Jack yawned and opened his eyes, blinking in the faint morning light. He groaned and tried to stretch, but he found that he couldn't move due to a weight pinning him. Confused, he looked around, drowsily, at his surroundings. The cave was dank and cool, and the weak sunlight only faintly lit up the interior of the cavern. Jack wriggled and pushed out of the suffocating space he was stuck in with a grunt, and after catching himself he got up and turned around.

"... Oh." Now he remembered. Behind him, Mark was snoring softly, curled up against the back wall. Jack sucked in a deep breath and backed up, trying to fit the whole gargantuan figure in sight. Jesus Christ. I know I've ever only seen, like, two or three giants... but holy shit. He looked over his shoulder, wondering whether to leave the beast be and go before he woke up, or to stay. He wanted to thank Mark for, firstly, not eating him, and also for saving him and offering shelter and protection. But still... he was a giant.

Jack shook his head and backed away. I should just go, before I give him anymore trouble. As he turned to leave, he heard Mark yawn as he rolled over, curling up with his back to Jack. Jack paused, and then hurried to exit the cave. Outside, the wind was lightly blowing, and the moon hung dimly on the horizon. Jack took a deep breath and studied his surroundings, and once he'd figured out where he was he turned toward Los Angeles and started walking.

Even as he made his way to the old city, Jack couldn't help but still think about Mark. Why didn't he kill me? Why is he different from the average giant? Why did he save my life? Many questions cycled through his rapid brain, but none of them came with nor revealed answers. He sighed. Nothing makes any damn sense anymore. He tried to put the giant out of his mind and stopped for a break at some wild berry bushes. They had a sharp tang, but an overall layer of sweetness and juicy. He had quite a few of the red berries before he continued on his way down a slope. The city was just down below.

When he reached the bottom, Jack stopped and looked up at the tall, abandoned city. He whistled in awe, and the note echoed through the empty streets. He sighed. Well, better get searching!

Tyler was puzzled that morning to catch wind of Mark's scent on a breeze. The peaceful giant always refused to go back to the old city, so it caught Tyler's attention quickly. The taller giant rumbled and sat up, sniffing around before looking off into a direction. Strange, he didn't see the familiar giant. Tyler slowly got up, cat stretching before he rose and walked carefully along the tiny streets and tried to not knock any of the buildings down.

He sniffed again, and this time he caught another scent underneath his friend's. Human. His pupils constricted, and Tyler bared his teeth warily. What was a human doing all the way out here in the West? And, even more concerning, why would the human have Mark's scent on it-

Tyler snarled. Unless the human was dangerous. Humans were known to band together to try and take down the giants. Poor Mark was too pure of heart to even try attacking the tiny people. He always told Tyler that they were "cute" and "people just like us." Damn it, Mark! His pacifism must have failed him. He must have finally come across humans and, given the choice, failed to defend himself. And now the human had the audacity to waltz in here, on his territory!

Tyler growled deeply, angry. He wanted revenge now.

There was some good loot in the shops. Jack found some unopened beef jerky, sweets, bottles of water and lots of other good stuff. He even found a backpack to hold it all in. He was currently behind the cashier's desk, in a building that had lost its roof, rummaging through some small pocket treats when he'd discovered an old Roaring Twenties trap door under a beam. Ooo, maybe there's some spare alcohol! After getting the beam off, Jack unlocked it with a key he found hiding in a small container, pulled it open, and then he climbed inside. It was dark, so he turned on a flashlight he'd found and continued down the narrow corridor. He walked up to a metal door and, to his relief, it was unlocked. He grinned and walked inside.

The interior was mostly white. Equipment was scattered everywhere, and no colour stood out. Jack frowned as he shined the light around. No beer, dang it. But what is this place? A hospital? Jack reached for a light switch and tried it. No dice. The hairs on the back of his neck stood, and tried to ignore it as he moved away and started exploring. He came across some medicine and first aide kits, which he liked. But he still wasn't sure about this place. Some of the beds he came across had straps on them, and there were some charts and stuff measuring some serious shit like sanity levels and aggression meters. And being abandoned, Jack found the place very creepy, so he hurried through it as fast as he could.

The last room was a file room. He spotted a water bottle on top of one of the filing cabinets, so he went and grabbed it. But then, Jack noticed it was on top of an old file that was open, and a pen lay abandoned under a name:

Mark Fischbach.

