The sound of a light hand rapping on a door echoed in my ears. The sound seemed to tessellate with the steady roar of the falling water and the quiet murmur of Vera’s breath. Sleep had not been a luxury to me these past few days and the exhaustion in my muscles was starting to wear me down. Normally my mind would wander as it always did, but something kept me rooted in the moment. Both Vera and I seemed to appreciate the hushed instant. But, as becomes of all calm, it eventually broke.

“I don’t understand you.” Vera blurted out.

Carefully, I pulled my attention from the spray of water and readjusted myself so that I faced her chin.

“You don’t think like I do…”

Apparently that made her feel uncomfortable. Vera turned her head away from me and stared at the wall to her left.

“I know that.” she responded somewhat harshly.

A yellow hue drifted in around the corners of my field of vision. The sun had long passed its apex in the sky, and I, already weary from the day's proceedings, felt that I had accomplished all I could for today. I was certain Vera was tired as well.

“Well, it's getting late…”

“No its not” she quickly retorted.

“Well, ok I know but we’ve been talking for some time…”

“You want to leave?”

Hmmm, at that point it seemed she was reluctant to be alone again. She didn’t seem that interested in talking either. So what, was I just supposed to sit there in silence with her? I’d have to proceed cautiously.

“Well, I just thought it’d be good for both us to…”

“You’re not leaving.”

Damn. That made my heart skip a beat. What the hell did she want from me?

“Not yet at least-” she continued.

My first thought was to jump to my feet and protest, but I soon realized the opportunity at hand. Since I came back in, there seemed to be something kneading back through the folds of her mind. Something she wanted to get off her chest.

“Do you ever wish you could go back? To your home I mean.” I finally asked her. Vera’s head slowly turned back toward me. A layer of her brown hair lay over the lower half of her face. A few wandering strands danced in the air with each passing exhalation.

“No...well I didn’t. Now I could stand to go back.”

“What was your home like?”

“What do you mean what was it like?”

To be honest I wasn’t quite sure. As I mentioned previously their origins were...unfathomable? Nah, that wasn’t the word. Nothing I had learned made any sense. They speak our language and they understand certain social and cultural cues but...beyond that they are completely lost. They don’t claim to be from some other world but they seem completely lost in our own. They are simultaneously at home and alien to this earth.

“Well how about you start with where you are from? You speak English well…”

Though her face was partially shrouded I could see it scrunch up. Subtle bobs of her head were all that followed. At first I was going to ask her something else but I didn’t want to interrupt her thoughts.

“I’ve heard that before…”

“Heard what?”

“Aaang-lish?”

“Yeah, that’s...what we’re speaking right now”

Now her brow furrowed. Another long, drawn-out exhalation came soon afterward, finally blowing the last few locks of hair off her lips. She seemed utterly confused. For a moment I thought I could hear the metallic click of gears grinding out of her ears. My mind had become subject to such sensory delusions in the last few days. As a psychologist I found it concerning, but not something to dwell upon at the moment.

“This is Anglish?”

“Eeeng-lish” I repeated, making sure to accentuate the short ‘I’ sound in the beginning. “What do you call it?”

“We? We don’t call it anything, its just language.”

“Does everyone speak this from where you are from?”

Vera stopped. I saw her mouth move as though she were speaking but no words came out. Suddenly the water shut off. A horrible, distant rattling reverberated throughout the chamber as the pipes choked out their last few gushes of liquid.

“Most I guess. I never got around much…”

“Why not?”

“There was nowhere to go.”

This made me bite my lip. She wasn’t telling me much, but if I just continued to press forward I was certain I could squeeze more out of her.

“So how did you get here then?”

Beneath me Vera’s shoulder suddenly lurched upward. I, of course, lost my balance and ended up sprawled out in a puddle atop her skin. Another myriad of tumbling and movement left me dazed and confused. I distinctly remember sliding. Then, I felt myself crash down back into her palm. When I looked back up I saw her face hanging over me like the effigy of an ancient deity. Some lingering sense of terror tried to make me scream but I kept my nerves in check.

“You won’t quit will you?” she said with disappointment.

After brushing non-existent filth off my clothes I peered back up into her cerulean irises.

“No, that’s why I’m here, you know that.”

“So none of our conversations can ever just be...conversations? Is that it?”

“No! I never said that! But...its just that-!”

“No, no its fine. I know, it's your job” she said sarcastically. God damn she was difficult to please. Then again I suppose I knew that already.

“Why are you so reluctant to talk about it anyway?”

“Its none of your business!”

“Well how about this then. You answer just one more question about it, truthfully, and I won’t ask about it anymore. Sound good?”

Vera’s eyes drifted from me as she considered my proposal. All the while I watched her lips. Each second they opened and closed, rubbing past one another as she analyzed her options. About ten seconds later her eyes shot back to me.

“Alright, fine. Go ahead.”

As I look back on it now I know I chose the wrong question. In the moment however, the one I chose felt like the most important puzzle of them all.

