clumsiestgiantess - Tumblr blog

clumsiestgiantess · 13 days ago

Text

Next day reblog because this is a Big Important Chapter!

Chapter 32 of the Other-world Universe; what the hell was THAT?!

all chapters listed here

[Swimming With Sharks]

With Erica perched on my shoulder, I made my way over to the flaming object. I tripped and nearly fell numerous times in the dark with only that single light to guide me, but I managed to make it there without falling all the way to the ground.

Kneeling down to examine the thing that had caught fire, I flinched as my knees made a chilling crunch when they hit the ground. With held breath I glanced down, but sighed in relief when I realized it was only charred grass that had crackled beneath me. Then, Erica gasped and left my shoulder, landing on the ground a bit closer to the flames. My heart dropped again. Two corpses lay there to the side of the fire. Further beyond them were more burnt splinters and even more scattered corpses. The two Erica found were charred and blackened, yet hadn't been very close to the fire at all. Maybe they'd been caught in the explosion — meaning they were alive up until just a few minutes ago. As the realization dawned on me, more grass crackled from behind.

Whirling around to face the sound, I found nothing but similar burnt pieces of metal like the one that was still on fire. Without the flames raging around it, I could tell that the metal hunk had likely been a vehicle of sorts before it was engulfed in flames.

"Hello?" I called, "Who's there?" I looked around for something to poke it with, but found nothing useful, so I nudged the shell with my finger. Three people scattered away the moment it moved. "Wait!" I called as they fled, "What happened here? Come back!" Instinctively, I reached out and snatched one of them up before they could escape.

The woman I held looked older than either me or Erica, though not by very much. She thrashed around in my light grip, very nearly slipping from my hand entirely. I would’ve tightened it if I wasn’t so afraid I’d crush her as she struggled. The other two people who'd fled hesitated when they heard her shriek. They watched me wide-eyed to see what I would do to their friend. However, now that I had her in my grasp, I had no clue what to do with her. I just hadn’t wanted her to leave.

"H-Hey, you don't need to struggle like that," I tried to reassure her. "I'm not going to hurt you. I just want someone to tell me what happened here." My voice seemed to startle everyone, regardless of what I was saying. The remaining other-orldians ran off into the dark as the woman in my grasp begged them to come back and help her.

The dispair in her voice made my heart sting. I put her back on the ground with a meek 'sorry' I doubt she heard. Erica zipped over at the sound of someone yelling for help. She quickly grabbed the woman's arm as she tried to run away. "Just wait a second! Let us explai-" Both other-worldians immediately went rigid, staring at each other in silence. "Y- you?"

Erica spoke so quietly I almost didn't hear her. "Oh my god, you're alive?!" She dropped the woman's arm looking at her in bewilderment as she pointed my way, stuttering about giants and reaching out to try to drag Erica away from me. "Hey, it's ok. We're alright," Erica assured her, "I know this giant, she won't hurt us."

The woman gawked at the both of us, open mouthed. "H- How do you kn- know a giant?" she asked shakily. "She helped me escape," Erica explained, "She got me out." The woman then turned to stare at me with the same shock on her face as when she recognised Erica.

"Erica?" I asked, confused, "Do you know this person?" She smiled, "Yes! Alexis, this is the woman who escaped the ruins before me! You know, the reason I tried to escape John myself? This is her!" Erica turned to the woman, "I'm sorry, I don't really know your name, but I think it's Marley, right?" She nodded slightly.

Now it was my turn to be shocked. "Oh, her! Yeah, I think I remember. What are you doing out here?" Marley glanced warily up at me, "Were you.. Were you really not trying to kill me?" she asked, "Y- You grabbed me, I was so sure-" She choked up, still shaken. "Yeah, she's usually a lot more careful," Erica assured her with a meaningful glance at me. "But Marley, what are you doing here?"

Marley looked fearfully up at me again. "A- Are you sure she can be trusted? She could grab us both and drag us back to whatever horrible dimension she came from." "She saved my life," Erica responded, shaking her head, "I don't trust anyone more than I trust her. She trusts me, too. See these?" She pulled out her large hooked blades, which gleamed dully in the dying firelight. "These are giant-killing weapons. Guess who gave them to me?" Marley looked over at me in shock once more, "Her?" "Yep. Marley, this is…" Erica hesitated then sighed, mumbling about how the secret was already out anyways. "This is my girlfriend, Alexis."

