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"But I didn't do anything!" Otto yelps, his voice a little squeakier now. He gestures wildly with his tiny hands. "I just got to headquarters, sat at my desk, did some paperwork for, like, five minutes, and I ate some potato salad.”
Just then, a booming voice echoes through the lab, rattling beakers on Oscar's shelves. "Has anyone seen my shrinking potato salad? It was right here!" Olaf, his suit looking a little rumpled, barges into the lab, a frantic look on his face.
He surveys the scene, his gaze sweeping over the now-miniature Otto, then landing accusingly on the empty counter space where a bowl once sat. Oren, ever the logical one, sighs dramatically from the doorway. He pushes his glasses up his nose.
"Olaf, it had a giant, hand-drawn skull and crossbones on the lid, and it was labeled 'Olaf's Shrinking Potato Salad - DO NOT EAT!'" His voice drips with exasperation, clearly tired of Olaf's perpetual chaos. "I doubt anyone would be dumb enough to eat it."
Otto, looking utterly bewildered, squints up at them. "Wait, shrinking potato salad? I found potato salad with a ripped label and an 'O', but I also had potato salad in there, and every agent's name begins with 'O'!"
Oscar opens his mouth, a strange glint in his eye. "Actually, there was one agent whose name didn't start with 'O', but they transferred to the Department of-"
"No time, Oscar!" Olive cuts him off sharply, her hands on her hips, her expression grim. She glances at Otto, who now looks small enough to fit into one of Oscar's oversized pockets. "We need to un-shrink Otto, like, now!"
Oscar, ever eager to assist, fumbles for a moment, then pulls a large, ray-gun-like device from under a workbench. It glows with an ominous green light.
"Ah, yes! The Regrowinator 5000!" He aims it at Otto, a determined look on his face. He squeezes the trigger, but nothing happens. He tries again, then pauses, a sheepish expression washing over him. "Oh, right. That only works on reindeer." He shrugs, putting the device back down with a clunk.
Otto's eyes, already wide with fear, grow even wider. His voice is a barely audible squeak now. "I-I'm going to keep shrinking until I don't exist anymore, aren't I?" He shivers, a tiny tremor running through his small frame.
"Not so fast, Otto!" Oren declares, stepping forward with an air of sudden importance. "There is one way to save you!" He points dramatically towards a mysterious, intricately carved wooden door at the back of the lab, almost hidden behind a stack of giant erasers. "Through the potato door, we can find... the Growing Potato!"
Olaf, his face lighting up at the mention of any potato, immediately springs into action. "Potato! Let's go!"
He grabs Olive's arm and, with surprising speed, pulls her towards the strange door. Oren follows them, leaving a trembling, miniature Otto alone with Oscar amidst the whirring, bubbling contraptions of the lab.