'Who are you?'

The first Key Question.

*Ding*

With a cheerful ringing noise the elevator doors slid open. The noise did nothing for our nerves as we both tensed, Resolve held ready in my mouth as I peeked out at the Administration and Operations floor. Everything was still and dead with about half of the lights still operating, leaving vast patches of darkness scattered about the open floor. There was a bit of a low level haze further back, and the sound of a breeze drifting gently on the edge of my hearing.

"Cover me" I pushed out onto the floor, sweeping my head around, looking for threats and ignoring the muffled squeak that came from Neon Dream as he fumbled with his longer weapon.

Clop. Clop. Clop. Clop. My hoof steps echoed in the still air as I passed the rows of cubicles familiar from my exploration of Station 5. Similar levels of clutter were apparent, but this close to Canterlot, some things seemed a little more... Upmarket? If the collections of dead plants and desk sculptures were anything to go by. I paused in my exploration when I came across one cubicle that had been panelled in dark wood with a scroll top desk bearing a terminal that was also clad in dark wood panelling.

"That seems... Excessive..." Neon Dream voiced my own thoughts as I shook my head,

"We need to find the project lead's offices." I said trying to judge the layout, "Preferably Project Lead Muse's."

We pressed on, hoping the individual offices would be at the far end of the room. The haze was getting brighter as we trotted, as was the sound of wind. My tail twitched nervously as we rounded the end of the cubicles, looking into the open space.

"Throw me to the moon..." I exhaled.

The room was split by some kind of fault in the floor, and the ceiling, almost like a great axe had come down and split the station like a log. The hazy light was filtering in from the gash above, tainted a pale pink with the breeze carrying a sickly sweet tang. We walked up to the split, a leaden feeling growing in my chest as I could see the size of the gap, further than I could jump, and the fact that it seemed to continue further down.

Neon Dream came up beside me, shrugging, "Its not that far," he said, tensing his wings, "I could fly us over."

I was quiet, the lead in my chest seemed to have doubled itself and migrated to my head to the beat of an insistent drum. I watched Neon Dream stow his energy rifle and tense his muscles for flight as a sticky feeling started to make its way down my muzzle. And my head. I put a hoof up to my nose, which came away red.

Blood.

Why was I bleeding? That sweet scent filled my nose, mixing with the iron tang of the blood. Sweet? Pink?

"Stop!" I threw a hoof at Neon Dream as he sprang into the air, missing his flank by a hair.

As he reached the apex of his jump, his wings flared, the inherent magic of a pegasus kicking in and carrying him up into the air. It seemed to me that the young pony was moving in slow motion as he crossed the threshold of the gouge, the dust in the air scattering before him as he entered the open air.

He tossed a grin back at me over his shoulder as he flew into a beam of light falling from the rent in the ceiling and I could see his eyes as the residual pink cloud in the air caught hold of him. Blood began to dribble from his nose and ear, his pupils dilating as the pain kicked in. His wings crumpled and the pegasus dropped like a stone, falling away and into rent in the floor.

"Neon!" I yelled, my voice echoing from the walls as I dashed over to the gouge. As approached the edge my brain started to feel like it was being squeezed in a vice, as did my lungs, and I felt that hot dribble on my muzzle again.

The axe wound in the building dropped down through what looked to be four levels, maybe five, with a glow coming from the depths. Straining my eyes I tried to catch sight of my pegasus friend.

"Neon!?" I called again, tasting iron on my tongue.

A thin voice floated up from below, "I'm here, I-" the young pony coughed, "I'm alive."

A small smile of relief came to my muzzle briefly, before it set itself back into a thin line. My eyes roved around the exposed floors, trying to pick out a distinctive green or teal-there! Two floors down I could see the pegasus lying on the ground, wings slumped at his sides. Finding him was one thing, but how do I get to Neon Dream?

Jump it?

