"I highly doubt anyone could get sick of you," he says with one of his charming smiles. He's not just being flattering--she is attractive, and Liz's stories have made her sound like a lot of fun. "And if my best friends were here and in the same place, I'd probably be there a lot, too, so. I understand."

As hard as it is for some people to think of their loved ones here, Bass prays every night to a God he no longer believes in to bring his. This place, at its most horrifying, is still better than home.

"I've had my fair share of using my full name to be more...regal, if you wish, or imposing. My standard introduction of myself was far more formal, at least, and most people called me by my last name. Or 'sir.' Only a couple of people were allowed to call me 'Bass,' back home. But here, I've gone back to using it more expansively, like when I was younger and home was still...semi-normal."

He wasn't a President or General here, after all, as frustrating as that was.