Force of Five: Sundered Togetherby DustyDominicChaptersChapter 1: AwakeningChapter 2: MonitoredChapter 3: Up And At 'EmChapter 4: Project-HoppingChapter 5: DefrostingChapter 7: OrientationChapter 6: Come AlongChapter 1: AwakeningAwakening Darkness. There's nothing here. Real, honest-to-Celestia, soul-crushing darkness. Running. Stopping. Heart pounding. Hiding. Wild. Darting. Hoping. Praying. Screaming. They've found her. At this point Emerald Thistle awoke. She gasped and cried, consoling herself over a horrible dream. She had dreamed of terrifying legions of ponies, with black suits and gas masks. Their identities were totally obscured. No faces, no cutie marks, not even the smallest patch of colored mane peeking out. They were black reapers, and they were breaking down her door. In the dream, it was early morning. She was making coffee, fancy roast, ready to start her weekend right. And then came the loud crash, and the sounds of advancing booted hooves, and Emerald was filled with unimaginable terror. They followed her into every room. They poured through the hallways. She tried to barricade herself in the bedroom. It was to no avail. They soldiered on and battered down the door, their radios clicking and hissing incomprehensibly, frenzied statics and mumbled orders. They pointed inside their black gloves, and they encircled Emerald as she clung desperately to the bedposts. *crrk* fhr abgr lrgs. Yto pshrf rmthbd, they crackled to each other. They took ahold of her legs by the cannon, and three others pried her from the bedposts, shoving hard against her chest, bruising her forelegs. All the while she was screaming and begging them to stop. They pinned her to the ground, and she fell apart on the floor, pleading and whimpering. When they took out the vial and the five inch needle, that was when she woke up. She held herself underneath the covers of her bed. It was a horrible dream, the worst of her nightmares yet. Though she'd had them since she was a foal, never before had they been this terrible. Dreams of demons and the end times, dreams of loss and loneliness, sure, but there was no equal in the powerlessness she had felt. But it was only a dream, she consoled herself. She was back under her covers in her own home in Phillydelphia. She untangled her legs and rubbed the covers to emphasize to herself how at home she was. That's when she realized she wasn't home. Emerald Thistle sat up. These weren't her sheets. These were rough cotton ones. That meant this wasn't her bed. That meant this wasn't even her house. That meant it wasn't a dream. It was pitch dark, wherever she was. It wasn't her room though, she could tell. The bed was not her plush goosefeather, it was a plain cot suspended from a wall. She touched the wall, and it was not her beloved cherry wood wall, it was a cold, smooth, sterile wall. She couldn't see the rest of the room she was in, but she could tell its dimensions were much larger than those of her cozy townhouse. This wasn't her house, this wasn't her house, this wasn't her house. She began to inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale much faster than she should. She knew she was starting to hyperventilate. She took ten seconds to calm down. And then she cried. She cried a good long time, maybe twenty minutes, who knows how long. Time loses itself in the dark. At once, the ceiling flickered on, and twenty fluorescents made the room unbearably bright. Emerald Thistle backed against the cold wall and gasped. Her containment room was made apparent; she was in a bare, white room, a hundred feet by a hundred feet. The only piece of furniture in the room was the cot that she was deposited upon. All else was sterile, off-white tile. The room was a cold shock to Emerald. There was nothing organic about her environment. Nothing natural. Only pure sterility. The walls were blank, entirely featureless, except for one door on the opposite side of the room. The only sound was the overbearing hum of the air conditioning, pumping clean air in and out of the contained cell. Yes, Emerald thought, no mistake about it. This is a cell. She noticed a camera in the far corner of the ceiling. Unsteadily, she edged off her cot, and she tremblingly tiptoed towards the camera to face it directly. She shivered and turned her eyes into the black pupil of the video camera, demanded as loud as she could manage, "What have you done with me?" She got no answer from the electronic installment, except whirring as it focused and unfocused. Chapter 2: MonitoredMonitored A grey-maned stallion in a blue workingpony's suit and black utility belt yawned and switched the positions of his feet, both propped up on his desk. Over his shoulders, a half a dozen monitors displayed the views of security cameras scattered throughout the facility. In one, an empty staircase. In another, the overhead view of an elevator. In yet another, a sweet little filly was staring defiantly into the camera, mouthing demands of one kind or another. But the cameras didn't pick up sound, and so the stallion did not take his attention away from the sitcom on his personal TV set. He was leaned back in his office chair, just as another stallion and a mare pushed open the swinging