Jacob was so swept up in his giddiness that he nearly forgot how late he was running for work. He muttered out a few high-pitched curses as he set the Chronivac to bring him back to his proper age - and though it was fascinating watching himself grow back up, he couldn't help but feel as though his joy was draining away with each regained inch and hair and muscle. With a sigh, he started getting his stuff together, and in a matter of seconds was on his way out the door - but stopped with his hand on the knob. He turned to the Chronivac and dug his teeth into his lower lip. The device was plain and unassuming but radiated with power, the infinite possibilities it offered proving too tempting to abandon entirely. Jacob stood for a long moment, torn - and then he grabbed the device, hastily stuffed it into his bag, and hustled out the door.
It was all he could do to keep his eyes on the road as he drove to the office. At every light he'd glance over at his bag sitting in the passenger seat, staring at it as though it held a bar of gold or rods of enriched uranium. It wasn't a conscious thought at the time of the grabbing, but as he cruised downtown it became totally clear why he'd taken the Chronivac with him. His fantasies, after all, hadn't only starred him. Sometimes he wasn't the one becoming small and cute and completely helpless - sometimes it was a best friend or a teacher or a celebrity crush. Sometimes he wondered what it would be like to stand there and smile down at the hapless victim as they disappeared into their clothes, emerging seconds later as a doe-eyed tot, a chubby toddler, or a crawling infant. Sometimes he imagined his whole class or office falling prey to such a fate, he the only bastion of maturity in a room full of nosepickers, thumbsuckers and diaper-wearers.
Jacob was snapped out of his daydream by the realization that his erection was straining painfully against his belt.
Of course, Jacob wouldn't dream of doing anything like that to his co-workers. He told himself this as he pulled into his spot at the GenCorp building and hurried to his office. They were mostly a good group of guys and they didn't deserve such a nasty shock just to fulfill his fantasy. Even if it wouldn't be permanent...even if they'd probably enjoy themselves...even if they'd look so cute toddling around wearing nothing but their -
Jacob shook himself back to reality as he entered the office. Luckily for him, everybody in the room was too occupied by their work to notice him, and it was with no fanfare that he turned on his system and waited for it to boot up. As he did so, his eyes wandered almost of their own accord around the open space that he shared with the rest of the IT guys. There was Dave, an older guy who cut his teeth on Apple IIs and whose technical knowledge was surpassed only by his love of bad jokes. Next to him was Kris, a fresh-out-of-college hotshot who loved to needle "Grandpa Dave" and who could always be counted on to know the inner workings of the newest killer virus. And next to Jacob sat Rick, a quiet guy who loved tabletop games and who Jacob considered his best friend in the office. Rounding out the team was James, the boss, who worked out of a small office attached to the main room. He ran a tight ship but rarely roused any resentment from his team - he was as knowledgeable as any of them and wasn't afraid to prove it when his authority was questioned.
None of them knew that Jacob had fantasized about how each of them might react to being turned into a little boy or a baby. And now that he had the opportunity to find out...Jacob pinched himself back to reality and started in on his work. Just get through the day, he told himself. Just keep your nose to the grindstone. When you get home, you can play with the Chronivac all you want.
The allure of the device is strong, though and who can say whether Jacob's willpower is up to the task...