Chapter 12: Synergy

Ms. Choi blinked a few times. Something about those words.

‘Brobdingnagians, treated as gods.’

The way her kimono wearing companion phrased things had appealed to her on a deep level.

“Oh.”

Ms. Oshie turned to face her fellow business owner and multi-billionaire.

“You seem surprised?”

Ms. Choi faced her in turn.

“No it’s just, I never thought about it like that before. It feels... quite good, I admit.”

Her body gave as much away. The business dressed woman with shorter hair had her cheeks flushed a bit red at the thought. “Gods”, she thought. Warmth tickled her body up her spine. She shrugged her shoulders to help diffuse it so as to remain professional.

“It does, doesn’t it. Look at our feet.”

Ms. Choi did so.

“Down below there are millions of Lilliputians, scurrying about my office floor. There’s a bit more the amount Yuna ever ruled over. They have villages, cities, a society. Yet, if there wasn’t a protective barrier above them, I could ruin all of it with a jog around my office and a bit of furniture rearrangement.”

“I... yes.”, said Choi.

“Now imagine how we must look to them? Looming above them, looking down at them. Our soles fill their skies when we stand, and rock their land when we move. What do you think we must look like to them.”

“Gods.”

“Exactly Ms. Choi. I believe we Brobdingnagians are a race of gods. Not in any metaphysical sense. I obviously don’t believe Yuna was a real goddess in the sense of being immortal with magical powers. But, as far as the smaller sub-species of humanity should be concerned, we are divine to them and should be treated as such.”

“But, Oshie Corporation is one of the number one inter-size employers. You have more Lilliputians and Gulliverians on your payroll than any other business in Brobdingnag.”

“Oh I certainly do. I strongly believe Lilliputians and Gulliverians can do great work. Some of my best employees are an inch tall to me, or even speck-sized. My R&D team in particular is more than a third composed of Lilliputians. That doesn’t mean I don't view myself as a massively superior being in comparison.”

She walked forward across the office floor, looking down all the while. She paused after just a few steps and smiled.

“A god doesn’t need to just wander her lands, destroying things stark naked. I can see the value in the smaller people and use it. They have potential, or at least some of them do. The ones beneath our feet right now, well, they exist to invigorate me. To remind mean all my honored guests, like yourself, just how bigger and better we Brobdingnagians are.”

Ms. Choi walked forward to stand back alongside Ms. Oshie. The latter continued talking.

“At least once a week I treat myself to a rather expensive private spa. There, I enjoy some of the most thorough and relaxing massages and nail treatments one could find anywhere. You know how?”

“How?”

“Multi-size staff. While Brobdingnagian hands knead the biggest points of tension away from my back, dozens of Gulliverians walk along my body to tend to the smaller bits of my body that they can better reach. While Brobdingnagian thumbs rub the arches of my feet for a soothing massage there, I have one Gulliverian attending to each toe as well.”

“Ah, I have been to a Gulliverian spa once myself actually.”

“Yes, they exist, but this spa is even better. When it’s time for the manicure and pedicure, each digit has its own Gulliverian. Once they are done, though, scurrying beneath the tip of my nails are dozens of Lilliputians. They suit up and wield tiny cleaning tools to make sure there’s not even a speck of dirt under my nails.”

“Oh my, that sounds like quite the treat.”

“It is. They file the underside of the tips of my nails down to make sure it’s as shiny and smooth as the outside. By the time they finish, I know my nails are pristine down to the smallest grain of dust. They emerge, perhaps a bit dusty from flakes of shaved nail keratin, but overall immensely grateful for the tips I leave them and the other staff there.”

“Oooh, that sounds very lovely indeed.”, said Ms. Choi.

“Well, you can accompany me the next time I go if you’d like.”

“I would like that.”, said Ms. Choi.

“My point though was about what I want. As a god to the smaller subspecies of humanity, I don’t want to destroy them all as some avatar of destruction. I just want them to know their place. I want them to be grateful whether I ask them to be a chief engineer at my company, or to crawl under my nail as a spa specialist.”

She continued.

“I want them to feel reverence even, and especially, should I snuff them out beneath a toe for my own amusement. They shouldn’t just feel honored to work in our presence, they should be honored to be in it at all. In short, they should show us far more respect, and we should have far more control over their lives.”

