Derrick crossed the room, powered down the Chronivac, and left the device on a tall shelf, far out of the reach of a toddler like Tanner.
"Why'd you do that?" Tanner asked with a voice that quavered with anxiety as he stared at the rows of shelves, his eyes fastened on the gleaming Chronivac placed on the highest of them.
He did not want to be deliberately mean, but his baby brother's constant questions got on his nerves. He got his arms beneath Tanner's armpits and lifted the boy off the floor as if he weighed no more than a feather.
Tanner's unease only amplified as his formerly younger brother carried him effortlessly to Tanner's room. He got another shock once inside the room.
Derrick had obviously been busy, using the device to modify the room for Tanner's current needs. He walked to a crib and lowered the toddler into it. Tanner got to his feet and stepped across the padding, wrapping his tiny fists around some of the bars of the crib. "Dewwick! You can't weave me here!"
"Relax, little dude," Derrick condescended. "It's just a time-out while your big bro enjoys some quality solo time."
"Dewwick!" Tanner objected. "Don't be redick-o-wus!" He cringed at hearing himself mispronounce words or else his lisp interfered to obliterate them.
"You seem awfully fussy," Derrick said and patted Tanner's head. "Take a nap and, when I come back, I'll fix you something for lunch."
Tanner watched his now adult brother turn to leave.
"Dewwick! I don't care about wunch!"
In answer, the door closed and Tanner heard heavy footsteps on the other side of the door that receded as his new older brother walked down the hallway.
Tanner looked at the slats of the crib and felt like he had been placed behind bars. Derrick's fascination with his new adult body was hindering Tanner at every turn from getting back to his proper age. The world looked so big now, although he understood that, in fact, he had just become much smaller.
He balled his tiny hands into fists and began to cry from frustration. "It's not fair!"
Meanwhile...