Now Marley stood a lot straighter, stepping closer to me in fascination as if all her fear had suddenly vanished. "You're-! Erica told me about you! At least, I think she did. Is she the girl you told me you were hoping might come back for you? The one who you were on rocky terms with?" Erica glanced sheepishly up at me, "This is her, yeah. Now you know why I was unsure if she'd care about me." "Aww, Erica! I- I didn't know that!" She only blushed harder and turned away.

After Erica went quiet with embarrassment, Marley spoke up. "Well, it's nice to finally meet you, mystery girlfriend," she addressed me, "Honestly, I wasn't expecting you to be a giant, but as long as you're with Erica, I.. guess I'll trust you won’t hurt us." She stepped backwards, back closer to Erica. "Once I escaped, I thought my nightmare would be over- You know what nightmare I'm talking about, right?" Marley asked me. I nodded, "Erica told me how awful it was. I'm sorry I didn't come to rescue the both of you sooner."

Erica gave me such a distraught look I thought something had happened, but as it melted into a look of sympathy, I realized it had been directed at me. She was silently chiding me for blaming myself for things that were out of my control, again. I knew I had to stop doing that, but the words just kept slipping out every time.

"Well, it turns out my nightmare was definitely not over," Marley continued, "I hijacked a random car and drove as far away as I could as fast as I could before it ran out of gas. From there, I walked to another city, but everything was destroyed there, too. I lived off the ruins for a while, but the next thing I know, I'm really horribly sick. I don't know if it's something I ate or drank, or if it was some crazy relapse after everything those asshole men dumped into my system, but I couldn't get out of my makeshift bed. No matter how badly I wanted to, I couldn't get anything to even keep myself alive. Thankfully, I heard the sound of vehicles driving around and I called for help. It was the military- er- what's left of it anyway. They brought me back to their camp and got me back on my feet as well as a steady supply of food and drink and a place to stay. In turn, I was told I would join them to help fight whenever I was better."

She gestured around at the smoldering ruins which had nearly sunk back into the pitch dark now that the fire was almost dead. "As you can see from the end of this fight, we're all probably going to die."

"Not if we can help it," I interjected, motioning to Erica and myself. "That's why I have these," Erica said, showing off her weapons yet again, "Alexis, a friend of ours, and I, have formed a team of sorts to stop them from taking over." "Does it work?" Marley asked excitedly. "It does, at least so far."

I glanced backwards as the flaming vehicle finally burnt out, leaving us in almost total darkness — except for the light of the moon. The girls silently shifted closer together, and I couldn't blame them. The charred remains cast ugly shadows that let the imagination run horridly wild across the battlefield. Faintly in the dark, I could see Erica's hand reaching out blindly for me. I eased my pointer finger closer until it brushed the palm of her hand. She clasped it tightly and hugged it to her chest; the faint but quick pulse of her heart thrummed beneath it.

"Alright, I think we should all head back to the city. It's suddenly.. eerie here." As I slid my finger away from Erica's grasp to flatten out my hand for them to get on, a chill slid down my spine and my heart suddenly flew to my throat. The darkness suddenly seemed darker. Why is it so quiet? There were bugs chirping before, silence now.

Goosebumps rose on my skin, and I could practically feel something in the darkness, watching. I waited in haunting silence.

Just as I chalked the feeling up to paranoia, a shrill whistle sliced the air. "GET DOWN!" Marley shouted, but her warning came too late. Something struck me from behind, directly in my spine. Fire tore through my muscles like the first time I'd been electrocuted, only it was somehow hotter and more painful than even that. It was a different pain, more splintery. My whole body spasmed and flung itself to the ground. The back of my head slammed into the earth, and I was out cold.

The first thing I noticed as my senses drrifted back to me was the awful chill that seeped through my skin from below. A cold cement floor greeted me as I woke, and blinding barred lights gleamed from the ceiling high above. I sat up with my brain still in a haze, trying to make sense of where I was. A room stretched out around me; I was a few feet short of being able to touch its opposite walls. Though I could stand up inside it and walk around, that was as much mobility as I had. There were various levels of tiny metal-framed observation walkways built into the perimeter of the room, proving that despite the larger scale I was still in the other-world, at least.

