Gears of AR

Chapter 2
Part 2

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Chapter Description: A few months after being exposed to the regression fluid, Clayton is back to his old self thanks to an antidote. Now he is back out on patrol with Lizzie when they discover the enemy has a new weapon.

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It had been a few months since the incident where a mysterious chemical caused Clayton Carmine to regress to a mere six-year-old boy. Luckily, there was a cure, and he had since become an adult again. Not many knew about what happened, per his wishes, but his niece Lizzy, who was with him at the time, knew all about it and loved to tease him. Today they were on another mission, dressed in their usual heavy armor, and patrolling an area on foot after getting out of their transport.

“Sure is nice to fit in this armor again.” said Clayton. He wiggled a little and flexed. “I'm especially glad I got my muscles back.”

“Yeah, it's too bad.” said Lizzie. “You were cute as a scrawny little kid.”

Clayton blushed, though you couldn't tell since he always wore his favorite helmet. He refused to take it off, even after regressing. “It wasn't fun.” said Clayton. “It took a week to grow back up again. You know what it's like to go through puberty in the span of a day?”

“No.” said Lizzie. “But it was kind of funny when you kept getting growth spurts and having to get new armor.

“It wasn't funny.” said Clayton, folding his arms. “It hurt. Bones growing rapidly and awkwardly. Teeth falling out and then coming back in. It was terrible.” He was quiet for a moment, then thought about how Lizzie was there to help him every step of the way. As a result, he had bonded with her on a deeper level. At one point, she had felt like a big sister to him, but once he was fully grown again it was back to business as usual. “Thank you...for being there for me.”

“You're welcome.” said Lizzie. She nudged him on the shoulder. “It was kind of fun really. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like being a kid again.”

“Not me.” said Clayton. “Not here at least. Not in this war torn hell-scape. No child should have to suffer here.” He looked around at the broken road, shells of buildings, smokey sky, and craters blasted into the landscape. It was all a dark, gray, depressing scene. Not the sort you would ever expect to see families traversing.

“That's why we have sanctuary cities.” said Lizzie. “You know, like where grandma lives.”

“Hmm, mom.” said Clayton. “I haven't talked to her in ages.”

“You should.” said Lizzie. “She needs to know how you are.”

“Heh, I bet she would have loved to see me as a child again.” said Clayton.

“She would have adored that I'm sure.” said Lizzie.

“Heh, I guess it wouldn't be so bad.” said Clayton. “Being raised out in the peaceful, sanctuary areas, away from all the fighting.”

“You think you would enjoy that?” asked Lizzie.

“I guess part of me would.” said Clayton. “But I like being my big, strong, capable self. I can fight and help people.”

“Yeah.” said Lizzie. “You're all muscle, even up here.” She playfully thunked at the side of his helmet with her hand.

“I'll take that as a compliment.” said Clayton. The two laughed and continued their patrol, holding their Lancer weapons. Eventually they came across a confusing sight. It was an area with empty armor, clothing, and guns littering the ground.

“What happened here?” asked Lizzie. “Looks like there was a fight but...” She lifted some of the armor up to get a better look. “No holes, no blood, no signs of injury at all.”

“Yeah, this is strange.” said Clayton. He kicked one of the empty helmets away, watching it roll into a crater. “Heh, did they all just decide to get nude and run away?”

“Funny, but unlikely.” said Lizzie. “I mean, I enjoy getting out of this armor at the end of the day just as much as anyone, but to just up and abandon it?”

Clayton bent down and examined the tags on one of the empty sets of armor. “I know this team.” he said. “They went missing a few days ago. Presumed dead.”

“Odd.” said Lizzie. “There's no footprints or trail indicating where they could have gone. Although I do see some Locust prints.”

“So they were here?” asked Clayton. “Do they have some kind of new weapon maybe?”

“It could be.” said Lizzie. “We should keep an eye out.” She began collecting the tags of the empty armor along with Clayton when an explosion went off near them, blowing them a few meters from where they were. “Ooof!”

“Ugh!” shouted Clayton as he hit a wall. Then he looked up. “Above us!” He pointed to a twisted, black, organic-looking Locust ship hovering above. Enemies were pouring out of it, all carrying strange new weapons. It opened fire at them, forcing them to take cover.

“Ugh, you okay?” asked Clayton.

“Yeah, fine.” said Lizzie. “Let's take them out!”

