Chapter I - 10: Situational Affirmation

Still by the gate, Alice was sheepish at the fact she couldn't directly help them because of how big she is and how small they were to her. She was not most suitable for delicate operations involving tinies.

Meanwhile, the Mayor dispersed the small crowd.

"Show's over! Get a move on!"

Afterwards, she gathered various men and women, all properly aligned, yet similarly ragged. It was a mix of military discipline with ragtag accoutrements.

As they stood in attention, Lennox began delegating tasks to them, "Group 'A', transport the two packages to the town square.

"Group 'B', acquire clean blades. Then join 'A'. 'A' and 'B' are to have the bar cut into pieces, fifteen by five centimetres. Proceed with extra caution. "

"Group 'C', spread the info around the settlement. "

"And Group 'D', join 'B'. Keep the cue orderly and start the distribution. Prioritise the children and the workforce. This 'care package' ought to help alleviate the recent depression. Now come on! Quit slacking... "

The once-silent town was now bustling with activity. The people were still uneasy due to Alice's very presence, but the excitement of having something more nutritional and anything other than potatoes overwhelmed such impugning thoughts. As such, they completely ignored her for the time being.

At the same time, Alice watched the scene as she fiddled with her fingers, a bit nervous and embarrassed.

A good officer, for sure. Still, I have to talk to her. She seems busy though...

She was so deep in her head that she didn't notice Lennox facing her. The latter seemed to have noticed her distressed look.

"So... 'Lieutenant'? You have something to say?"

Alice's back stiffened her back, "Yes ma'am. I... Came across a Gigan base recently and I... Managed to download information from a terminal. Maybe this could be of use."

She pulled out the chip from her suit and handed it to Lennox. To the latter, it was like she was holding a comically oversized lightweight tablet. Taking a closer look, there were small ports on the side for human-size normal cables. She nodded and spoke incredulously, "You simply 'passed by' a Gigan installation's server room?"

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Alice was sheepish at the jab, "Well, a skirmish did occur-"

The tiny cut her off, shaking her head, "I don't want to hear it, we'll review the content and have it returned once we're done. Is there something else?"

"Yes ma'am. Do you have access to interplanetary communication?"

The Mayor was intrigued by this peculiar question, "Look at the state of the place." She outstretched her arms in the tiny town's general direction.

Upon closer inspection, said location did look like a shanty town, with the exception of certain facilities that Alice could see in the distance. One looked like a small bare-bones military camp while the other was a run-down clinic. Further away, by the window, were patches of agricultural fields.

She was a bit irked about the self-evidence of her answer, "No, we don't. Why?"

Alice was slightly dejected by the answer. Regardless, she elaborated in a hopeful inflexion, "I have to contact Earth or any of her colonies. The HGCO should be able to trace back the signal and they'll send reinforcements to help the humans of this world. "

Lennox was in disbelief, "This world? Were you living under a rock? We're in District 4, Sector C9, Earth."

Alice's mind had grinded to a halt following this unexpected revelation.

That... That can't be. Earth shouldn't be like that. Oh no... This situation... Is so much worse than I imagined... That anomaly did more than just displace me... Maybe it was some sort of temporal tear or something... An alternate dimension, most probably... Damn it...

Her world was spinning. It all went upside down. At the same time, the planet's gravitational pull was a lot stronger somehow.

I... I'm out of my depth... Way more than I previously thought... Can't there just be insectoid invasions and terrorist cells? Why aren't things as simple as they previously were? What can I do about this?

I... Maybe I...

"-enant?"

Suddenly, she felt alone. She was forlorn, in a vast landscape of pure black.

No, I should... No, no, no, I shouldn't... Can I even...

This abyss was moving onto her.

"-ey."

How can I deal with that?! Will... Will my actions even matter in the grand scheme of things? I'm not even trained for this... I'm underqualified... Why do I have to deal with this?!

"-out of it!"

It was latching on her, absorbing her.

Why me? Why me?! WHY ME?! WHY?! WHY?!

"Lieutenant Alice Armiger!"

The Mayor yelled as would a Drill Sergeant to a recruit.

As Alice returned from this hellish mindscape, she realised she was hyperventilating and panicking again.

Her hand was now over her mouth as she calmed herself.

Slow deep breaths... Slow deep breaths... Yeah... Just like that...

Finally, she pulled the mental pieces of herself back together.

I... I should focus on the present.

Lennox sighed and calmly stated, "Finally back to reality, I see... I'm having doubts about your mental stability."

Then HGCO operator shakily replied, "Ma'am... Thank you for your... Help. And thank you for your concern... But I'm fine. Please forget about this... 'episode'. It was just a momentary lapse of thought."

The validity of what Alice just said was clearly questionable to Lennox. Nevertheless, she let it slide since she was fascinated by her behaviour, "Aberrant to Gigan norms, yet trained in the art of war. That is, if your gear suggests the case.

"You aren't from here, are you?"

"I... I... No, I'm not," was Alice's awkward reply.

The scoff felt posh somehow, "As interesting as your story and this 'HGCO' may be, I've got bigger fish to fry. Farewell, Lieutenant."

I can't just sit by... I got to do something... Whatever I can to help them. A sitting duck would be of no use.

When Lennox was about to leave, Alice stopped her, "Wait. I want to help. I'll do anything whatsoever."

The former eyeballed her as she adjusted her monocle, " 'Anything', you say?"