Following the walkways, I finally noticed a large glass strip of an obseerrvation tower across the center of one wall. The whole room looked like a large hangar, but how had I gotten there? I shuffled over to the thick glass and stood to peer in. There were a few people beyond it running around in a panic — most likely because I'd woken up. "Hey!" I called, causing them all to freeze. "Can someone tell me what the hell is going on here?"

Everyone was stunned stiff, then the room was thrown into chaos. Someone desperately yelled into a wall phone, while another dashed out into a connected hallway. Realizing they would be no help, I glanced around the room again and spotted two doors. There was a regular sized heavy-looking door in the corner below the room behind glass, and two large bay doors on the opposite side of the hangar. Only one of them I could fit through, so I stepped over to it and tried to pull one of the hangar doors open.

An alarm immediately went off on the first tug, causing me to flinch badly. I pulled off the door as if I'd been struck and slammed my hands over my ears. A moment later, an intercom system crackled to life. "Giant, please refrain from attempting to escape. The doors have only locked further now that you've tried to open them."

The gruff voice on the other end speakers was surprisingly calm. I watched as the small figure beyond the glass turned harshly towards the others. "Will someone turn off the goddamn alarm!?" Less than a second later, the room fell quiet again. I slunk back over to the other side of the room — defeated, for now.

"Let me out," I said sternly, "I haven't done anything wrong. You have to let me go." "I have to?" The man on the other end chuckled. “I was this close to killing you less than an hour ago. You're lucky Fero's son could vouch for you, otherwise, we wouldn't be having this conversation." Upon hearing Ivan's last name, I leaned in closer, peering around the enclosed room, searching for him. "Oh, he's not here," the man said, noticing my wandering gaze. "He's being held for questioning." "What about Erica?" I asked immediately. "The feisty one? We couldn't strip her of her weapons so we placed her in a high-risk cell until further notice."

Glaring at the man through narrowed eyes, I stepped back so my face wasn't nearly pressed against the glass. Having heard his barking yell over the intercom, I got a strange sense of deja-vu. It made my nerves crackle anxiously beneath my skin. Where else would I have heard a spoken voice so harshly over a speaker, though? Perhaps it was just his frightening tone?

I could only think of one time in all my years spent in the other-world when I’d been yelled at through a speaker system. It had been a lifetime ago — before I even knew this world wasn’t my own. And for this situation in particular, it made more sense than I wanted it to.

"YOU!" I cried in outrage, slamming a fist against the watchtower windows. "I heard YOUR voice yelling out of those helicopters my first time here! You were there the night I was attacked in the mountainside!" He went silent for a moment, then his eyes widened slightly in shocked disbelief. "Oh, that was you? So you're the mystery case that escaped. Good to see you. Now my track record can return to being spotless. It’s a good thing we decided to subdue you with toxins this time. I seem to recall that you were somehow able to escape after we electrocuted you into submission.”

The glass beneath my fist didn't even crack, but I hit it again regardless. "Who are you? What do you want with me?" "I am Samuel Blanche. You will call me Head Commander Blanche. I oversee the containment of people like you. We study and eliminate exouniversal threats." I stood dumbfounded, "What-? What do you mean 'people like me'?" He sighed, "You obviously know of the tears between your world and ours, right? That is how you got here." "I- I guess I do," I replied, unsure.

"The unstable boundaries were caused by disruptive studies from decades ago — tests run by our government at the same time as yours. It was an accidental and unfortunate coincidence. People from both this world and yours can slip through weak spots in our respective worlds’ boundaries at any given moment; though thankfully it’s a rather rare occurrence." He looked at my baffled expression with intrigue. As if he were slightly shocked I didn't seem to know what he was talking about.

"My division works to capture people like you who fall through these tears," the commander continued. "They cannot return to their origin once they've fallen through. So, we contain them, ensure the public is unaware of them, then after testing is complete, eliminate them. Naturally, there’s another sister branch that ensures the public is unaware of our own people falling through — which covers up any strange disappearances and studies the locations of those who disappeared — but that’s otherwise irrelevant."

My mind raced back through memories of the afternoon I’d first fallen into the other-world. I thought it had been the lightning strike that sent me there, not my falling through some tear. I had fallen, though. I couldn't remember if I'd started to fall before or after I was struck. The lightning had to be a factor too. Electrocution could send me home — that I knew for certain thanks to him. Yet, it seemed like from the commander's experience he'd never seen someone get back to the place they fell from. Everyone else they'd electrocuted just fell right at their feet.