Clayton revved the chainsaw blade on his favorite gun. “Ready for action!” he grinned. The two charged out from behind a piece of broken wall, shooting and slicing the various Locust soldiers to ribbons. Heads and limbs went flying, leaving trails of blood all over. Clayton roared as he buzzed through a group of them.

“Clayton!” shouted Lizzie. “Over here!” She was fending off a horde and getting cornered. One had her right in its sights, and about to shoot.

“No!” shouted Clayton. He leapt into action, getting between the Locust and Lizzie. He took the shot meant for her, but instead of a bullet or blast, it felt...wet. It was some kind of strange blue fluid. Clayton stood up and saw it evaporate, and memories from before clicked into his mind and his eyes grew wide.

“Clayton!” shouted Lizzie. “Are you okay?” She came over to inspect him, but saw no wounds. Instead, his height was slowly decreasing.

“No way!” shouted Clayton. “Not again!” He gulped as his weapon grew heavy. “Not this again!” He raged and aimed his weapon, filling the enemies with smoking holes. Clayton's muscular arms were deflating, his armor began hanging heavy on him, and his gun was getting harder and harder to aim. He shrank inside his armor, and the Locusts seem to grow, as did everything around him. It was making him feel weak and vulnerable. He looked up curiously as the Locusts seemed to be shooting each other with the liquid, healing their wounds.

“That stuff heals them?!” shouted Lizzie. “Oh great, we need to get out of here!” She grabbed Clayton by the arm and the two ran off, heading towards a small hatch, then went inside. It was one of their secret tunnels used to get around under ground. It was dark. Dark and dank. Their boots squished in the muddy floor of the tunnels.

Clayton grunted every now and then, getting his boots stuck in the mud. Each time he had to pull and tug, feeling his small feet freely slipping in and out of them. He grumbled and trudged onward, pulling his armor up the whole time, trying his best to keep it on. His gloves were so large that he had to stick two fingers into the index and middle fingers just to use them.

Lizzie noticed and smiled. He was shorter than her now, and looked very silly in his huge armor. It reminded her of last time this happened. “Looks like you'll get to go through puberty again, again.” she said.

“I can't believe they've weaponized that stuff.” said Clayton, his voice squeaking in a higher pitch. “Ugh, this sucks. I hate being a kid.” He kicked at a can and his boot flew off, revealing his soft, pink, little kid foot.

“Ah, this brings back memories.” said Lizzie. She fetched his boot and helped him put it back on. “Need help getting dressed little Clay?”

“Sh-shut up.” said Clayton, wiggling his toes in his over-sized boot. “It's not funny. We should go back and get the antidote already.”

“No.” said Lizzie. “We need to take out that team of Locusts before they can attack anyone else.”

“But they can use that stuff to heal their wounds.” said Clayton, whining. “You saw!”

“Yes, but none of them could heal a severed limb or head.” said Lizzie. “Take out the head, and they go down for good. Besides, I imagine we could use that stuff in small amounts to heal our own wounds. Remember last time it healed all of your scars.”

“Don't remind me.” said Clayton. “Those were battle scars. Signs of dignity and respect.”

“Heh, it's always the same with you guys.” said Lizzie. “The worse you look the more respect you think you have, but in reality it just makes you unattractive to women.”

“Not all women.” said Clayton.

“Most women.” said Lizzie. The two continued on through the tunnel until getting to a side room made for resting and restocking. There were guns, ammo, spare armor, food, and even spots to sleep. “Time to stock up.”

“Right.” said Clayton. He reluctantly grabbed a smaller gun, along with some ammo. He knew he would be more effective with a hand gun now, and maybe a knife. The armor there was no smaller though, so he decided to use some old belts to tighten his own around his legs, arms, and waist. His helmet rattled against the top of his armor every time he moved his head, making him grumble. Memories of his first experience with this flashed through his mind.

Lizzie smiled at the mini version of Clayton, stumbling awkwardly in huge armor meant for a very large and muscular man. She could see his scrawny arms looking like toothpicks sticking out of his chest plate. “Here, let me help.” she said, remembering how she would help him dress the first time he got little like this. She began helping him to tie his clothing tighter onto him, noting how small and thin he had gotten. He couldn't be any older than twelve at this point, but it was enough.

“Thanks Lizzie.” said Clayton. “How are we going to do this?”

