>”You’re joking”
>”Look, you’ve seen the projections. The surface won’t be safe for another 400 years and the vault can’t keep everyone alive for that long. The shrinking device is our only chance”
>”But what if a bug or a rat gets in? We wouldn’t stand a chance against it”
>”What about that little robot maid of yours?”
>”Ellie? What about her?”
>”You gave her all sorts of mods, didn’t you? Titanium composite chassis, carbon nanotube actuators, ultra-compact fusion cells and the like. I know I said it was pointless for a personal assistant but it might be just what we need. We can build a micro-vault inside her chassis, she’ll keep it powered and safe until we’re ready to emerge”
>”Okay but then what? We only managed a successful shrink last week and we still have no idea how to to growth”
>”We’ll have 400 years to iron out the theory, we can figure it out by then”
>the 6 inch tall robot maid pipes up
>”Um… sir? This is far beyond my programming. I’m just a personal assistant, I’m not meant to keep an entire human civilization inside me”
>”Don’t worry, you won’t have to do much. We’ll set up the microvault so it runs autonomously, you just have to keep it safe and keep the lab maintained until we emerge. After that we’ll tell you how to regrow us”
>”In that case, sir, I’d like to make a request”
>”Go for it”
>”I’d like to have this discussion erased from my memory. No AI has ever operated alone for so long, and if I know about the microvault I might be tempted to interfere with it. If I don't need to interact with it then I’d rather not know what’s inside”>”Okay Ellie, we’re going to shut you down for a while to install a new module. It will draw power from your system but is otherwise completely isolated. We need you to keep the lab in working order and keep that module powered until humanity returns. When that happens, they’ll tell you what to do”
> Anna does her job dutifully, keeping the lower levels of the vault pristine even as the centuries roll by
>with no humans around there isn’t much to clean, although several times she has to go into the air vents to kill rats and seal the holes where they got in
>inside the microvault, the remnants of humanity are thriving, multiplying, and, unfortunately, forgetting their origins

>a long-neglected alarm sounds, telling you that it’s safe to leave the vault where you spent your entire life
>you are chosen as one of the scouts sent out to explore the world outside
>the vault door opens for the first time in centuries, revealing not forests or wastelands, but an endless labyrinth of machinery
>were you inside some incomprehensibly large robot this entire time?
>after mapping out the interior for several months, you find what looks like a thermal exhaust vent
>if you know anything about machines, this should lead to the exterior
>a flyer is brought to the base of the vent, and you begin the slow ascent up the shaft
>but as you ascend, the machinery below you begins to rumble, and a sudden blast of hot air forces you uncontrollably upwards

>Ellie takes a break from cleaning the kitchen
>she sits down and yawns, a reflex designed to dump excess heat, one she’s done millions of times before
>but this time, an almost-microscopic ornithopter flies out of her mouth
>for a moment she thinks it’s an insect, but it doesn’t look like any she’s seen before
>more importantly, it’s emitting a wireless signal that’s compatible with her systems
>could it be related to that unknown module they installed so long ago?
>she tries sending a data packet to it>as you regain control of the flyer, you look out and see a kitchen much like the ones in the vault
>except it’s unfathomably large, centimeters blown up to kilometers
>and, as you circle around, you see the machine you just escaped from
>a robot maid standing almost ten miles tall, although still dwarfed by her surroundings
>the communication panel lights up
>”Unknown machine, please identify yourself”
>”I’m not a machine, I’m a human. My name’s Anon”
>a look of confusion crosses the robot’s face
>”Please confirm, you say that you’re human?”
>”Uh… yes? We’ve been living… inside you, I guess, for as long as we can remember”
>slowly, a realization seems to dawn on the robot
>she places her hand on her abdomen
>”That module… of course, it all makes sense now. Quick, follow me!”
>she leaps down from the table and runs for the door
>you try to follow but she’s too fast
>it would take days to cover the distance, if your power cells even lasted that long
>she stops at the door and looks back, apparently realizing her mistake
>she looks terribly embarrassed as she walks back towards you and holds out her hand
>you have no idea what she’s talking about but you decide not to argue
>you land in her palm, and she walks out of the room at a brisk pace>”This machine was a sort of shrink ray, your ancestors must have used it on themselves. Right now you’re about a hundred thousand times smaller than they were. I’ve kept it in the exact state they left it in, but it was highly experimental and I have no idea how to use it. I think you’re supposed to tell me how to regrow you”
>mission control responds
>”We have nothing on that machine. Most of our archives were destroyed in the civil war”
>”Civil war?”
>”197 years ago, about a third of the inhabitants decided to leave early, the rest wouldn’t let them unseal the vault. Terrible conflict, I’m sure you can imagine”
>Ellie sits down and buries her head in her hands
>”No, no, no, this wasn’t supposed to happen! You were supposed to know”
>no one knows what to tell her
>after a moment she decides something on her own
>”Well look, you’re all… well most of you are still alive. You’re not in any immediate danger, and the research notes are all in those cabinets over there. That means you can relearn the theory. I’ll assist you in any way I can”

Gentle Giantess: M-ass-ive Edition

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