Then.. he mentioned other-worldians falling into my own world — opposite of what I'd done. I couldn’t imagine how terrifying that would be for a palm-sized person to appear in a random spot anywhere in the entire world. If they zapped into a field like mine, they would probably die by some larger animal. If they zapped into a city, there’s a good chance they’d end up in the middle of a road. Even if they managed to get another person’s attention, there would be no guarantee that said person wouldn’t immediately abuse their more powerful position — that is if they even spoke the same language and were able to understand. An other-worldian wouldn’t last long in my world unless they were extremely lucky. Then again, I'd been just as lucky that I didn't have to try to survive in this one.

I stared blankly at the commander, brain working rapidly to understand. "You.. You've been capturing, studying, and killing people from my world?! That's- You're just as awful as the people from the portals! Why is every government's first move to forcibly study and kill something new!?" "Ah, yes. The third player who entered the ring,” the commander nodded, ignoring my questions. “We're working on containing the 'people from the portals' as well. However, their presence has been much more.. public.. than yours."

"You're all horrible!" I yelled, returning to the bay doors to try and force them open. "Let me out and release my friends! We're doing a much better job than you at containing them anyways!" Blanche made an amused noise, "Yes, that's what your friend pointed out to me, and why I've made a deal with him." I stopped shoving at the door, and slowly turned around. "What deal?" He chuckled, which riled me up yet again. "I don't care about whatever deal you think you made with Ivan. I'm not working with a serial murderer!" So saying, I yanked out my gun, setting it to multi-shot mode. "I'm getting out of here."

For the first time since I saw him, the man actually looked scared for a moment. I aimed at the bay doors and fired round after round, each one denting the doors further. As I blasted away, the loudspeaker crackled to a halt. Before I could react, a white cloud of gas rapidly spilled into the room. My eyes and nose began running as I continued trying to break out, but it wasn't long before I fell unconscious yet again.

I wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or outraged when I woke up in the same hangar as before. I noticed with a hint of smugness that there were still a bunch of large dents in the door. Drowsiness snagged my brain when I tried to stand. Slowly, with help from the wall, I dragged myself to my feet and trudged over to the watchtower. No one was there. My vision fuzzed and I reached out with both hands to steady myself. I recoiled in pain when my left hand hit the wall. The stinging echo ricocheted through my wrist and into the muscles of my arm. A pained hiss of air whistled through my gritted teeth.

Slowly lowering myself to the ground, I stared in horror at my wrist. An ugly red gash stretched across it, stitched up. I rubbed it lightly and felt something drift around just beneath my skin. Panicked, I pounded on the windows above me with my good hand. “What did you people put in my arm?!” No one was there; no one answered me.

Whimpering, I slid back down to the cold floor, laying curled up on my side. Briefly, I thought about trying to tear a hole through the bay doors again. I doubted I’d get much further than the first time I tried it. The alarm would sound and I’d be knocked unconscious like before. At least they didn't use whatever hit me the night before, or electrocute me. No, wait.. that would send me- home! Getting out would be so much easier than blasting through reinforced metal.

Closing my eyes, I pictured the basement, with its mini kitchen and the long couch that nearly spanned the entire wall.

I swear my heart stopped beating when I opened my eyes. I was still in the hangar. “NO!” I cried, jumping to my feet, “THEY CAN’T!” Desperately, I thought of room after room of the house, but I was still standing in the hangar when I opened my eyes.

Were the walls lined with some strange material that prevented me from warping? Had the gas done something to screw up my system so I couldn't leave? I should’ve realized they would have ways to keep me contained the moment Blanche told me he dealt with people who could slip between worlds. Even if he hadn’t known about that ability the first night we clashed, he was well aware of it now.

I’d been captured — not a close call like the time I’d squared off with the portal-worlders — I’d really been captured. And it was the other-worldians who’d caught me. “I’m working with you!” I cried at the empty watchtower room, “Why are you keeping me here?!” Hours passed while I sat on the floor, dejected. At that point, I realized that my clothes had been interchanged with a jumpsuit of some sort, likely designed by the people there. Was the material somehow preventing me from escaping? I glanced at the watchtower, then at the many cameras along the walls, likely recording everything. I decided taking off the jumpsuit would have to be my last resort. Until someone came along to tell me what was going on, I could do nothing but wait to see what happened to me.