No. I was not Fallen, I had no way to guarantee I could hit that floor accurately. Or softly. I was also feeling like my insides were desperately trying to become my outsides via my nostrils. I stepped back from the edge, trying to compose myself as my pipbuck flashed medical warnings at me. Taking a few moments to cough up some mucus and clear my throat I took a healing potion from my saddlebag and drank it, the itch of knitting blood vessels in my nose almost making me sneeze.

With the worst of the effects of the diffused pink cloud dealt with I threw myself back into the fire. Walking back to the edge I called back down to Neon Dream.

"Hold position there," I said, "heal yourself while I’m finding my way around."

He shrank back from the edge and I gave a sigh of relief as also stepped back, wiping blood from my muzzle. I was glad we had distributed the healing supplies fairly evenly, the kid could clear up the worst of the pink cloud effects while he waited. Looking at the damage I could see it stretch the full width of the floor, punching through walls and exposing bare stone behind them. I was definitely going to have to find a way down and around. Looking across the gap I squinted into the darkness, picking out a familiar bank of screens further down the room, along with what seemed to be the individual offices.

So close. And yet, so far...

I grunted at my rogue thoughts, Luna, why do you test me so? The only way around was going to be down, find a point where the gap was smaller, or the cloud less intense, and cross there to make my way back up, linking up with Neon Dream as I did so. I let out a sigh and turned from the open wound in the base, feeling for all the world like I was abandoning the pegasus.

You'll see him again.

I know that. But it feels too familiar. Somehow. Also, I want you to be quiet in combat situations. I didn't need rogue thoughts distracting me as I picked my way around the facility. Circling around the cubicles I found the stairwell plunging down into the dark and crept down the stairs with a 'tok, tok, tok' from my hooves, winding down to the floor below. Peeking my muzzle into the main level I saw that this station had a convenient sign reading 'Barracks', as opposed to Station 5's unofficial map. I also spotted a figure patrolling the dimly lit corridor, which I presumed would be one of the local ghouls. Discretion would be the better part of valour here, I thought and slinked back to the stairwell, descending one more level.

This time I exited out into what the sign called the 'Maintenance and Hangar' level. I stood for a moment and thought, the rent went a lot deeper than two levels, but Neon Dream looked to have landed on this level, so I wanted to push on at least far enough to check on him. Besides, the mechanic level in Station 5 had had a map, maybe one of the ponies here had made a similar one. With a brief nod I walked slowly into the level proper, casting my eyes over the workbenches and toolboxes littered about. There was an outer layer of clutter that looked like it had scattered as ponies raced out towards the stairwell, but as I crept closer to the centre I started seeing remnants from the fall of the station.

I was still unsure what had caused the breach that cascaded through the station, but it must have brought the pink cloud with it was here I found numerous bodies frozen in twisted poses, hooves melted and merged with the floor, or a workstation or a piece of machinery. Some were just bones, scattered or fused solid but a couple had had the misfortune of almost being mummified, dried husks that were still recognisably pony shaped, with recognisable horror on their desiccated faces. As I trotted closer to the rent through the floor the bodies disappeared, replaced with large rust coloured stains on the floors and walls, along with both rust and the green muck of Verdigris on some workbenches, water damage maybe?

Reaching the chasm I strained to spot Neon Dream in the gloom of the far side. When I couldn't see even his electric green I looked about to check for canterlot ghouls. No ghouls spotted I chanced calling out to my friend.

"Neon? Neon, are you there?" my voice echoed around the dead space, making me tense up and strain my ears for growls.

I instead heard coughing from the other side and immediately charged over to the gap, the effects of the pink cloud hitting me square in the face, with my muzzle spurting blood almost as if it had been struck with a hoof. As my organs started to feel squeezed I spotted the pegasus on the far side at the end if a thin trail of blood, shrinking away from the deadly chasm.

I tensed my body against the pain and called out again, "Neon, are you..." I paused, he was going to be hurt and in pain just by virtue of where he was, "how are you holding up?"

His voice was small, but I could make it out, even as my heartbeat pounded in my ears, "I'm... Ok? It hurts, but, I've backed off."

"I'm coming for you," I said, "I just have to..." I coughed, needed to step away from the precipice for a second, "I just have to cross over. Somehow. See if you can find anything your side."