“Very carefully.” said Lizzie. “We have to sneak up and take them by surprise. Their guns may not be deadly, but they can render you helpless if you get hit by them too much.”

“That must be what happened to the others.” said Clayton. “They got the drop on them with that stuff.”

“You mean they got too small for their armor?” asked Lizzie.

“I think they may have...gotten too small to live.” said Clayton, gulping. “What if that stuff can regress a person until they no longer exist?” He was getting nervous and scared now. His childish emotions threatened to get the better of him. He even trembled a little.

“We can't think like that.” said Lizzie. “Even if it can, it just means we have to not get hit by it. At least not on the skin.”

“Y-yeah.” said Clayton. “We can do that...right?”

“Of course we can.” said Lizzie. “Especially if we get the upper hand.”

“Then let's do it.” said Clayton. “They're gonna regret turning me into a kid again!”

“That's more like it!” said Lizzie. “Come on.” She led the way, out of the bunker and down one of the tunnels. They both knew their layout and where to go. They decided to go up a ladder behind the enemy squad to surprise them.

Clayton kept losing his footing while climbing. His boots were just too big and bulky to wear properly. It was only thanks to the belts that they stayed on at all. He was determined to avoid the blue liquid at all costs.

Lizzie stepped out of the manhole cover and reached down to offer her hand to Clayton.

Clayton accepted her hand and pulled as she did, blushing at how she was now stronger than he was. He felt himself get pulled up and settled onto his feet. After doing so, he quietly made his way behind her. Normally he would just charge in, but since he had been reduced to a weak child, he knew they had to be more stealthy.

Lizzie did her best to stay quiet, kneeling down and getting behind a piece of old building. She peeked out to see various Locust reloading their guns and checking them. There weren't very many of them left after they had torn through them before, but she knew they had likely called for backup, so they needed to move fast. Two of them looked like they had just returned from a scouting mission. They were carrying empty armor and laughing. She could tell from their motions that they were gloating about reducing humans to infants. One of them was carrying what looked like a fetus in a jar, likely to be taken for study. Lizzie began to get very angry, gritting her teeth and trying not to yell aloud.

Clayton shivered, seeing it all. He certainly didn't want to end up like that. It was truly horrifying, especially after experiencing the liquid's effects first hand, twice. His shivering eventually led to his armor clanking.

Lizzie heard and looked over at him. She couldn't see his face, but knew he was afraid. She had never really seen him like this before. She hugged him and tried to calm him down. “Shhh, we need to be quiet.” she whispered.

Clayton fought back his regressed emotions and tried to be a big boy for her. One of the Locust soldiers walked toward them, but stopped, turned, and leaned against part of a concrete barricade. Clayton looked at Lizzie then motioned toward a blind spot behind an abandoned vehicle.

Lizzie nodded and made her way over first, having no issue. She checked to make sure no one was looking, then motioned for Clayton to follow.

Clayton ambled his way over to her, feeling his heavy boots fall to the ground before his foot stepped down all the way. His armor clattered a little, but he did his best to make it as quiet as possible. Then the inevitable happened, and he tripped. His armor clanked loudly as he tumbled to the ground. He rolled to a stop and looked up to see a Locust soldier aiming his gun at him. He tried to get up, but his armor was just too heavy. Soon he felt the cold liquid entering his armor. “N-no!” he squeaked as he began to shrink again.

Lizzie jolted up and sliced the soldier's head clean from its body, then took the gun for herself. “I knew we should have just ditched the armor.” she said, picking up the dwindling Clayton and taking him to cover. His boots fell off, leaving him barefoot, but that didn't matter right now. The liquid had evaporated but the effects were apparent. He was shrinking into his armor right in front of her, just like last time. Luckily they were still far enough away that the others didn't notice right away.

Clayton stood there and felt everything grow larger and heavier. Even the light gun he brought with him felt too heavy and clunky for his shrinking fingers. He shivered a little and looked up at Lizzie as she seemed to grow taller. His chest deflated and his arms became even smaller and weaker. Some of his adult teeth began to retract into his gums, soon to be replaced by baby teeth. Soon his chest armor thudded to the ground around him, and he stood inside it, looking up at her, wearing only his helmet.

Lizzie couldn't help but smile. It was just like last time. “Oh, my little uncle is back!” she said. “You are too cute for words.” She hugged him tightly, making him squirm and wiggle.