The click of a door opening snapped me out of a downward spiral of thoughts on escape. The door in the corner opened slowly and someone snuck in, carefully closing it behind them. I scrambled over to the little door in a frantic rush. The other-worldian flung themselves flat against the wall at once. “Wait! It’s me, it’s Marley! Don’t hurt me!” Hearing her name and the fear in her voice, I slowed my advance. Lowering myself to the floor, I watched as Marley’s hands slowly drifted away from her head, where she’d raised them to defend herself.

“Marley!” I gasped, “How did you get in here? Are you a part of this?” I asked, gesturing around my cell. “No! I’m not even supposed to be on this side of the compound! I was searching for where they put you and I realized there was only one building big enough to hold a giant — this one. This door was unlocked, but the watchtower doors are all guarded. I guess they don’t need to keep this one locked up. It’s not like you can get out this way. Plus, anyone who steps in here and doesn’t know you probably has a death wish. I know we don’t really know eachother either, but I hoped our one meeting would be enough to deter you from immediately hurting me.”

She was nervously talking so fast I had trouble understanding her. “Wait, wait, slow down, I’m not a monster. I wouldn’t have hurt you just for coming in here.” “You- You rushed at me, though.” “I was just coming over to see what was happening. I’ve been stuck in here for.. I don’t even know how long. They keep putting me under. And look!” I held out my wrist to show her the freshly stitched cut. “They put something in my skin. I don’t know what it is, but I’m.. afraid of what it’ll do to me.” I sat back, leaning against the wall. The brief excitement of seeing someone familiar died off quickly.

“It might just be a tracker,” Marley offered kindly. I gave her a halfhearted smile, unconvinced. Marley climbed up one of the balconies and kept going up flights of stairs until she was level with my head. “Erica’s stuck in a containment room too. She’s on my side of the compound, so I was able to see her for a few minutes while the guards swapped places.” I turned to her excitedly. Marley flinched slightly at my sudden movements, but I made sure to stay still afterwards. “You talked to Erica? Is she alright?”

“She’s.. alive,” Marley answered me hesitantly. "She's locked in a holding cell. It kinda looks like this place but much smaller. Her hands are covered in metal so she can’t get to her sword thingies. I couldn’t talk to her because the room is soundproofed, but I imagine she would want to know if you're ok. She can hear me, but I can’t hear her.” “Thank you,” I told her earnestly. “One of the commanders here told me they’d captured her. I was worried, but I’ve been busy trying to escape, myself.”

Suddenly, the whirr of a motor started to my right and the intercom crackled to life. Thankfully, Marley and I were directly beneath the watchtower, so no one noticed her in there with me yet. By the way she pressed herself to the wall again, I guessed she would be in big trouble for being here. She was hidden for now, but if someone up were to check the security cameras, she would absolutely be caught. I motioned for Marley to come closer, but she violently shook her head and sank further against the wall. Sighing, I discreetly motioned to the cameras lining the walls higher up. She pulled back reluctantly, but understood that she had to hide somewhere, and the room was completely barren.

Cautiously, I reached out and gently guided her over the railing, reaching for a pocket. That’s when I found that my new suit didn’t have any pockets. I panicked, realizing I had nowhere for Marley to hide. "Hey, giant, what are you doing down there? Get in line of sight, now." It wasn't the commander, but whoever it was would likely be checking the cameras to see what I was up to. Marley looked desperately around the room, but even if there was a place for her to hide, it was too late now. In a split second decision, I reached out and scooped her into a loose fist. She yelped in shock, but I covered it up with a cough.

Stepping back into plain sight of the watchtower, I held Marley a bit behind my back. The people of the other-world were small, but not small enough for me to completely hide in a single hand. The person up in the watchtower didn't actually have anything to say, and didn’t seem to care. They read a few monitors and pressed buttons. I stepped cautiously forward, trying to see what he was doing, but a motorized clank sounded from my right again, and I found a small section of the wall had opened up, revealing a large tarp piled with some sort of mush.