door to his station. Both were clothed in classic white lab coats, and their nametags displayed prominently. The latter took one look at the security guard's position and gave a curt laugh. "Hey, Trunch, working hard or idly slacking?" Her companion frowned. "That's not how that joke goes, Sue," he corrected her. The one named Sue waved him off. The grey-maned security stallion, named Trunch apparently, smirked at the two of them. He kicked his feet off the desk and swiveled around to face them. "Why, no, in fact, I've been hardly slacking," he nodded to the monitors behind him. "I've been watching these two bottom screens for nigh on seven hours straight, so I thought I'd give myself just a couple minutes of relaxation." "Which ones? These two?" The stallion scientist, whose name was Del, pointed at the bottom two screens, at which Trunch nodded his assent. Sue put her forelegs up on Trunch's desk and propped up her head. "Why these two?" she asked. "Orders! Yep. Straight from the top. I have to watch the ones with the boys from the provinces, and there's this filly they brought in," Trunch boasted. "They've been brought in for an extra-high security project. Maxx was very specific." "OoooOOoooh," Sue sarcastically whispered. "Straight from the toooop. Oh, Trunch, just because Maxx told you personally, it doesn't mean it's 'straight from the top.' He likes to tell everypony everything personally." "I'm serious! He said, 'Trunch, this project could make or break the company. I have confidence in you that you will place the'... uh... oh, the 'utmost importance on keeping an eye on these subjects,' " Trunch stuck his hooves in his belt proudly. " 'Especially the filly.' And dammit, I've kept eye on those foals since the start of my shift. Any change in their condition, and I'm the one who knows about it first." Sue rolled her eyes, but Del narrowed his. He asked, "Has the subject been asleep since they brought her in?" "Yeah, sound asleep. They knocked her out, I think, when they acquired her." Del looked at the other two curiously. He motioned to Trunch, saying, "Well, here's one development that may have escaped your all-seeing eye, Trunch. The subject woke up." All three crowded around the solitary viewing screen. They saw the filly alternately banging against the walls and the door, screaming soundlessly at the camera, and plopping down in the middle of the floor, shoulders shaking from sobbing. They were silent throughout the filly's tirades. It was an uncomfortable sight. Eventually, Sue saw fit to break their tacit silence. "So, I guess you should alert Maxx then, huh." "Yep. That's what he said to do," Trunch shook himself and he trotted over to the phone. As he dialed, Del and Sue backed a couple of paces away from the screen, and on the other screen, the other ones that Trunch had been told to watch, they saw four colts in small cells, each in stasis chambers. Sue frowned. Stasis chambers were still an experimental project for them. What was Maxx playing at? Didn't they tell him about the dangers of using those things before they were fully beta tested? "Say, Trunch," she interrupted Trunch's dialing with a careful question. "Did Maxx say what the subjects were here for in the first place?" Trunch shrugged, and though his voice projected , the worry in his face was evidence enough. "No. It's triple security level, though. Only those involved know what it does. Those scientists and Maxx, of course." Del cracked his jaw, and hmph'ed. Sue asked, "What's the name of the project?" "Uh, it's Project Sutter, I think," Trunch mumbled. He resumed dialing, unwilling to answer anything else. Sue shook her head to herself. She wasn't on Project Sutter, so she wouldn't know what the heck was going on until the project was completed. That was always how it worked with Maxx. What are you up to Maxx? You always do enjoy your secrecy and your power. What's the game for this one? Del tapped the door, interrupting her thoughts. "Sue, we're due back on Project Meridian by 5:00. You coming, or you just going to get in Trunch's way?" "Yeah, Del, I'm coming. If you're so eager to get more paperwork, you go on ahead without me," she said more caustically than she meant to. Del snorted and left. Sue returned to her musings. Maxx knew stasis tech was experimental. What did he need the four subjects put in stasis for? And what were they doing with five subjects, all civilians? This was too unsettling, but it was out of her reach. She wasn't on the project, and it was triple security, so she couldn't get access to its details for a long time. Sue grunted, and she left Trunch to his monitors and controls. As she left, she heard him say, "Hello, Mr. Teller? Ah, yes, I mean Maxx. Well, you told me to call when the female subject became conscious. Well, she's conscious sir. You're quite welcome sir, it's only my job." Sue frowned. No. I'm more than qualified in whatever secret pet project Maxx has got here. I've got three doctorates in SCIENCE, dang it all. I'll just have to convince Maxx to put me on Project Sutter. Whatever that is. Chapter 3: Up And At 'EmUp And At 'Em Cold. Cold. COLD. AAAAAAAAGH. "Aga brb rbrbhrbrhrbrhrbhaaaaaah!" The brilliantly red colt sat straight up