“I am not cute!” he squeaked in a high pitched child voice. He was lifted out of his armor, but kept a tight grip on his boxers, unwilling to go without them at least. “Let me go!” He fussed and kicked his little legs.

“Fine, fine.” said Lizzie. She sat him down and examined the gun she got from the Locust. “I know these things can heal them, but what if they were exposed to a lot of it?”

“I dunno.” said little Clayton. His helmet wobbled when he talked and moved, looking comically large on his small, six-year-old frame. He couldn't even look through the windows of the abandoned vehicle to check for enemies now. He gripped his boxers and peeked around the corner, seeing a load of barrels full of the liquid nearby. “They have a bunch over there.”

“Okay.” said Lizzie. She looked around to get a count of enemies. “Let's see... Looks like there are only about four of them left, but they're on guard. We should be able to take them out.” She looked down at the small child near her. “Well, I can. You stay here. Get under the vehicle and snipe if you get a clear shot.”

“I can still hold a gun.” said Clayton, holding a large pistol.

“I know.” said Lizzie. She knelt down to him and patted him on his comically large helmet. “But you're just a little shrimp now. You're back to being my little kid brother. If they hit you again, you could end up in a jar. I don't want to lose you, so stay back here please.”

Clayton grumbled, looking like a kid pouting that he wasn't getting his favorite toy. “Fine.” he said. He got down on all fours and crawled under the junk vehicle, getting dirt on his hands and knees.

Lizzie holstered the liquid gun for the time being, since it would only have enough ammo to heal the enemy. Instead she got out a Lancer and readied it. She walked around the perimeter, making sure to stay out of line of sight. Once she got in position, she looked to Clayton, seeing the visor of his helmet under the car, and nodded. With a great yell, she jumped out and opened fire, strafing around the group of enemy soldiers. She managed to take out two before the others could react. They began firing at her, but she was nimble enough to dodge. The liquid was a slower projectile than bullets, which she used to her advantage.

Clayton watched from under the car. Even in his reduced state, he was itching to fight. It may have also been his renewed, child energy, but his body just would not sit still. He saw a straggler sneaking up. He had to crawl out from under his cover to get a good angle, keeping a grip on his boxers. However, he couldn't aim his heavy pistol and hold them up at the same time, and reluctantly let go of them in order to aim and fire. There was a loud bang, and he knew he had made his mark, but the force of the gun knocked him back, leaving his boxers behind.

“Clayton!” Lizzie shouted. The soldier had already taken aim and fired before Clayton's shot pierced it's skull, and she found herself engulfed in the cool liquid. She braced for it and ran off, picking up little Clayton and his boxers before the liquid could fade. She ducked behind a large rock with him as she felt the cool liquid evaporate from her skin. She knew what was coming, but didn't know how strange it would feel. Her skin crawled and tingled, and her armor and clothing began to bunch up and rub against her body. She shivered as she shrank, feeling her chest losing contact with the chest plate of her armor. Her bust size was reducing, retracting inward. “Ugh, this is...so weird...” Her voice cracked and became higher as she shrank.

Clayton watched and tugged his boxers back up. “Lizzie, I'm sorry.” he said. “This is my fault.” He watched as Lizzie's facial features changed, softened, and rounded, becoming more childlike every second. Her strong arms became small and thin, almost dainty, looking silly sticking out of her armor. Her pants bunched up and her chest armor drooped, covering her mid section. By the time the changes stopped, she looked no older than eleven or so.

“N-no.” said Lizzie, in a mewling child voice. “You did the right thing. Heh, guess I'm not the only kid on the team now eh?” She looked at her small hands and blushed, looking down into her large chest armor. Her gun was now heavy, far too heavy for her to aim properly, so she let it go. She looked and saw the group of soldiers remaining had been rejoined by two others. They were outnumbered and outgunned.

“What are we gonna do now?” asked little Clayton.

Lizzie looked around, spying the barrels from earlier. “I have an idea.” she said. “We need to lure them over to those barrels though.” She pulled out a grenade she had picked up from the bunker. “We have one shot at this, and it's a long one. This one grenade won't take them out, but I think even they would be reduced if exposed to that much of the liquid.”

“I gotcha.” said Clayton. “I'm proud of you...big sis.” He blushed, having to say that. Part of him had wanted to call her that during his first return to childhood, but it felt even more appropriate now.