"You.. don't expect me to actually eat that, do you?" I asked the man incredulously. "Just give me one of the boxes you guys took from me. I can make my own meals with it. That way, you could offer that to someone else." He glanced at me unamused, then pressed a few more buttons. I could faintly hear 'night containment' spoken in a robotic voice right before half the lights in the hangar shut off and metallic shifting came from within the walls. "I guess it's nighttime out there, huh?" The man still made no comment. I grumbled, "Can you at least tell me when the Commander will be back so I can yell at him for slitting my fucking wrist open?" Marley struggled in my hand and I realized that I'd tightened my fist in anger. Quickly, I loosened it again and she fell back in relief. The man paused in the doorway, then stepped grudgingly over to the intercom. "He'll speak with you tomorrow." Then he swiftly walked out the door, locking it behind him.

I took a large breath once he left and carefully brought Marley back to solid ground. She flinched when I opened my hand; her whole body was packed tightly onto itself, curled up in the center of my palm. “Marley,” I said hesitantly, “You’re back on the ground again. You can get off.” I couldn’t stop guilt from sinking into my stomach as she shakily slid off my hand. She backed away from me one slow step at a time, her movements becoming faster the further she got from me. Once she put enough distance between us, she whirled around and took off at a run towards the door. However, it wouldn't budge when she tried to yank it open. Whatever ‘night mode’ had been activated must’ve locked everything up tight. Marley rattled the door handle frantically then turned back to me with terror in her eyes.

I backed away, feeling awful about everything, though I knew I couldn’t have done much else. “I-“ her voice cracked and she cleared her throat. “I don’t want to stay here. I can’t stay here! I have a curfew! If they find me missing... I have to get out of here!” I worriedly glanced around the room. “I don’t think there is a way out,” I told her nervously, “This is a cell. I don’t think it’s supposed to let anything in or especially out.” “But I.. I’m sorry, but I just can’t be around you. I know that sounds awful, and you’re probably offended, but it’s terrifying!” She tried again to open the door, but to no avail.

“I.. could sit on the other side of the room,” I offered hesitantly. Her fear of me was very misplaced, but who knows what kind of horrible things she saw the ‘giants’ do during that battle. Marley gave me a desperate look, but nodded. I retreated to the other end of the room and watched as she paced restlessly up and down the wall where the door was, retrying the handle over and over again. I wasn’t hungry, so I didn’t even touch the horrible meal I was given. Both of us sat soundlessly late into the night

“I’m sorry,” Marley apologized, breaking hours of silence. She was sitting on the balcony, and had been for a while. “You keep telling me you aren’t going to hurt me. I believe you, but you have to understand.. your kind is awful.” I shook my head. “The giants from the portal are from a different world, Marley. They aren’t my kind. I don’t belong to either of the worlds in this fight. I’m fighting alongside Erica for this one because it’s hers.” She was silent for a bit. “So.. what world are you from?” “A different one. My world looks a lot like yours — same types of buildings, products, seemingly the same era. The only big difference is, well, the scale.”

“So you’re just a random person who.. what? Came here by mistake?” “Basically, yeah. I met Erica and got attached to this place.” I scooted to the side of the walkway, and she let me. There was another short silence as Marley gazed longingly at the door. “They’re going to know I’m in here,” she told me somberly. “I was with you and Erica when they found you, and they might know I tried to talk with her, too. Now that I’m not there for curfew.. they’re going to figure out that I’m here.” “What happens then?” I asked softly. “If I’d just broken curfew, I’d probably be put through some sort of grueling physical punishment. I don’t know what they might do once they realize I’ve been conspiring with both of you. They might throw me out for collusion.”

“At least one of us will get out of here.” I attempted a joke, but Marley glanced at me with a worried look and I quieted. “No, that’s- If I get kicked out, I’m left wandering around outside, alone. The giants would come get me!” Her voice wavered as if she were going to cry, and I reached out to comfort her before realizing that my close presence would likely be the opposite of comforting to her. I gave her a bit of space instead, but she held up a hand to stop me. “Don’t go back over there. If they come for me…” “You want me to stop them?” I guessed. She nodded. “Scare them away, just- pick them up and force them to leave if you have to. I’d rather stay in here than be cast out there.”

“Alright,” I agreed, “Any friend of Erica’s is a friend of mine. I won’t let them get close.” I didn’t tell her that if they really wanted to, they could knock me out and take her while I was unconscious, but as long as I could, I would keep her from punishment.

