Deus Ex: Cosplay Revolution

I woke up without fanfare.

Shade had taken the other bed, and she was still asleep. I slowly got out, slipping on my shoes and the shirt. Before I got out onto the balcony to start smoking, the little thermos of blue nanites caught my eye.

What was on it, again? Cloak and something Transparency... Sensor Transparency.

I grabbed the can, seeing the two buttons, just like... just like the last time, from barely a week ago. Was it really that short of a time?

I'd... I'd worry about it later. Now I just needed to figure out which of these I'd be taking.

Cloak, for all intents and purposes, rendered me invisible. I had Run Silent, and the combination of the both of them basically meant I was free to move anywhere. Didn't work on thermal sensors, though, and it had a fucking high bioelectric drain. And chances were, anywhere important had scanners...

Sensor Transparency... Assuming it worked on magical sensors, would probably be the better option. Chances were that Shade could find me an invisibility spell much easier than an anti-sensor spell. Guards were easy enough to evade, if they didn't know you were there in the first place, but magical sensors... probably be harder to avoid, considering it'd be damn near impossible to see them.

I went with the latter, then hit Automatic Installation. The cord slithered out, syringe at the end, just like last time.

Without a word, I injected it into my arm with a pinch of pain. Coolness, just like last time, spread all over, this time lingering underneath my skin before fading after a minute.

After that, I looked to the display. "USAGE of SENSOR TRANSPARENCY: Remember the mnemonic phrase "Mudbath Invisible." This augmentation as a HIGH bioelectric drain."

And with that, the display turned off. I set it back on the bedside table, rolling my sleeve back down. Needed to smoke a cigarette, clear my mind of jumbled dreams and half-thoughts.

I needed a plan. Needed to make a plan when the day was young and I wasn't distracted. When my mind was clearest.

That much was certain. Needed a plan or my life was going to spin out of control and I was gonna find myself locked somewhere far away before I could get a glimpse of home.

What did Shade say? It was... two days ago. Said that in three I'd be able to see her leader, talk to him, make arrangements. It'd been... fuck, I was having trouble remembering. No... it was definitely two days ago. Tomorrow is when I'd see "I" or what's-his-name, that I knew.

Man, what was Waldo doing right now? Maybe he was worried. I'd been gone for... for more than a week? Somewhere around a week, maybe... maybe two. That's enough time for a missing person's report to be filed, for the entire area to be scanned, but...

All they'd remember about my disappearance would be a flash of light, and the words "what a shame." Maybe they'd think it was something supernatural? Oh I hoped they didn't. And...

No. I needed a plan. Soon as I got this in order, soon as I brought this game of shadows and conspiracy to light, soon as that happened, I'd be off. Going straight back home, getting back to cruising along, leaving all this insanity and surreal situations locked up in the past. Far and away.

I went over the list in my head of changelings at the castle. Chefs, maids, nobles, butlers, cleaners, even guards. I'd passed by them numerous times, probably not paying them any mind... and they'd most definitely been paying me mind, especially with my current status as local hero and private investigator.

Couldn't just stand by and let things happen. I needed to make things happen. And I wasn't gonna pussyfoot around the issue; it was of national importance, and if what Petina had said was true, they'd be acting sometime around the day of the wedding.

The wedding between Shining Armor and Princess Cadence.

I sighed, digging out my cigarettes and stuffing one in my mouth. It was too early to be thinking...

About an hour and an empty carton of cigarettes later, I heard the door open behind me, feet hit the ground, and then I saw a pair of hooves land on the bar.

"Morning," I grunted.

"Mornin'," Shade grunted back. I turned, seeing her in a casual dress. "Whatcha doin' out here?"

"Thinkin'."

"About what? The fact that you have nipples?"

I was silent for a second. "The future."

She looked at me real odd then. Like she was asking me "what about the future?"

"I'm thinking about what'll happen when we find these conspirators. And... tomorrow is the day I see your leader, right?"

Shade nods, leaning her head on my shoulder. I very gently push her off, earning me a disgruntled look. Might've felt nice, and it was, but I still had a preference for my own species. If she wanted to cuddle? She could find someone of her own kind.

"You've been reporting to him,  haven't you?"

Another nod. "What are you getting at?"

"Has he told you anything about me? Anything at all? My past before coming to Equestria, specifically?"

She cocks an eyebrow. "He told me you were some kind of master of disguise. And that you weren't really a pony. That you could be trusted to carry out a mission. That's about it."

"What did he tell you I was?"

"Just that you weren't a pony."

I sighed, leaning forward and rubbing my head. "Good, good. The less you know about me, the better. Maybe we can socialize more when we're done, but right now, we've got some information to collect. On Changelings."