and let out a long series of gripes and curses. Boy, was he freezing! And wet! Keegan McCadden hated the cold, and he hated being wet. Being both was the ultimate injustice at this point, and he made it very clear how uncomfortable he was. He heard the laughs of somepony else in the room, and as his vision cleared, he saw two figures standing before him. One was a serious-looking, gold-maned stallion with a clipboard and a labcoat, but the other was a disheveled colt about his age and size. This colt was thin and squirrelly-looking. His eggshell mane was spiked backwards, and his mane was sky blue. He was cackling with laughter as the other scribbled on the clipboard and tapped some machine. Keegan snarled. He hated it when ponies were laughing at something he didn't get, but he got the distinct feeling this colt was laughing at him. He hated that even more. Keegan strongly felt the urge to clobber this colt in his squirrelly little face, but curiosity overtook his irritation. After all, he realized he didn't actually know where he was, what he was doing there, and why he was, in fact, cold and wet and confused. "Where am I?" He asked the gold-maned stallion, who seemed to be in control of the situation. He saw that he was on a medical table inside a small laboratory. Beside him were three additional tables, one of which this giggling stick-colt was sitting on, gloating over his own position. The well-lit lab was brimming with medical equipment, most of which Keegan didn't recognize. He thought that it must be some big hospital he was in, since his county hospital never had this much fancy equipment. He also noticed that the stallion in the lab coat was examining his head and legs, because Keegan was covered in little suction cups wired to these machines for monitoring. "You're in the belly of the beast, ya half-wit!" The colt sniggered. "You signed the contract, and now you're cold and wet and dis-orientate-torted! What a deal!" Okay. This punk was getting on Keegan's nerves big time. "Why don't you shove it, ya l'il cretin, afore I come over there and shove your jaw all the way up into your brain?" The colt's demeanor switched hard and fast to wild-eyed anger. "Come over here and try, why don't ya!" Keegan was right about to, when the stallion in the lab coat put his hoof on Keegan's chest and said, "I wouldn't recommend that. He's been out of stasis for about half an hour longer than you." The colt sneered at this, but Keegan hoofed his nose at him. "Sorry for not introducing myself the moment you woke up," the lab coated stallion continued. "But administering your vitals was the most pressing issue. The cold stasis technology is... experimental." Keegan had too much of a headache to fully comprehend the hesitation in his voice, and he just said, "Thanks a lot, doc." The "doc" smiled. He said, "Not a problem. Do you in fact know who you are?" "Aye. I'm Keegan McCadden," the fire-maned colt said proudly. The other colt scoffed. "And do you know where you are?" The "doc" asked. Keegan paused to consider. He confessed, "As a matter of fact, doc, I don't. Am I at a big-time hospital? Did I fall in a lake or sommat?" "No," the "doc" told him. The grin was gone, and a look of seriousness took its place. "You are at a medical bay in Gideon Labs. I am not a doctor, not of medicine anyway. I am a scientist, and you signed a contract with MaxxDyne corporation. You belong to us now." Keegan looked at the doc -- no, scientist -- with no expression but blank non-understanding. For ten seconds. Then understanding dawned on him. "Oh! That's right!" He laughed. He remembered signing that thirteen page contract with those nice-looking professionals. He remembered that charming CEO telling him all the wonderful things about this contract. He remembered how desperate he was for some work, after every single job opening in Coltsburg turned out to be a dead end. And he remembered being bagged and tossed in the back of a truck and being driven for hours to who knew where. "Some deal, huh!" He kept laughing and laughing, and to his surprise the other colt saw fit to join him. "Ha ha! Same thing happened to me!" The colt said between laughs. "That so? Ha ha ha!" Keegan was bent over from the hilarity of it. The other colt just nodded, the wind in him exhausted from lauging. "Ah, aha! Ha! Whew, ha ha." Keegan wound down enough to get out a solitary question, "What's your name? Heh heh!" "Eh hee hee ha! It's, aha, oh, it's Camdyn McGaith." "It's ruddy good to meet ya, Camdyn! We're in this belly together!" Tears rolled down both their cheeks, and the scientist stallion just shook his head, wondering what had become of colts these days and asking himself if they were all on dope. Chapter 4: Project-HoppingProject-Hopping There is a great desert outside of the realm of Equestria, one which has lured many an enterprising pioneer, but, save for a few scattered towns, it is mostly unsettled. Archaeologists speculate that this vast highland desert, over fifty thousand years ago, was a lush valley. The ruins they've uncovered underneath nearly a mile of sand. contained an ancient, booming civilization. At some point in history, so the theory goes, the entire valley was silted in and