CODE ORCHID

I looked up at the platform into the main airlock. The merpony was still riding on my back as Orchid set me down on the platform. The merpony let go and swam around to my front. She looked at the giant metal doors and settled in before me. "So, how long has this been here?"

"Longer than I've been here." I looked down at the panel on my arm. A small red button near my elbow blinked on and off. "Probably longer than Orchid's been here, and she's like...fourteen." I looked back at her, the blue eye'd filly was floating around just outside of the platform. "Accelerated her growth if I remember right."

Orchid churled behind me. "Big filly now."

"Yes...yes you are." I pressed the button on my elbow and my radio crackled to life. "Yeah, what you need?"

Sparkler's voice cut in quickly. "Hey Chris...why is there a genetic freak in front of you?"

I looked to the merpony. "Because we found it. I figured you'd want to talk to it."

Sparkler sighed heavily. "We've talked with merponies... eastern merponies are pretty common. Western ones aren't supposed to even be alive anymore though."

I reached out and squeezed the mare's tail. She pulled it free and swung around to look me over. "Hey...no touchy."

I shifted back and pressed the button on my wrist again. "Well, it's real. Now, I need a bath or something for her to sit in, and I need the rake."

A loud groan came from Sparkler's side. "The rake again? Really?" Sparkler's voice was cut off by a soft okay. "Fine, rake is coming. And I'll get a tote or something for your little friend to ride in." She sighed heavily. "I'll see if I can't order parts for a walker from the east."

The radio cut out and I was left with the mares. And water. I looked around and the realization slowly settled in just how much the suit weighed. By the way Orchid and Mici moved around, I must weight nearly a scalar ton more. I tapped my foot on the ground while I waited. I looked up to Mici. "So...you're single, right?"

Mici dropped down and stood on her two hooves. "Are you serious? I really thought you were--"

I shook my head. "No, I was pretty serious." I coughed loudly. "You don't exactly get out a lot with the ponies here at home, and if you had to break up...things would get really...really awkward."

Mici grew a bit flushed under the lights of the platform now illuminating the metal grate I was standing on. "Is this not awkward to you? And you look like a monster. Weird head thingy--"

"You know this is a suit, right?"

Mici swam a lap around me and stopped to look into my helmet. "Okay...so what do you look like inside here?"

"Like an Australian.... So, white and sunburnt." I looked around the panel on my arm. I pressed the light button a few times until the inside of my suit lit up.

Mici's eyes narrowed as she pulled back. "Ow...." She shook her head and swam back to look into my helmet. She swapped eyes and looked me over. "Oh, you're all peachy." She laughed softly. "I thought you'd be like some lizard thing, or some weird mutant pony." She put a hoof against the glass of my faceplate. I made a loud slurp noise, Mici twisted her head away and swam off me. She wiggled in place before dropping back down to look at me. "You're really pushing it."

"I'm either gonna push it, or you're not gonna take me serious." A loud thunk came from the doors. Warmer water from inside the airlock rushed out. Orchid rested her chin on the platform. The doors opened to a large steel tub and the rake, now broken in half. "Aw, come on!" I walked in and picked up the shattered rake. "They killed it!"

Orchid churled loudly. "What?"

I turned to face her. "They killed the rake!" I walked out to her and tossed the broken stick into the abyss. "...Orchid...they killed it."

Orchid held her mouth open ever so slightly. "No...."

I looked at the rusted up rake head. "I'm sorry baby." I reached up and scratched the top of her muzzles. She let out a long snarl as I scratched between the plates on her muzzle. "We'll get you a new one soon." I made sure to get the spots she couldn't reach with what little remained of her rake. She leaned her muzzle into the edge of the platform and let me get between the plates.

Something caught between the joining between two and refused to smooth out. Orchid let out a long grunt and shifted around. I pulled rather hard and a soft crack echoed through the water. "Orchid?"

"More please...." She braced her hooves on the platform and looked at the plate on her nose. "Pull it."

I dug the rake in and pulled hard. I lifted my foot and braced myself on her nose and threw my back into it. Another crack came from her main plate and with a bit of blood drifting into the air, the entire plate peeled off and landed against the grate. Orchid pulled her head back, trailing blue blood as she rubbed her muzzle.