I fell back from the chasm, coughs raking my body and took a moment to spit out some bloody phlegm. I still had half the health potion from earlier and so finished it off to try and soothe the burning in my lungs. And my muzzle, and my ears, and my brain. Drawing in a shaking breath I clamped down on the pain and looked about, trying to see if the rent in the floor had spared some small path to get by on this level, but the only connection point was some thin, twisted beams along one side wall. Not wide or sturdy enough to cross on, especially not while trying to fight off the effects of the pink cloud. With a shake of my head I realised I'd have to go down again, surely the canyon would narrow further down.

I shouted the plan over to Neon Dream, but didn't receive a reply, at least not at first. Then there was a thunder of hooves from above and I saw another ghoul in Equestrian army fatigues running towards me from across the gap on the level above. I ducked down behind a pillar drill, but it had already seen me, a snarl spilling from its mouth as it tensed in its stride and leapt.

Despite the height advantage, the ghoul was not making that jump. The snarl turned into a sound not unlike a 'yipe' of surprise as the rotting pony dropped past my line of vision, falling down into the depths of the facility. I strained my ears, hoping for a 'splat' but was instead rewarded with a 'splash'. There was water at the bottom of the chasm and I recalled that the station was located near a bend in the river that flowed out of Canterlot mountain. Had the river drained into the base? Then I remembered what Ditzy had told us about the pink cloud, that water tended to absorb its effects and become contaminated, and that the contamination could leak back out.

I gulped, hopefully I wouldn't have to go that deep into the base.

We could really do with a map.

I agreed and turned back to the maintenance workshops to see if anypony had printed one up. There were a few terminals active including one that had been left completely unlocked although all that was salvageable on it was a back and forth message chain arguing about the best kind of screwdriver.

A ratchet one, clearly.

Not helping. I moved on, encountering a workbench strewn with ammunition, and ammunition accessories. A thought came to mind, the Stations would be the best place to resupply on ammunition for the Operator, and maybe some other kinds I could sell to Roulette. There was a terminal on the desk, locked with the password 'ramrod', that had a few items of note, including another message chain;

To: Flash.Powder
From: Bench.Press
Subject: The good stuff

C'mon Flashie, I need an edge here. The spooky science projects have got ways to punch through Zebra clankers. That's the entire point of one of them.

I need you to set me up with something high power man, like, something that goes through three clankers in a row. Or explodes inside. Or melts them. Or something.

Your brother works for Ironshod right? Surely they're sitting on something good.

Bench Press
Station 1

-

To: Bench.Press
From: Flash.Powder
Subject: RE: The good stuff

That'd be too much 'high power man' and just because he works at Ironshod doesn't mean my brother is sending me toys.

Besides, Director Spellwright is all kinds of weird about technological alternatives to his magical solutions. If he threatens you with weird science just for making fun of his name, I can't imagine he'd be happy with you going over his head like this.

Flash Powder
Station 2

-

To: Flash.Powder
From: Bench.Press
Subject: RE:RE: The good stuff
C'mon Flashie, you're at least out in Director Muse's station, she won't mind

Bench Press
Station 1

-

To: Bench.Press
From: Flash.Powder
Subject: RE:RE:RE: The good stuff

Look, I have been working on something, Ok.

Figured that, yeah, some of the others could do with being able to take on clankers. The IF11-1S is a good pistol for soft targets, but something that hits harder is going to be needed sooner rather than later. But it needs to be quiet.

I was looking at a paper from a Stalliongradi gunsmith, had a design that would make a revolver suppressible (if that’s a word) which would allow for a bigger round. I've whipped up a prototype, sized for .44 Mustang AP rounds. It's got some quirks, and will give your mouth a workout, but it should be effective. Won't melt them, but will get through a clanker's hull and be no louder than a normal Operator.

Figured I'd name it after my aunt, the old nag.

I'm going to lock it in my desk, you can grab it next time you're here. If I'm not about, there’s an option on my terminal to unlock it.