became the dry basin it is today. At an undisclosed location surrounded by the vast sandy wasteland, there is Gideon Labs. It operates outside the confines of territorial Equestrian law. It is one of many facilities maintained by the MaxxDyne corporation. Its purpose, unlike their sister facilities, is the secret testing of dangerous and unprecedented technologies. Its existence is kept secret from even Celestia. Its location is unlisted. The majority of its staff and scientists, except for a select few, are officially "missing ponies." Most are not allowed out of Gideon Labs. From the outside, it seems to be a small group of three-story office buildings, surrounded by twelve foot high chain-link, barbed wire-topped fence. It is far more than that, though. The office buildings are the tip of the iceberg. Underneath lies Gideon labs, over two dozen stories of underground testing facilities. It has power to run itself indefinitely and was commissioned, built, and run by the founder and CEO of the MaxxDyne Corporation, Maxx Teller. Deep inside that facility, as the scientists and technicians and security guards go about their business, two colts are discussing the nature of their predicaments. In another part, a filly is desperately wishing she was home. In yet another part, two scientists are arguing over project staff listings. And the stallion responsible for those project staff listings, and the two colts' predicaments, and the desperation of the filly, is on his way down through the facility to check on all of them. The room Sue and Boole were in was, by its nature, an observation room. A large glass panel gave the view of the massive biological labs, housing hundreds of sections where the scientists at Gideon could nurture and study some bio-engineered product or another. Of course there were no real windows to the outside; the whole facility was underground. All light was artificial, all air pumped in. Sue had caught the Senior Physiomagical Operator, a stallion named Boole, packing his notes into a small brown file. She called him incessantly for the past half hour, and now she was marching down to persuade him face-to-face. "I'm telling you, Sue, I can't get you on my project!" Boole took his folders and shoved them in the desk cabinet. He spun around to face Sue, finding she was only two inches from his face. The silver locks of her mane spilled over her face and gave her a wild appearance. "So talk to Maxx about it, Boole. I'm done working on Meridian. Give me something new!" Sue insisted. Her vehemence took Boole by surprise. "I can't talk anything into Maxx. He's dead-set on this project's staff," Boole stood his ground. He pulled at his necktie, but he was earnest. "Listen, Sue, I'm going to tell you it's not because of my decision. You're plenty qualified in... what we're doing. It's got nothing to do with office politics. Maxx drew up the charter for the project. It's his staff, it's his idea. You know we have no control over the stuff here at Gideon." "Stop blaming everything on Maxx!" Sue slammed her hoof down. "What do you want from me to get me on the project?" Boole sat down on the floor, plopping down without trying to soften the landing, and cast sorrowful looks at the ceiling, "Please, Sue. I know you don't understand this, being single, but I haven't seen my wife in weeks. Gideon Labs is secrets within secrets with security codes and iris ID. I don't have the control here. I can't even leave the lab to see my family until the end of this year." Sue was silent. She hadn't even considered the stresses the No Contact rules put on those scientists who, unlike her, did have family and connections to sever. Boole rubbed his forehead and sighed. "There's nothing I can do. Maxx controls everything here. If you want to get on the project, ask him. Until then, let me alone." "Sorry about your kids and wife, Boole, but this is important." "I should say it sounds important," came a voice from the doorway. "Questioning secrecy protocol is not something done frivolously." Maxx Teller stepped between them, bserving both Sue's standing position as well as Boole's kneeling one on the floor. He gave Boole a small smile until the latter realized his awkwardness and scrambled up. Sue remembered just why she hadn't gone to Maxx first off. Maxx Teller was an imposing stallion. His brown mane, though cut somewhat short, was richly brown, and he kept his steel gray coat immaculate. He wore such rich, yet unassuming clothing, and he had green eyes that offered neither confrontation nor condolence, only comprehension. And he was leveling his gaze right at Sue. "I am surprised at the both of you," Maxx remarked, not in disappointment but in honesty. "I am sorry about your family Boole. I hate keeping all of you away from your loved ones. It brings me no pleasure, but you both know the nature of what we do here. The smallest of rumors, escaped from even our Fernlab or Hefton facilities, stolen by competitors, can mean the loss of profit. It can mean the loss of Equestrian security. It could even mean... loss of life. Can you imagine what would happen if a terrorist group or a criminal cartel got hold of our data?" As if in emphasize, Sue glimpsed a the tip of a