Warren, an anthropologist in the midst of a field study gone horribly wrong, is sitting with his case subject whose name is Ekalib. The two have just made camp after a hot, strenuous day of looking for Warren's kidnapped wife, Lina. Warren needs desperately to bond with Ekalib, who is a fierce warrior raised by a tribe of radicals in the desert and may know the only way to find Lina. They are both sitting on the desert sand. Ekalib uses a hand shovel to dig a hole which he will later sleep in.

WARREN

Watching Ekalib dig.

Ahh, one of my favorite Halogeton rituals.

No response.

I suppose it’s no different than the rituals of the people in the city. I remember sitting outside the corner coffee house on my bike... I would watch people walk in and spend half a week’s wages on what? A cup of lukewarm water? Just… a habit, a ritual. A comfort.

No response.

When I was in my twenties, Lina and I started what would become our own little ritual. We decided to save our money and stay overnight at one of the Microgen controlled pay-parks. It was, strangely, the first time either of us had built a campfire. I had read so much about camping that I thought I knew how it’d feel.

He slowly rubs his hand in the sand.

Truth is, I had no idea.