You know the password. You should do anyway.

Just look down.

Flash Powder
Station 2

Not a map, but it did seem like an answer to my problems with the SILVERPONE were within my grasp. I toggled down the list of options to the one that unlocked the desk then logged off to access my treasure.

Wait. What was that about the password? Just look down? What does that-

I gave a little cough to derail my rogue thoughts. I felt it was a little obvious as I reached for the drawer.

...oh? Oooohhh...

The unlock command had ejected a drawer from the desk and inside was a revolver, sitting on a cloth along with a couple of suppressors and a box of ammunition. Picking up the revolver I could feel its weight, and holding it in my mouth i could feel how heavy the trigger pull was. My pipbuck display named this gun 'The Nag'. I attached one of the suppressors and slipped it into my saddlebag, along with the ammunition. Analysing it in my pipbuck menu i found the gun itself held 5 rounds, and that the box I'd picked up held 15 rounds.

Hopefully these would be more plentiful than the rounds for the Operator.

No map was forthcoming on the shop floor, but the maintenance manager's office held the information I needed, albeit in the terminal. Thinking of the one up in the reception area, I connected my pipbuck to the terminal and tried to find a way to move the mapping data over. A small message appeared in the corner of the screen station I had connected to the 'Station-net' but it didn't seem to trigger anything so I continued.

A few minutes of fiddling and I was able to transfer the map to temporary storage, but the on screen prompt warned me that the next time I tried to move data over, the Station 2 map would be erased. An acceptable loss given we were unlikely to come back.

Looking at the map I could see that there was again a whole floor for 'Operative Storage' and it had the external walkway too. Hopefully that would allow me to get around the chasm and reach Neon Dream. So, armed with a map I headed back to the stairwell and descended once again.

As I left the stairwell and entered the operative storage level I found a familiar looking sliding door, almost exactly like the ones in the stasis chamber of Station 5. Interestingly, I realise I hadn't seen any other doors like it in the facility so far. Beyond the unpowered door that had jammed halfway along its track was a corridor made from a familiar white material, dulled over the last 200 years of neglect. Squeezing through the door I found myself facing another one directly opposite with a broken window and a simple card on it, sitting in a holder and bearing three numbers.

907

Null Sec. The Anti-Magic Soldier. I crept forwards, my hooves sounding different on this floor as I peered into the room beyond the broken window. I was hit with the odd sensation of deja-vu, but it was slightly off, seeing the familiar stasis room from a different angle, behind the pod. The room was a wreck, the pod ruined and no indication of anypony having been in there for 200 years.

I let out a small sigh, in some ways disappointed to not encounter one of my fellow operatives, in others glad that they had not been trapped in stasis for an eternity as I had been. Checking the map I had downloaded I checked the circular hallway that ringed the stasis rooms, trying to place where the chasm fell over the top of it. I felt it was slightly off centre on both axis, so turned to my right and began to follow the corridor anti-clockwise, hopefully around the fissure.

Another quiet descended upon me, just the 'tok-tok-tok' of my hooves, and the occasional crunch as I trod on fallen material from the wall, as I circled the level. The gloom of the scattered emergency lights gave way to the pink-tinged twilight haze present on the upper levels as I came across the rent through the facility. It looked like it had torn through another stasis room, and I hoped there hadn't been an operative in it at the time. The floor of the corridor was stubbornly clinging to the wall forming a narrow path around the ragged edge of the rent. Too narrow to comfortably walk along normally, but for me, there was an option.

I closed the distance until I was just starting to feel the distinctive pressure of the pink cloud's effects then pushed up from my forelegs, shifting my weight up and over my hindquarters and pulling up into the two legged zebra combat stance. I rested my back against the wall, feeling my saddlebags pressing against my back, glad I had moved Resolve to my leg holster, and the Operator to that side holster bought from Roulette.

I'm sure she'd have something to say about all this.

I'm sure she would have antagonised all the ghouls trying to scrounge ammunition. But my thoughts were not wrong, something seemed lacking without the boisterous mare. I shook my head, that was not important, not right now, I was going to need my mind on the mission for this.

