomobin Synclopia Rye potion.

Once big, Bonofacio then helped code batch after batch of Lycomobin Synclopia Rye potion for over 150 little bodies.

When everyone had returned to their regular sizes, they were all allowed to go home.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation closed the case, and called it a success.