“I... I don’t know what to say to.” said Ms. Choi. She was smiling though, clearly enjoying these ideas. Ms. Oshie noticed her expression, then turned back to face the ground by her feet again.

“Do you want to hear something Ms. Choi? Turn your headset code to 512.”

Ms. Choi opened her mouth.

“Headset, set frequency code to 512.”

The headset beeped and tuned in to the code. Ms. Choi gasped, at once figuring she sussed out a big part of what had Ms. Oshie smiling at random intervals during their chat.

She heard the Lilliputians beneath them.

There was a mixture of sounds: gasps, groans of exasperation, complaints and even a few utterances of awe. There weren’t many screams though; it was clear they were at least somewhat accustomed to Brobdingnagian presence.

“We can hear them, can they hear us?”, asked Ms. Choi.

“Oh they can, certainly. The material separating our feet from my Lilliputian country isn’t entirely soundproof. However, aside from that, they are all equipped with a headset that can take in my words. Now that you are on the same code, they can hear you as well. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Oh not at all, well, I mean, they can’t exactly share what they hear, can they?”

Ms. Oshie laughed.

“Sorry, I was just imagining the uproar if they could. No, it’s a closed communication circuit. The entire display is shielded from outside connections, as is my meeting table which I’ll show you shortly. They hear when I want them to, and their headsets can’t even let them talk among themselves.”

“Impressive.”

“Thank you, but there’s another impressive feature. You can try it out. Just say ‘disable ambient noise filter’, but address your headset first, of course.”

Ms. Choi opened her mouth to speak. “Headset, disable ambient filter.” The headset beeped.

“What’d that do?”

“Take a couple steps and listen for yourself.”

Ms. Choi already noticed something. Both her voice and Ms. Oshie’s came back over the headset, but only once to avoid a feedback loop. She sounded so... big. She didn’t address that. Instead, following Ms. Oshie’s suggestion, she took a step forward.

She heard it. She heard the quaking reverberation from her foot step as it pattered on the transparent material. Though no buildings were harmed thanks to the architectural designs of Lilliputian structures, the power was heard, it was felt. It was impactful; it shook those Lilliputians and their streets.

“How did that step sound to you?”, asked Ms. Oshie.

Ms. Choi smiled and took another. She paused a moment to savor the clamor of that one as well. Below, The Lilliputians watched as her perfect sole slammed down. Many complained over their headsets to each other or no one in particular. Others simply yelped out of reflex.

“Godly”, she said.

Ms. Oshie smiled, then spoke.

“I don’t often tell others this”, began Ms. Oshie. “But there I times I imagine myself walking the ancient Lilliputian world. My body a megalith among them. My steps shaking and flattening their mountains. Every footprint of mine a monument, every whim of mine a pressing, country-wide concern. Entire cities are raised to satiate my hunger or fancy; entire cities bow in attempts to appease me.”

She giggled.

“Sorry, I hope that’s not too embarrassing to reveal.”

“Oh no, it’s an admittedly pleasing thought.”

“Perfect, I assumed you’d like it.”

“Is that your ultimate goal, Ms. Oshie.”

The woman in the kimono laughed again. She took a few steps forward to once again stand side by side with Ms. Choi. Ms. Choi heard those steps as well over her headset. They were almost as pleasing as her own, but fun as they were to hear as the Lilliputians did, they were quite noisy. She spoke into her headset to turn the ambient noise filter back on.

Ms. Oshie spoke shortly after.

“I mentioned I value some traditional aspects of things, but make no mistake: my youth, our youth, is an asset. We’re in our early twenties, in line with much of the ever-changing zeitgeist of technology. History has much to offer, but I am adroit enough to separate wisdom from ignorance.”

“I see”, said Ms. Choi.

“To put it another way,”, continued Ms. Oshie. “I’d much rather enjoy my television shows, the internet, my fine food and other modern delights than be like Yuna, wandering across Lilliputian lands, naked, without proper bedding to sleep on. It has a quixotic allure, and it might be fun to try for, say, a week or so, but I’d certainly miss the lifestyle I’m accustomed to.”

“Hmm, I think I would too.”, said Ms. Choi. “Then what do you want from the Lilliputians and the Gulliverians, in more practical terms?”

“I simply want their governments to know their proper place.”

“What do you mean?”

“We can discuss it during our meeting. Come and sit with me, if you’d please.”