Jack tried to think, but his brain shut down. Idiot, he told himself, it's not the same Mark, it can't be! But the reality had begun to sink in. With despair, Jack realized that yes, he knew the giant now. It was his old buddy, a friend he recorded some videos with. He covered his eyes as the memories came flooding back: All of those prop hunts and collab videos echoed in his ears, and he couldn't decide whether he wanted to laugh at the fond old memories or break down crying.

How did I not realize it sooner!? Jack wanted to scream. He had abandoned his friend! That was why Mark didn't kill him, it all made sense now! Jack shook his head and groaned. He looked at the file and noticed there was more. He picked it up and blew away a fine line of dust, sneezing promptly, and started reading. For some reason, everything about Mark was here; where he lived, who he was with, how tall he was. Jack's hands shook as he turned the page and kept reading.

"Day thirteen," he read quietly out loud, "Subject #3 is showing severe signs of aggression. Familiar faces approaching with caution and no ill intent is the only way to get close. Doctor Nelson is the only one who can approach him now, but even though they've been together for quite a few years he's started to lose his memories, and it's becoming a struggle for Subject #3 to pinpoint memories." Jack felt sick. He continued, skimming a few more days about loss of memories and further aggression.

"Day sixteen. It happened. It finally happened. Now we can get to the bottom of human physiology and find out what makes them tick. The subjects have all changed, and they were transported to the facility just in time. Subject #2 was a little edgy and upset, but he complied fine when we sent him along with Subject #1. Subject #3 is strangely docile, for some reason, and the aggression levels have plummeted. Subject #2 now has the highest hormonal levels. Maybe now, we can finally get some answers." Engrossed, Jack turned to the next page. This time, it was handwritten, and there were bloody fingerprints on it.

"Day twenty. I don't know what happened. There was a security failure. All of the subjects got out. Subject #24 smashed the glass and killed the director. The rest of us scattered for our very lives when we realized we could do nothing. I had to watch a girl screaming for help as she was eaten alive, and I also noticed the only one that didn't attack was Subject #3. If provoked, he probably would have, so I hit the city-wide panic button for evacuation and ran for my life.

Then when I made for the bunker, Subject #2 followed me. He caught up, of course, and tried to kill me. I barely escaped, but I have massive internal injuries, and I'm bleeding too badly." The handwriting was steadily getting worse and harder to read. "I'm going to die. I don't have any hopes of surviving this, but I'm so sorry for taking part in what I now see was not a scientific discovery, but madness in messing with Mother Nature. I'm sorry." There was a signature scribbled at the bottom. Jack slowly closed the file and stared at it for a few good seconds. He blinked, once, and then twice. Then he looked up.

"What the fuck!" He whispered.

Climbing out of the hidden bunker, Jack had to lean on a column for support as he breathed in some fresh air. Going through the files, Jack had found out the facts: Subject #1 was Ethan Nestor; Subject #2 was Tyler Scheid; and Subject #3 was Mark. There were more subjects, a lot more, the numbers going up all the way to a hundred and seventy nine. Jack still couldn't wrap his head around it, how or why they had so many subjects, but now he knew for sure; giants were once human.

Upon discovering this, it took a lot out of Jack. He had uncovered the truth, but now what? Giants were still roaming the earth and chowing down on whatever they thought was edible. How was he suppose to fix this? Could he fix it?

Jack sighed, tired, and rubbed his eyes. He slumped onto his posterior and shrugged his pack off. Inside were the files on his three victimized friends, and though there were mentions of Amy and Katheryn, he couldn't find anything on them. But he had a feeling he knew what happened. In the various mentions, they were said to be participants of the experiments and doctors that kept the subjects calmed down. They were especially successful with Ethan, Tyler and Mark, since they were all friends of course. There was even a report Jack snagged in which a doctor complained about how clingy Amy was to Subject #3, and how she sometimes had to be dragged off with tears and mascara dribbling down her cheeks. Of course, this pissed Mark off, so it had to be done only when necessary.

Jack lay down and sighed, closing his eyes and letting the evening sunlight shine on his pale skin. He had to go back. He had to find Mark and find a way to get through to him, to remind him who he was. And then they had to find the others. As Jack tried to figure out some sort of plan, he noticed the world grow darker beyond his eyelids. He opened his eyes and found himself staring up at the immense face of Tyler.

Tyler snarled, and Jack screamed in surprise. He rolled when the giant tried to hit him, but he smashed his fist through the ground. Jack jumped to his feet and took off running. He looked over his shoulder to see Tyler move away from the building and then to follow him, anger burning in his eyes. Jack stopped running and turned around.