Taking a breath to steady myself a began to step sideways, sliding along the wall as I crept along the ledge of remaining floor, tensing as the pressure closed around me once again. I focused on my legs and back, feeling the connection to the floor and wall as I shuffled sideways, ignoring the wet on my muzzle, and the pressure in my head, in my horn, in my lungs, in my heart, in my-

Stop. Breathe. Focus. The pain is not important. It is not the mission. Only the mission is important. Reach Neon Dream. Reach the office, the terminal.

Don't think about coming back this way.

I let myself look down into the depths of the crevasse as I sidled past the half way point. Whatever stasis room had been here was gone, just one wall remaining on the edge of the damage, which dropped below, showing that the next level down was bigger than any of the others I'd been through, cavernous, before it descended again to a shifting surface. The scattered and dying lights brought out the pink tinge to the water that filled the bottom of the rift, amplified by the drop of blood that had found itself in my eye, spreading a red film across my vision.

I realised I had stopped, distracted by gazing into the abyss before me. Gritting my teeth I blinked the blood out of my eye and pushed my leaden leg onwards, shuffling along the precipice, away from the source of the crushing pain.

Reaching the far side of the chasm I dropped my stance, managing to not fall flat on my face but only just as my legs felt like jelly. Pulling myself away from the rent in the wall I leant against the wall and felt the crush ease, though the pain remained. I fished out a healing potion from my saddlebag, the status screen of my pipbuck flashing numerous medical warnings, and chugged the magical healing liquid within. I let out a gasp as the pressure in my lungs eased, then hacked up the mixture of blood and phlegm as the healing magic collected up, and expelled, the damage from my battered lungs.

After a few moments of standing and panting I grit my teeth and raised my head gazing down the curve of the corridor into the gloom. With a deep breath I moved my legs, pressing onwards into the facility.

We need to find another way out of here.

Agreed.

The corridor brought me to another stairwell, past a third stasis room, this one marked as 904, which was again intact, but empty. Outside of the name Storm Front, I couldn't dredge any memories of them out from the hole in my mind, which seemed strange given I did recall being briefed on the other operatives. Shaking my head, and resigning myself to puzzling out that one later, I took the stairs back up to the maintenance and hangar level, peering up cautiously. I strained my eyes and ears, searching for any sign of ghouls, or of Neon Dream but couldn't pick up anything.

This side of the rift still contained workshops and tools, but as they approached the stairwell the stations became bigger and started to include parts for vertibuck transports. I made my way as close to the chasm as I dared and again peered around in the gloom.

"Neon?" I called, sweeping my eyes around. "Neon?"

With no answer coming I itched to grab one of my guns, but I knew that Resolve would alert the ghouls in the area, and nothing I had would put them down for long. Pulling away from the chasm I trotted back towards the other end of the level, seeing the transition from maintenance to hangar as the floor opened up just past the stairwell. A hoof full of vertibucks were standing around the open floor in various states of deconstruction, with two sitting on launch rails, though due to a combination of 200 years of decay, and the rubble on the rails, they were not going to fly any time soon, even if we had a pegasus to fly it.

Speaking of, I called out for Neon Dream again and finally got a quiet 'here' from the pegasus. He had hidden himself away in one of the vertibucks after seeing the ghoul leap past him into the rift.

"You recall that you have the only weapon between us that can probably put those ghouls down. Right?"

He gave a sheepish nod as he dismounted the aircraft, looking at the empty harnesses in the armoured pulling cabin.

"we were all one once," he said, a sad note in his tone, "pegasus, earth pony," he looked at me, "unicorn. We were all together, we were friends."

I shuffled my hooves, I wasn't too sure it had been all sunshine and rainbows before the war, and I wasn't convinced it would be in the future either. I ley out a sigh, "come on Neon, we need to go back up and find that terminal."

