Edgar Williamson got the insistent text on his phone. It seemed very important if not immediately clear. He text was followed by a short phone call from Doctor Mather, "My house ten minutes!" was all it said.
Dropping everything Edgar rushed out of his office, across the street, and into the nearby condominium complex where Doctor John Mather lived and worked in his private laboratory. Mather was Edgar's most frustrating employee. An unqualified genius in the field of miniaturization, Mather was making noises about having more control over the patents for the many inventions he had created for Edgar's company.
Edgar had patiently and repeatedly explained to Mather that such decisions were not up to him but would require a re-write of the company charter. Also Mather had been perfectly happy with the patent agreements before. Yes they greatly favored Williamson Inc., Edgar's company, but Mather had come into his employ under a cloud from his university position. Edgar had taken a considerable risk in hiring John Mather. In exchange for Edgar looking the other way, Mather had been more than happy to cede nearly every penny from the creations of his inventive mind to Williamson Inc. So far the deal had paid amazing dividends to Edgar and his shareholders. It really wasn't his fault that Mather was left out in the cold. No one had placed a gun to the scientist's head and forced him to sign the contract.
Of late Mather had been very restless. He claimed that he had come across something that made all of his previous inventions seem as dross. John Mather said that he would not share the invention with Williamson Inc., unless he got a better deal. Heretofore, Edgar had told Mather to pound sand. That only enraged the scientist.
Presently Edgar Williamson was at the front door of John Mather's modest condominium. He rang the bell. The door swung open revealing the bald pate and goatee of a man of late middle years. His eyes burned with an arresting intensity.
"Ah my bastard 'boss'."
"Stow it Mather what's so damn important?"
"I succeeded on the Z68 project!"
"That is wonderful Mather but I hope that you did not call me over here just to tell me that."
"Oh you will want to hear me out 'boss'." said the scientist. He had pronounced the word "boss" in a way that was dripping with contempt.
"Come into my living room. There is something I want to show you." said Mather.
As Edgar followed the scientist of average height the short distance to Mather's living room he began repeating company policy. "Look your contract is binding and inalterable there is nothing ..."
The next words froze in Edgar's mouth. There on a table in the middle of the room. Her hands bound and her mouth gagged was Edgar's lovely wife Josephine, but was only the size of a Barbie doll!"
While Edgar's mind reeled Mather began to speak in triumph.
"You see 'boss' I have proved the viability of my theory. My choice of the first human subject was relatively easy. She is unharmed. I just had to restrain and gag her so that she would not spoil my surprise by yelling or otherwise calling attention to herself prematurely. Here's the deal 'boss'. I get ninety nine percent of the rights to the Z68 project or I DON'T restore your young and lovely wife to her natural height. She will be my guest until those terms are codified into a contract from your company. If I don't get that contract, I will ask for a mammoth severance package to sever my contract and take Z68 to the open market."
Edgar stared for a while. His brain needed to process what his eyes were taking in. The tiny woman on the table was obviously his wife. Her eyes grew wide in recognition of her husband. That the tiny brunette woman was his wife could not be doubted, even the tattoos matched. Edgar marveled that Josephine's beauty was as glorious as ever. Her lovely breasts, taut torso, and long limber legs made her the sexiest and most beautiful doll in history. A bit of yarn restrained her arms at her sides and a tiny ball in her teeth prevented her from making anything more than tiny mewing noises.
"If you have harmed her!" Edgar began.
"She is unharmed just tiny. And she STAYS that way until my demands are met" John Mather took some papers out of his pocket. "Here is the contract I want signed. I had a lawyer I trust, one from outside your corrupt corporation, draw it up for me. You are primary shareholder of your corporation twist some arms on the board. I expect that you can get my current contract amended and this new one enacted to replace it no more than two weeks. I'll take good care of your wife until the new contract goes into effect. Barring that, the other form I gave you is my separation and severance deal. I feel that I am entitled to eighty percent of the value of Williamson Inc. Coming up with that much liquidity will take far longer. Again I will take good care of your wife until my terms are met."
"You bastard! I could kill you!"