“How did you get here, to this...area so to speak?”

A huge, hot wave of Vera’s breath slammed into me as she let out a weary sigh. The curtain of chestnut hanging from her head drooped down along the edges of her hand. Although there was plenty of open space I couldn’t help but feel myself getting claustrophobic.

“Before I tell you…” she began, face and voice saturated with solemnity. “you need to understand something...about us.”

In a futile attempt to hide my mounting elation, I crossed my legs and waited with a fake look of concern.

“We don’t trust anyone. Ever. Not even the person we fuck on a regular basis.”

I gave a quick nod, urging her to continue.

“I think by now you probably have some idea what it’s like there. Its...very different from here. Seeing all you little things living and working together. That’s just...really strange to us. I think that’s one of the reasons we think you’re all so weak.”

“Well I guess-”

“No, just, just be quiet for now. Let me finish”

An audible clap snapped out as I shut my jaw. Vera gave a slight shake of the head as she struggled to organize her thoughts.

“You won’t quite understand it all...the same way I don’t quite understand all of...this. But, even though most of us lived alone, word traveled around. Gurn, the one I told you about before, he lived not far from me. He told me some guy named Asphod had this...place.”

“Place? What kind of place?”

“I don’t know. He said you could become a god.”

“You believed him?”

“So many had, I guess I just got sick of the living the way I was.”

“How were you living?”

“Helpless. Day to day, nothing happening.”

Both of us fell silent. Vera was clearly plagued by some internal regret. I, on the other hand, was preoccupied with getting everything straight in my head. An internal knocking on the lower portions of my ribcage gave a tentative burst of intrigue to the situation.

“And now?” I asked.

“Now, well, I’m less than I was before.” Vera responded. Beneath the drab monotone I could sense anger, maybe even desperation.

“Could you describe this...place?”

Vera shut her eyes. Each breath became slower and weaker. From behind I could sense her fingers curling up toward me. A trembling started up in her hand. I tried to brace myself against something, but it was pointless.

“I don’t remember much about it. Only that it was underground somewhere. A cave, a shallow cave. I remember the air was cold and smelled like rotten leaves. There was a darkness. A surreal darkness. I’ve never seen anything so dark…”

“Ok ok!” I cried out. The further she went on the more her face twisted into a painful grimace.

Then, her eyes shot open again. The quivering pupils set inside those brilliant azure discs made me nearly collapse upon myself.

“Don’t pity me like that. I’m not to be pitied!” she grumbled.

“I’m not pitying anyone! Why do you not trust me? Have not pulled through for you before?”

She just stared back. She didn’t look particularly angry but behind her lips I could tell she was grinding her teeth together.

“So…what happened after that?”

“I woke up in a field. Everything was small and different. I didn’t know where I was but I knew others had been there before me. Gurn and the other two weren’t far from there. I was so lost that I just followed them for a few months. We did a lot of stuff to you little people…”

I would have hoped that she sounded more regretful when she mentioned that last bit. Unfortunately, I had come to the conclusion that her occasional friendliness was not all inclusive. Just because she wouldn’t harm me didn’t mean she’d treat other humans quite so well. In spite of this I believed her when she said just wanted to be left alone. She wasn’t aggressive like the others, but she could be just as violent.

“Why’d you decide to come?”

The glare that followed told me that I had best follow up on that promise I made. In a surrendering gesture I lifted my hands and let my chin drop to my chest.

“Sorry, no more questions. For now…”

Vera rested her chin on her other hand. As I watched the last few streams of water drip down her forehead I felt a vice of guilt begin to tighten around my midsection. Either that, or Vera had hurt me a lot worse than I thought. I began to consider life a crueler punishment for her. I was torn. From the way it sounds life had not been spectacular for her back home. Could death be merciful? I really began to doubt she would find peace anywhere on earth, and I doubted she would want to return to...wherever she’s from.

“Ellis.”

“Yes?”

“What will you do when this is all over?”

Hmm, another difficult question. To be honest I hadn’t thought that much about it, I’d been so wrapped up in the moment. Initially I assumed I’d just go where they needed me next, wherever that might be and for whatever purpose.

“I don’t know”

“No?”

“No. I mean...I’d like to go back East. I always liked it along the coast.”

Vera’s face scrunched up again. Now what was she so confused about? It began to wear on my patience. I know, that’s sounds a bit harsh, but you have to understand my knowledge of Vera’s origins was contingent on her being able to follow everything I was saying. Its just...well never mind its hard to explain, I just knew that it was.

“What’s wrong now?” I finally asked. Vera tilted her head to the side as though the answer to my question was found in the corner somewhere.

“Don’t you  hate it though?”
“Hate what?”

“Being their lackey all the time? Doing everything they say?”

“That’s just how it is. Everyone answers to someone else here.”

Vera smirked. But it wasn’t her newer, blander smirk. This was the same cruel smirk she wore when I first met her.  

“What?”

“Nothing, its just...you little people are so used to being bossed around by each other, but you break into a panic when someone else takes over.”