He gave a nod and formed up behind me as we headed over to the stairwell, ascending back up to the level we started on, finally on the other side of the gouge through the facility. I pressed us straight past the barracks level, being pretty sure that there were more ghouls there, and back up to the administration and operations level where we emerged in a wood panelled double of the room in Station 5, a wall of cracked and dark monitors dominating one side, with desks and terminals facing it and a row of individual offices opposite.

Unlike Station 5, there was no plaque declaring a base commander though one office was labelled 'Administrator Double Diamond' and marked with a small OIA logo below the name plate. Right at the end of the row of offices was an open door, revealing a small cupboard of a room that someone had still managed to spread a large phoenix adorned Stalliongradi flag across the wall. A glance at the nameplate confirmed the obvious, 'Project Lead: Dr Mana Magusavich Spellwright' spread out across three lines of text, constrained by the small door. I shook my head and turned to the remaining offices, searching for-there, 'Project Lead: Dr Erinnerung Muse'.

"Is that even a pony name?" asked Neon Dream, peering at the nameplate over my shoulder,

"As much as Project Lead Spellwright's is." I stated, pushing my way towards the room before pausing, remembering what had awaited intruders in Station 5.

I crouched beside the door, trying to see if I could spot a similar catch in the doorjamb. With a frown I hefted myself up into a zebra combat stance and pressed my back to the wall, waving a hoof to move Neon Dream out of the firing line. Using my magic I wrapped the door handle in a field of dark green power and pulled it down, swinging the door open and flinching away.

Nothing.

No shotgun blast, no explosives, no trap. Not this time. Thinking about it, Project Lead Muse had been in Station 5, and then went to Station 1, so, logically, so long as she wasn't in the habit of trapping her office door, this location was safe. Letting out a breath I didn’t know I'd been holding I dropped back to all four hooves.

"What was that about?"

I looked at the pegasus whose head was tilted in confusion, both eyes revealed to me as his mane swung out of the way.

"Project Lead Muse's office in Station 5 had a surprise for interested ponies" I told him, calling him after me with a shake of my head.

"Station 5?" he said, then shook his head and followed me into the office.

I didn't even try the BIOS approach on this terminal, simply plugging the pipbuck straight into the port and transmitting the password.

[Access Granted. Welcome Dr Muse]

I stared at the menu, having secretly hoped there would be a big 'unlock Station 1' command on the screen, but, alas, Luna's blessings can carry me only so far. Parsing down the list I tried from the top, which was not organised alphabetically given the top of the list was the Records folder. Inside were notes on missions, operatives and personnel appointments, though there was an audio file appended to the top of that section. I looked out to the operations area, searching for movement, before I looked back to the terminal and hoofed the button to play the file.

There was a few seconds of static before a familiar voice, slightly tinged with a Horstrian accent came through, "and you think that just because I am from Horstria I know Photo Finish?" Project Lead Muse sounded irritated, and a little insulted, "I find that very rude. It would be like assuming Mana knew Councilpony Trotsky simply because he was from Stalliongrad."

Another voice cut in, "You know, I am actually good friends with Comrade Trotsky." while talking in Canterlot Standard, the ripple of a Stalliongradi accent was strong.

"Not. Helping. Mana." as the mare ground out the three words the irritation in her voice made her own accent came to the fore. She gave a cough, then addressed the silent third party, "you are fired. Pack your office then return here for your debrief. You have half an hour."

A thunder of hooves sped their owner from the office as Project Lead Muse sighed. Project Lead Mana gave a cough,

"You know, Double Diamond is a good administrator, and having our OIA liaison running the Station would mean you wouldn't need to keep pulling memories out of their head if they leave. You're, what, three administrators deep now dorogoy?"

"Four." the mare replied, "I, it's just that this station is as much political as it is operational. It needs to be here, and that means we need to play nice with the ministries and their mares. But yes, Double Diamond knows protocol, he knows a few of the Ministry Mares personally and can smooth things over."

"We need to keep our friends close. Sil'ny Stark."

"Sil'ny Stark. Do svidania Mana."

"Auf wiedersehen dorogoy"

Hoof steps, a door closing and a sigh. "Two months to extract. Storage not required." another sigh, "I'll replace them with something happy. More than they deserve."