Neither of us slept at all that night. We were both too worried about what would happen to us come morning. I lay on the floor, which was just barely long enough to fit me, staring dully at the ceiling. Something light brushed my arm and I turned in surprise. Marley stood by my side.

“It’s too quiet. I can’t stand it. Can you.. I don’t know.. talk to me? How did you and Erica meet?” I stiffened at the memory. Our meeting wasn’t exactly the romantic story Marley was likely looking for. “How about I tell you about life after her escape?” I offered instead, “And when we confessed we liked eachother?” She nodded and I offered her my hand subconsciously. I was so used to having Ivan and Erica around — someone willing to sit close to me so I could see and hear them better. Marley stepped back and sat down several feet away from me instead. “If it’s alright, I’d rather sit here.” “Of course.”

All night, we traded stories to pass the time. Sometime around very early morning, both of our throats were sore and the idiots who brought my food didn’t bring me water. By the end, I simply lay there with my eyes closed with Marley anxiously laying against my arm.

“I suspected you were here, 249.” I shot up at the sound of a voice over the intercom. I didn’t recognize the person who spoke, but the Commander was standing beside her. Marley sat stunned beside me. She might’ve been asleep, because she looked confused when the intercom echoed through the room. “Report to me outside the containment room. Now.”

Marley shifted closer to me, reaching backwards until she felt me behind her. “N- No. You’re going to throw me out.” The woman didn’t reply, but her voice could be heard faintly through the intercom. “Get a unit in there and drag her out if you have to.” She stormed out of the room and Blanche took over. He watched with narrowed eyes as I offered my hand to Marley. I knew it must’ve been frightening for her, but she stepped onto it without hesitation, wanting to get safely away from any trouble that came to her. A group of people filed in through the same door Marley had come from, searching for her. With my fingers carefully cupped around her, I stood at my full height, glaring at them as they realized they could do nothing to get to her.

“Giant, put the fugitive down.” It was Blanche, his voice was edged with warning. I shook my head and pulled out my gun with my free hand. “Remember what happened last time you disobeyed me,” he said in a warning tone, his hand hovering over some sort of dial. Undoubtedly, it was for controlling the gases that had spilled in to put me to sleep. “You should listen to me. Put the fugitive down.” Still I held my ground, aiming the barrel of my gun at the watchtower. “I think you should listen to me,” I repeated. “She stays here. I don’t trust you to take her back without hurting her, and she doesn't either.”

We both stared eachother down in a tenuous standoff, each of us with their finger over the trigger. My gun hadn't done enough damage to break the door, but perhaps the glass would be easier to destroy. The hangar was deathly silent, and no one moved. Finally something in the observation room — I don't know what — clattered to the floor in a loud shattering crash. Soon the hiss of gas leaking into the room was accompanied by the bang of my light bullets. They hit the window, leaving nothing but a few scratches. Marley choked in my hand while I continued barraging the watchtower.

By now, Blanche had put on a gas mask, biding his time. The third time the bullets hit their mark, the window cracked, and the fourth time they shattered. However, by then, my vision was growing hazy. Gun in hand, a wild idea sprung up amidst the growing fog in the room and in my head. I drew back immediately and pulled the reload down all the way. Holding it as far away as I could, I fired it at myself. A green barrier slid around me almost instantaneously. Clutching Marley, I sat back down with a woosey thud, knowing I would be safe there.

For a long while afterwards, I had to close my eyes and breath as shallowly as I could, but eventually the drowsiness wore off. There must've still been tons of gas in the room beyond the barrier, though. I could see people hacking and coughing outside the door, quickly slipping on gas masks to drag out the unconscious group of people who'd been sent for Marley. Remembering her presence, I carefully opened my hand to find her unconsciously lying across my palm. I was large enough that It took a while for the gas to affect me, but for her the affect must've been nearly instant. I slid my other hand beside the one she lay in and shifted her so she lay cupped between them, that way one side of her wouldn't be precariously draped off its edge.

Nothing more happened that day. The room had been sealed off until the gas dissipated, and even then nothing much transpired. A few people came to fix the glass panes later on, just as Marley woke up. She yelped and scrambled upwards, unsure where she'd woken. "It's alright. Everything's alright," I assured her, cupping a few of my fingers closer. "You were knocked out by the gas, but I managed to create this before I could fall to it too." I gestured at the glassy dome around us. "Don't worry, nothing can get us in here. As far as I know, it's indestructible." She sat in quiet awe, gazing upwards at the barrier. Eventually, Marley snapped out of her stupor and hugged one of my fingers close. It reminded me so much of Erica that a pang of longing dashed through my chest. "So.. we're safe? I'm safe?" I nodded and she clutched my finger tighter.