She smiled like an idiot and rubbed the top of her muzzle with her hoof. "Aaahahaha, yes."

I tossed the rake aside and picked up the plate. Deep scars and gashes were laid into the thick outside, but the inside was a bit slimy and looked like it had barnacles living inside. "Huh...fucker!" I tossed the plate down and stomped the barnacle into powder. I felt an odd sense of rage at a barnacle living on Orchid's nose, let alone where she couldn't reach it.

It was a barnacle though, my rage wasn't satisfied and my revenge was petty. Except to the barnacle, which was promptly dealt with. I snorted loudly and watched as Orchid popped back up and rested her chin on the grate. "You alright sweetheart?"

Orchid churled and took my head into her mouth. She picked me up and shook me gently left and right. I went limp and let her go through with the awkward show of affection. She set me back down and rubbed her nose on the platform. Her new plate was slowly coming up from her body. "Thank you...super thank you." She groaned and scratched her nose on the underside of the platform. "Shedding hurts."

I looked down at the busted rake. "You still hurting?"

Orchid lifted her hoof up. "Itchy all over.... Rake time helps."

I looked down at the shed plate. "I'll see if I can't get a hook or something to help. We'll go topside and I'll get those spots cleared up."

Orchid groaned loudly. "...Can I go find a place on land?"

I looked to the airlock. "Alright...just be safe, okay?"

Orchid nodded. "Okay...bye dad...." She floated back off the facility and hurried off towards the west.

I felt everything inside and out heat up and a shit eating grin formed up over my face. I turned and walked into the airlock where the merpony was already waiting in the tub. She looked up at me as I strode in and started the drain. "Did she just--"

"Yep."

Mici hummed as the water slowly dropped and left us to dry. ".... So, yeah, by the way I am single. But you really shouldn't--"

"So I'm thinking something nice. Like a good sized dinner and maybe some alcohol." I watched as the main door opened up.

Mici pulled her lips inward and glared at me. "Seriously?"

I nodded and started to take my helmet off. "A giant sea-pony-monster just called me dad! Do you know how amazing I feel right now?" I took my helmet off and set it down as a few ponies walked in and started hooking up Mici to a sled.

Mici looked me up and down. "Cool, but you still don't--"

"So in like an hour? We'll sit down and talk, eat, maybe dry off if you want." I started unzipping the suit mid walk out into the main entry, a large titanium box with a few chairs and desks strewn about. "See how things go from there?"

Mici stared at me as the ponies pulled her off into the facility. "Um.... Alright. It's not a date though--"

"It is," I corrected with a laugh.

"...It's not, but okay." Mici huffed and let herself be carted off by the ponies.

I stepped into the lobby and found the red pony with the hat waiting for me. He watched as Mici was pulled towards the elevator into Sparkler's office. "Did you just ask her out?"

"Pretty much." I undid the suit and carefully stepped out. "How single do you feel?"

The red pony cocked an eyebrow. "I have a wife...she works with me in development."

"Oh." I finally scratched my head. "Orchid called me, dad, too. That was pretty awesome."

The red pony nodded. "You act surprised." He turned away and started crossing the large open space between the landings and the elevators and corridors.

I walked after him. "Well, kinda. Oh, by the way do you have like a sickle or something like the rake? Orchid's shedding her plates and I need something to help tear them off." The red pony stopped suddenly, leaving me to bash my junk on his ass. "Ow."

He turned around slowly, his muzzle scrunched up. "That...is disgusting. She's peeling off, and you're going to help rip off dead skin?"

I stared back at him. "Soon enough I'm going to need a vibrator the size of a tree so she doesn't start raping the facility.... Do you not know how gross my job can be?"

The red pony held his hoof up. "I-- I-- Okay, I get the rake. But why a vibrator?"

I held my hand out. "You've seen mares in heat. Some take it well, some don't. And I'm going to guess a giant sea-mare with no sexual outlet is going to get a little aggressive when she can't cum."

The red pony bit his tongue and made an ugly face. "...I'll go get to work...." He slumped downward and walked off, leaving me standing with a date, a giant mare-child, and a giant dildo on my requisition sheet.

I couldn't help but smile. "Been back a fewdays and this shit is already crazy." I hurried off towards the way to my room. "Oh boy I missed this bloody place."