“We do when that usually involves the slaughter of thousands of innocent people!” I quickly retorted. I immediately winced afterward, sensing her wrath to be swift and merciless. Instead she just laughed.

“Sure, sure. Act like you weren’t all born for it...”

If this had been our first meeting I’d be scared shitless by such heartlessness. Luckily I had grown accustomed to Vera’s attitude. Now I was just annoyed with her. Had I not known the depths of the giants’ apathy for human life I’d have been angry too.

“Vera, you mean to say you don’t feel any more empathy for humans since...well me?”

Her smirk disappeared. Turning her head back to me, she looked back with severity in her gaze.

“There’s a big difference between an individual and an entire race…”

“I know but-”

“Would you honestly say most humans are like you?”

“Perhaps in some capacity-”

“Well, I know otherwise.”

Considering her current predicament, this grudge was not without justification, but still, I would’ve thought she made some leeway.

“Vera, if I am going to get you freed-”

“You’re not gonna free me Ellis, if you're lying to me its not convincing and if you honestly believe that, then you are more naive than I thought.”

We both paused.

“I’m sorry you feel that way.” I murmured up to her. I don’t think she heard me. “You look tired…”

“I am tired.”

“I’ll leave you then…”

“I wish you wouldn’t…”

“But I have to”

“I know”

Minutes later I was making my usual trek back down the hallway. It seemed far more empty now. It had gotten late and most of the base personnel retired to their homes, leaving the night overseers to keep watch. I had intended to pass the monitor room without even looking inside but no sooner had my frail frame passed the first door that a sinewy hand gently grabbed my arm. Instinctively I turned to face the intruder.

“Sir, if you’d please step inside.” an unfamiliar voice said. A thin man with light brown, neatly combed hair gestured for me to take a seat.

I obliged reluctantly. Once I had placed myself down in a chair I looked up and found a crescent of faces staring back at me. At least nine other uniformed men and women stood with their attention fixed on me. I saw a combination of colors amongst the crowd. Some wore the usual dark azure fabric of the Blue-Shirts. I saw a few patches of Psyn Corps grey. A dark violet jacket that I had seen in Camp November a year ago (an Althea Company officer no doubt). A few others with colors and patterns I did not yet recognize.

“Wha-” I began to stutter.

“Sir-” the same man who had stopped me said. “Its come to our attention that you have been making some...interesting discoveries as of late.”

“What? I mean, yes sure. Where is Constable Treble? I won’t say anymore without him here!”

“I already am, remain calm!” the familiar timbre of Treble’s voice echoed from the back. I slanted by body in the chair to catch of a glimpse of his tall, angled form waiting patiently along the far wall.

“What’s this about?” I blurted out. As of late, my own people were making more nervous than the giants. Weird huh?

“This is about progress, Ellis. Or should I say Gulliver?”

“What?”

“Oh they didn’t tell you? You finally have your agnomen. Good for you! Although, honestly I’m surprised they didn’t give you one sooner.”

“Who are you?”

“That’s not important Gulliver. What is important however, is your groundbreaking work.”

I couldn’t help but hear the subtle trace of sarcasm in his voice. Had I not be petrified from head to toe I might have slugged him in the face.

“Look-” he continued. “I’ll get right to the point. We at Camp Zulu, Camp Hotel, Center 2, Center 5, Camp Echo, and Camp November are very pleased with what you’ve been doing here. Believe it or not we learned a lot from that last little chat of yours.”

“You were-”

“Watching? Of course we were, but she’s not what I’m here to talk to you about.”

My teeth clenched together as I drew my gaze across the wall of bodies. It was like I was facing the jury at an execution hearing.

“Well what do you want?”

“Oh for god’s sake lets just get on with it. You’re torturing the poor boy!” Treble roared from the back. It was the first time I had ever heard him speak so roughly. The strange man held up his hand at a sharp, ninety-degree angle.

“Please Constable, everything is alright.”

Now that I think about it I really should’ve seen it coming. I had heard that this project was expanding, and it was only a matter of time that It’d catch up to me.

“Gulliver, we would like you to help...expand our operation…”

“What do you mean?”

“Training of course!” he quickly retorted. “You see, with the success of this first capture, the possibilities have seemingly become endless. New chambers are being built, new plans are being made, and, eventually, when more are captured we’ll need plenty of intelligent folk such as yourself to wring what we can out of them.”

A slight tremble walked down my spine. It somehow seemed horrific. I don’t know why, it just did.

“How are you so certain you’ll get more?” I asked. “I mean, just because you have one doesn’t mean-”

“Two.” A white haired man from the line of officers interrupted.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me-” he said in a deep, weary voice. “Two”

We locked eyes and waited. It was some ridiculous test of will. A staring contest with no intended winner.

“That brings me to my second point actually.” The brown-haired man went on. “You’re being temporarily reassigned.”

“What? How? Where?”

“Gulliver, please, this is a big step in your career.”

“What exactly am I-”