The recording ended. Most illuminating. I shook my head and tried another section. Diary? Nope, just meetings; with Mana, with Double Diamond, with a 'Birch and Hair' whoever that was. Back out, try another. Messages, lets see.

From: Mana.Spellwright
To: All.Users
Subject: DON'T

To all of you sniggering behind your hooves that Mana is a mare's name, zhri govno i zdohni!

Mana is a stallion's name, and I'm a stallion. It is the term for the raw force that powers magic and is in step with the naming conventions of the illustrious Spellwright dynasty of Stalliongrad.

The next govnosos that says Mana is a mare's name will find themselves wiped clean and implanted with the framework of a frog!

Project Lead Mana Magusavich Spellwright

"Someone has a sore spot" Neon Dream was literally hovering over me, reading the screen. I frowned at the pegasus,

"Guard the door Neon" I said, "be alert for ghouls, rather than for angry messages."

"aah, y... Yes," he fluttered over to the door and peered out into the half light of the ruined facility as I turned back to the terminal.

The 'Framework' folder was full of incomprehensible diagrams and mathematical formulae, a glance over to the side of the office showed a drawing board with more of the same in crisp writing. The folder named 'Stations' was a little more useful, it listed out the project stations and their status;

Station 1: Lockdown
Station 2: Unresponsive
Station 3: Lockdown
Station 4: Remote Access
Station 5: Salted Earth

Though it didn't provide much information I didn't already know it did at least confirm the extent of the project. The next entry was 'Locks' which seemed hopeful. For some reason, Project Lead Muse had access to most of the doors in the facility, and the ability to remotely lock them. A quick scan of the groups showed doors for the 'Framework Chambers', the agent storage level and the stasis chambers. The lock folder also had an entry for Project Lead Muse's desk, which I triggered, hearing and feeling a drawer in the desk pop open.

Looking down I searched the drawer. A black tiara-a recollector, four black orbs, a box labelled 'Linzer Biscuit' emblazoned with the Horstrian crest of five birds in a shield, a box of snack cakes and a familiar looking gun. I immediately grabbed the snack cakes and put them in my saddlebags, followed by the biscuits. I contemplated the orbs and decided that as they seemed to be associated with the recollector I would take them, hoofing them into my saddlebags my pipbuck declared them to be memory orbs.

The gun sat beneath my hooves, blued steel seeming to almost absorb the scant light as I looked at a double of the Operator sitting in my side holster. The barrel was longer, with the suppressor integrated, and there were some dark gems inlaid in the grip but it was clearly a Project issued IF11-1S. Muse's personal Operator. I wasn't entirely sure what I felt about that, but not wanting to squander a fortuitous find, I stored it away in my saddlebags. My pipbuck labelled it 'Memento'.

I let out a little sigh and turned back to the terminal, finally noticing that the bottom option was station lockdowns. Top of the list was Station 1, which I immediately selected. Code flowing across the screen as the system went to work.

[Trying to contact Stabletech network... Fail, switching to alterative frequencies. Ministry of Arcane Science Emergency Broadcast System frequency detected. Rerouting. Office of Interministry Affairs key detected. Utilising back channels. Project network connected, synching settings. Diagnostics online. Status display.]

I recognised some of the text from the pipbuck update but most of it was a mystery to me. More text went scrolling by, declaring the various functioning or non functioning parts of the project stations. I picked out a few about station 5; Salted Earth protocol engaged, stasis pod 5 - registered 909: empty, similarly there were updates on the other stations, Station 4 still read Remote Access, most everything in Station 3 was working, Station 1 was coming online. Station 2 was decidedly not working, though as the damage report scrolled by I saw something that made my breath catch in my throat, drawing Neon Dream back from the door.

"W-what is it?"

[Stasis pod 1 - registered 901: all readings green]

Author's Note

Thanks to kkat for creating this crazy mashup and letting others play around in it.
Thanks to Somber too, I may reference things from Project Horizons and Homelands here and there.