"T-Tyler!" He yelled. There was a brief hesitation in the giant's movement, but the fury came back, and he roared. Jack covered his ears with a gasp of pain. "Tyler, wait, stop! It's me, Jack!" He shouted. Tyler didn't seem to recognize him. Angrily, he tried to run forward and attack, but Jack flung himself to the side, and the building behind him shuddered and began to crumple. Helpless, the Irishman broke off running again as the building collapsed on Tyler, who, coughing, shook the rubble off and looked around for a dazed second. Jack ducked behind another building and struggled to contain his breathing. When silence befell the city, Jack slowly leaned and looked. He couldn't see Tyler.

With a sudden cold realization, Jack had a terrible feeling he knew where the giant was. Doing what personages in fiction usually didn't do, he walked forward and shimmied along the side of the wall, slipping into a doorway and hiding behind a pillar. Sure enough, Tyler's head leaned forward to look where Jack once stood, and his brow furrowed as he rumbled and sniffed the air, puzzled where the human went. Jack covered his mouth and looked around for the best escape route possible. As soon as he had an idea, he locked into gear and took off running. The giant snarled as soon as he saw him, and he lashed out with startling speed and smashed the asphalt in front of Jack. Jack cried out in shock and pain as he was flung back and stumbled, dazed from the sound wave and flying pebbles.

Tyler's fist quickly overcame the human and trapped him tightly, bringing him up to his face. Tyler growled and showed his teeth as Jack squirmed, struggling to breath.

"T-Tyler...!" He gasped out. "P-please... Tyler... stop!" The giant growled and brought Jack closer, licking his lips. But before he could do anything, a roar stopped him. He hesitated and turned, making a surprised noise. Jack had covered his eyes and braced himself, shaking violently in Tyler's grip as a series of rumbles, growls, and purring played out. But then, the fingers uncurled and slipped him onto softer, more familiar, skin. The surface bowled under Jack's skinny body and cradled him carefully, much differently than Tyler's harsh grip.

Jack shivered as a warm breath ruffled his hair, and he felt a nose gently nudge him. He opened his eyes and, with shocked relief, saw Mark. "M-Mark!" He gasped out. Mark purred and nuzzled him, relieved that the human was ok. Tyler watched puzzledly, but when he rumbled something Mark growled at him and held Jack closer. The growl faded to more purring as Mark crooned and rubbed his cheek against Jack, who was stunned.

"M-Mahrk. Mark!" Jack pushed his cheekbone to make the giant stop for a second. "Do you- do you remember me?" He asked nervously. Mark purred positively. "No, I-I mean before this, before... back when you were human." Silence. Mark shared a look with Tyler and growled in a way that sounded like, "See? I was right." Tyler rolled his eyes and treaded back to where the chase began, fetching Jack's pack. Mark turned to Jack and rumbled happily, nuzzling him again. "Is-is that a yes?" Jack asked uncertainly. Before Mark could answer, Tyler made a noise as he shuffled up to him. He had dumped the contents of Jack's pack into his hand, and pinched between his fingers was the diminutive stack of files.

"Yeah, I found those," Jack said, pointing at them. "They were in a secret bunker or something, they had yer names on it." Tyler growled and held the files out to Jack, who took them with a grateful murmur and opened the top one. As quickly as he could, he read aloud all of the writing and documentary on them. Tyler looked appalled, but Mark looked sad and delighted at the same time. When Jack finished, the peaceful giant purred softly and nuzzled the tiny Irishman. Jack smiled.

"So, do you know where Ethan is?" He asked. Tyler rumbled and put Jack's stuff in Mark's spare hand, and then he turned and headed off. Jack watched him go, and then he turned his attention to his newfound stuff and packed it all back up. Mark watched him quietly for a few minutes before vocalizing a curious sound. Jack sighed and sat, leaning against the giant's curled fingers and yawning tiredly. Mark looked around before suddenly lifting his hand up and holding it to his head. Jack looked down, startled, but Mark urged him on with a low purr. Jack grabbed his backpack and hesitantly went onto the giant's head. Familiar body heat rolled off the surface under him, and the disheveled forest of hair was as soft as ever.

Jack sighed and lay down, feeling Mark start purring again. He was softly rumbling as he slightly swayed side to side, coaxing Jack into total relaxation. The Irishman sighed quietly and snuggled up in the soft hair, finding comfort in his old pal's presence. It made him feel safe.