"Thank you!" she cried out in relief, "I was so scared that they'd hurt me worse than before just because you were so adamant on protecting me. I was afraid that if you fell unconscious holding me.. you would drop me to the floor." Gently, I set her down on the ground within the barrier. Neither of us had been inside one before, so we took a moment longer to study it. The green tint of its surface reflected on everything inside, and as the day wore into night, I realized how annoying the color green could be when it was everywhere. It felt like I was constantly wearing tinted sunglasses. At least the people in the cities and towns beneath the barriers could escape the monotonous barrage by stepping inside.

That night we actually slept semi-peacefully. Sure, the barrier would protect us, but we were still in huge trouble. The cold voice of the Commander greeted us the next morning.

“I commend you for tricking me yesterday. I thought I’d outsmarted you.” He waited until I woke up a bit more before continuing. “As I mentioned before, Fero’s son and my advisor were able to work out a deal. It’s similar to 249’s deal, actually.” “What kind of deal?” I asked skeptically, “Just because Ivan agreed to it doesn’t mean I will. What’s so special about him, anyway?”

Blanche ignored my second question. “If you are willing to cooperate with us and the military in order to end the war, we will offer you a place to live here and your possessions back. If you do well in battle, you will be labeled as a war hero and given whatever honors necessary to get civilians to support you.” I thought through the offer for a moment. I did desperately need proper training on how to fight. However, having to deal with all the judging eyes and rules and whatnot is something I never wanted to deal with. And what about the towns I hadn't reached who called for barriers to protect them?

“What if I refuse?” I asked, stepping closer to the watchtower. “Then the deal that’s keeping you alive will be void. You will go through the tests that every other fallen person from your world has been subject to.” “Not if I stay under this barrier,” I retorted. Blanche went silent for a moment, then nodded. “In that case, I would terminate you via the chip in your wrist. Yes, it serves as a tracking device, but it will also administer a deadly amount of toxins directly into your bloodstream if I use a remote device. A much smaller amount of these toxins was given to you through the bullets we used to subdue you. I know you think you have the upper hand here, but if you do not comply, you will be considered a threat; you will die.”

My heart pounded in my ears so loudly, I couldn’t even hear whatever snide remark Blanche made afterwards. I felt like I was falling over. Slowly I sat back down, staring numbly up at the watchtower. “Now, what is your decision?” He knew my decision. I wasn’t going to commit suicide over my pride. It was still a good deal. “I’ll take your deal. But you have to let Marley go, free of charge. And Erica, too. I fight with her, so you’ll have to let her out if you let me out.” I wasn’t close enough to be sure, but I thought I saw him roll his eyes. “Marley?” he questioned. I gestured at her behind me. “Oh, her. Alright, she will be given amnesty. As for your dangerous partner, I will release her so long as you keep her under control. She managed to fatally wound a surprising number of soldiers before we could put her under. However, no one can know about the tracker in your arm. It actually goes against a term of Fero’s agreement.”

“So you’re going behind his back on my deal, and you expect me to keep that a secret?” “If you don’t comply, you don’t agree to our deal.” In other words, keep the deadly machine in my wrist or die because of it. Again, I didn’t have much of a choice. “Alright, I agree,” I said solemnly. “Good, your friend is waiting for you in the yard. Don’t do anything you’ll regret out there.” Suddenly, the large doors behind me slowly chugged backwards, letting daylight seep in. I removed the barrier and came up to kneel next to Marley, ready to offer her my hand. Blanche cleared his throat.

“She stays here,” he said, “I have to take her to the head of her division and straighten out this amnesty business.” Marley still looked hesitant, almost scared, to go with him, but when she turned to me she plastered on a brave face. "You go," she told me. "Take care of your friends and your.. arrangement. I'll come back and visit you." I stood and watched her walk alone through the room and out the door she'd come.

#g/t #giant/tiny #other-world universe #g/t writing

15 notes · View notes

clumsiestgiantess · 14 days ago