Chapter I - 4: The Caged Man

Mei was wiping her bloody hands with tissue paper in a satisfactory manner while Alice just stared into the distance, at the tiny town in the cafeteria.

She was terrified by the implications. Yet, she was trying to cool down to not make Mei notice her distress.

Okay, keep calm and carry on. Yeah… Going by the books should work… Assess the current situation and evaluate possible courses of action.

This colony's technology seems up to par with the Terran standards. The ARS looks like their battle armour but light-weight while the plasma rifles I came across look like a cheaper version of the Bolter on my back. They must have kept the situation undercover while also keeping up with world trade… From Mei's nonchalance, I think it's fair to assume most, if not all, Gigans are similar.

Trapped smack-dab in enemy territory, multiple ideas went through her head. They ranged from going out guns blazing or simply walking out. As skilled as she was, she did not want the army of Gigans to have her in their light of sight yet. Additionally, she would look suspicious if she suddenly left.

She did not know the layout enough to go out without being noticed in some manner too.

Before Alice could do anything, Mei abruptly announced, "Gotta pick flowers. Alice, look after it while you're at it. Thanks!" She left the man in the cage necklace on the table, ending with "Be back in a few minutes!"

Leaving Alice alone in the empty cafeteria, the latter now had a clearer visual of the tiny. He was a young man of Central origins, in his mid-twenties, wearing an orange jumpsuit.

He might be as long as my pinky finger…

As she observed him, he too observed her. He finally spoke, "I heard your name's Alice, right? You don't seem to be like the others," and he added, "You're not from around here, are you?"

"Yes… And no, I'm not," Alice admitted.

The tiny muttered, "Figures… You'd already be feasting by now already." He then took a deep breath.

"Look, I'm part of Requiem. Or at least, was until I was captured months ago."

"Still! Please help me escape this hellhole. Please," begged the human. Alice looked at the tiny and gave him a sympathetic smile.

So small, yet so brave.

She couldn't believe that he was able to be this bold after all the horrible things that he had to witness.

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"Sure… Sure… I'll help you… Let's get you out of here," Alice hesitantly said.

She was not sure what she was getting into, but she knew it was better than doing nothing. She had to help this tiny even if she couldn't help all the others.

The man hastily spoke, "I spent enough time here to have the area's layout in mind. I just need to find a ventilation duct. Take the cage with you for now and follow my directions."

Alice picked up the cage necklace, and seriously followed the tiny's direction. She believed she must not screw up and ended up losing his only chance of getting out of there.

Soon, they found themselves at an isolated part of the base. The base being white as ever, her dark green suit stood out as a sore thumb. Conscious of this, she had her rifle armed at the ready.

"Careful. Gigans still occasionally circulate these halls." Alice heeded the tiny's warning. She hid in a dark corner just as a Gigan entered the corridor and walked her way.

As he walked by her, she protectively held the cage and her single-handed grip on her Bolter tightened.

The Gigan seemed distracted, talking to his earpiece, "That's good news! The Commander's celebrating her successful operation, right? No need to downplay it. That means you guys are having a feast tonight… Yes, yes. I wish I could be there. She does like hosting these… Yes, one could say that she really, really, loves them…"

His voice faded away as he went further away. Accordingly, she loosened her grip on her rifle.

'The Commander', huh? This sounds like someone of importance. Maybe she's a high-ranking member of this Legion.

Filing away the thought, she focused on the situation at hand.

With the coast clear, Alice continued to follow the tiny inmate's directions. This led her to the door on which a sign read 'Maintenance'.

"Password's 23102077."

Alice obliged, "Understood… 23102077, got it."

A beeping sound was heard and the door slid open, revealing a narrow grey passageway. With one hand aiming her rifle in the general direction and one hand holding the cage necklace defensively, Alice slowly walked through the door.

The place smelled metallic compared to the sanitised air of the base. On the walls, various wires and tubes crackled from poor upkeep while water pipes hissed from high pressure.

Aside from this, no one was in sight. Calming down, she holstered her Bolter using the magnetic function of the suit.

Finally, a place on this base that isn't white.

She glanced at the small caged being in her hands. He had a look of fierce determination.

"Ready to bust you out of here, pal?" Alice asked the tiny, smiling to indicate that he would have his freedom soon. The addressed tiny felt a bit eery when she smiled since when a Gigan smiled at you, it usually meant no good. Nevertheless, he took things in stride and simply nodded.

Alice carefully walked through the corridor until the tiny told her to stop. To her left, she saw a transformer room.

This looks like typical generators used to power any military base. The man in her hands she held then spoke, "Good, that's the place. Now, just help me reach the ventilation duct. I should be able to escape on my own from here on out. Also, I believe you're strong enough to simply break the cage."

Alice responded with a nod and found out that she, indeed, was. The bars easily gave out as she tore them apart using her fingers.

A caged man no more, the tiny was thrilled as she gently placed him at the entrance of the air duct.

"You have my thanks, Alice. I owe you for giving me this opportunity to escape. There should be an emergency exit at the end of the corridor." His grateful tone then turned jocular.

"That aside, your poker face may fool Gigans, but you ought to work on it - humans would be still able to discern your expressions by identifying smaller details."

Before Alice could answer, the man quickly ended with, "In any case, farewell!"

With that said, he went deeper into the ventilation system, leaving Alice a bit flustered.

"What was that about my poker face?! And what's your name?!"

Unfortunately, it was too late to get her answer since he was long gone. She sighed, now calmed and looked one final time in the direction he went through.

If only I could've gone with him just to ensure his safety.

She had never been good at goodbyes, so she did her best to put on a strong face. Discarding the broken cage in a nearby bin, she turned away and followed his last advice.

Hopefully, we’ll meet again.