“Heh, thanks.” said Lizzie. She smiled and tousled his helmet playfully. “Let's go little bro. You go distract them and run toward the barrels. Get clear, and I'll toss the grenade.”

Clayton marched off, holding his boxers up, looking very cute and ridiculous. “Hey maggots!” he yelled. He got the reaction he wanted, the Locusts turned to face him. He turned and lowered his boxers, exposing his little behind to them. “Kiss this!” As they began to chase him, he giggled and led them closer and closer to the barrels.

Lizzie chuckled at that, finding it cute and funny. She waited until he was right up on the barrels, and watched him dive off to the side. That was her queue. She pulled the pin on the grenade and tossed it at the barrels. It landed with a clink and a thunk, falling between them. The Locust looked confused and turned to look at where it came from, but before they could react, there was a loud explosion and they were all engulfed in gallons upon gallons of the fluid. She watched as they all squirmed and shouted. At first, their injuries healed, but soon after, they began to shrink as well. Their yells became higher and higher in pitch. Their guns had burst from the explosion as well, covering them all in a thick coating of the liquid. Lizzie watched in amazement as they regressed to more primitive and simple versions of themselves, looking less and less threatening. They shrank into their armor and writhed on the ground, becoming unable to walk. Soon they began to develop a thick mucus on their bodies and it grew into a shell around them. They became tiny Locust eggs lying inside armor meant for adults. She smiled and walked up to them. She was tempted to step on them, but even she could not kill a defenseless life form. Instead, she left them to be discovered by the reinforcements they had likely called. She looked around, but didn't see Clayton, and grew worried. “Clay?” she called out. “Clayton?!” She heard what sounded like a very upset toddler grumbling and whining. She followed it and saw what looked like a helmet with legs. They were tiny, pudgy, babyish legs. She couldn't help but chuckle. “Clayton?”

Clayton looked up at the giant girl and wiggled under his huge helmet. He futilely tugged his enormous boxers up, which made it look like he was wearing a dress. “Wook wha happen to me!” he whined in a toddler's lisping voice. “Some of dat stuff got on me! Imma baby!” He stomped his little bare feet in the dirt and had a tantrum. He plopped to his rear and kicked his little legs, all fussy and angry. He was more of a toddler than a baby, but right now he certainly looked very babyish.

“Hahaha!” Lizzie laughed. “Oh my gosh, you are so cute!” She chuckled and picked him up. Not many had ever seen him without his helmet, but she saw his cute little face for a moment before he tugged his helmet back down. “Sorry about that little bro.” She smiled and tickled his little feet.

Clayton couldn't help but giggle and squeal babyishly. His skin was so soft and sensitive now, and he was so small. He hated it, but he felt safe in her arms. “I not cute!” he squeaked.

“We'll let granny decide that.” said Lizzie. While he was distracted, she tugged his over-sized boxers off, leaving him wearing only a helmet. She smiled and tore his boxers into strips of cloth, then used them to make a small diaper-like garment for him.

“M-mommy?!” Clayton squeaked. He looked down at himself after realizing his boxers were gone. “Nooo! Gimme back!” He squirmed and kicked.

Lizzie smiled and tossed them away. “Your stubborn clinging to clothes and armor has nearly done us in time and again.” she said. “No more. We're leaving them.”

Clayton blushed and huffed, folding his chubby little arms. It was so cute seeing his protruding tummy from under his helmet. “I nu wanna be nakie.” he said.

“It's okay.” said Lizzie. She held him and bounced him in her arms a little. “Maybe granny will have some diapers for you.”

“D-diapews?!” Clayton gulped, blushing and squirming. He felt so little and weak now. Being six was one thing, but now that he was half that, it was even more embarrassing. There was no telling what they would decide to dress them in.

Lizzie gathered up the fetus in the jar from earlier, not wanting to leave anyone behind, and hoping that the antidote would work on them. Together, they made their way back to the bunker where they used the radio to call for help, and waited for rescue.

Later on, Clayton and Lizzie both found themselves in the care of Clayton's mother, just like they had talked about. They could still take the antidote, but granny insisted they stay little, just for a few days at least. She teased them, saying she may not let them take the antidote at all, but it was mostly a joke. She did miss being a mother, and hearing the pitter-patter of little feet around the house. Perhaps this was a good time to take advantage of this new youth technology.

The End?

 

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