giant tentacle waving around behind the observation glass. It was true. They did dangerous work here. Cutting edge technology, powerful fringe science... none of this could be made public. No leaks could be tolerated. He was right. Still. "I understand, Maxx. I really do. But all the same, I want to ask why I'm not on Project Sutter," Sue reiterated. Her gut was a cement mixer, but Maxx smiled reassuringly. "Doctor Sue, dear, it completely slipped my mind," Maxx flashed a big grin. "You've got all the right qualifications, let me tell you. There's no other explanation except a bad memory." "Boole, how's about a vacation with your family? I'll put someone else in charge as project director. Sue, you're on Sutter. We've just begun the most important introductory phase! It's quite exciting. Come with me down to Sublevel 12 and I'll fill you in on the way." Maxx marched out of the room and trotted down the hall towards the nearest elevator, and Boole sat right back down on the floor, mouth agape. Sue felt struck by lightning. In a fell swoop, Maxx had just rearranged the project management, given Boole and her what they each wanted, and charmed the both of them into forgetting their troubles. It must be good to be the CEO, she thought as she raced to catch up with Maxx. Chapter 5: DefrostingDefrosting "Great news. Both your vitals turned out fine. We were worried that the stasis would present some problems for you colts, but it seems our concern was misplaced. You're both healthy specimens and you've handled the defrosting just fine," the gold-maned scientist warmly explained. Keegan and Camdyn both rolled their eyes. Being told that there was a chance you could have died cannot be softened by a smile, but the scientist didn't take notice. "Well, as soon as the technicians give me the OK, we can defrost the other two." Keegan and Camdyn started. "Other two?" Keegan inquired. "There are others?" "Oh sure. They signed the contract just like you two" -- the colts smirked at that -- "but since we've had such encouraging results from you colts, I figure we'll do them both at once to save time," the gold-maned scientist lectured, not missing a beat. He waved to the remaining two tables at the far end. "You two can be here to meet and greet them when they defrost. Oh, and do try to be better to them than you were to him." He jerked his hoof first to Camdyn, then to Keegan, who grinned widely and said, "Doc, it's not a problem. We'll give them a warm welcome." "You had better," the scientist considered them over his glasses. "Failure is expensive. And it has dire consequences here." At that moment, two pairs medical technicians entered the room, each pair bearing a stasis cylinder, complete with frozen ponies inside, and the colts were left wondering what kind of dire consequences failure resulted in. "Coldness. Ugh. Brr. Coldness. Ugh." The beefy colt with a earthy brown mane and sandstone coat shifted back and forth, muttering and shivering. Keegan watched him with great amusement, while Camdyn studied the other recently defrosted colt. The other one, colored deep blue in mane and coat, squirmed not at all. He merely had a mildly displeased look on his face, like he had stepped in a puddle and splashed his nicest clothes. "Ffft. This one's no fun," Camdyn griped. "Yeah, well this one's not much better. Looks like a wicked constitution," Keegan remarked, pulling his warm towel tighter around his shoulders. After about five minutes, the brown one came to consciousness, the blue one following shortly after. The brown one sat up as soon as he could. As the technicians steadied his bulk and checked his pulse, he made a confused grunt. Keegan took the initiative on Operation Meet & Greet, fearing that Camdyn would be tempted to renege on his promise of goodwill. "Hello, friend! Glad to see you've woken up," Keegan smiled. "If you have any questions, you should ask me or my friend here, and we'll gladly fill you in." The brown one took one look at him and Camdyn, and he snorted. Keegan wasn't about to let that stop him, so he took the clipboard that the scientist had left, and he continued, "So your name is... Eade McDomhan, is that right?" Eade nodded, still not talking. Camdyn sniffed Eade's mane and exclaimed, "Phew! Didn't you bathe before you got here, or what?" Finally Eade saw fit to speak, "Listen smart one, I'm a miner for a livin' and I got trapped in some peat. When they came to get me, I hadn't got the chance to shower. And let me tell you, tiny, you smell much worse than I do. You smell like a wet golden retriever, so bug off." Before Camdyn could threaten Eade in his own way, Keegan got a gut feeling that he should step in and take charge. "Listen the both of you. We're in this boat together. I'm pretty sure you signed that contract too, isn't that right, Eade? So listen up. We'd better get along, because whatever we're doing, we're going to be working together." "Working together eh?" A calm voice came from the blue colt, startling the other three. The blue colt sat up and wistfully stared beyond the other three with some starkly sapphire eyes. "Boy, this is going to be quite the contract. Y'all sign that crazy thing too?" He murmured. Keegan, Eade, and Camdyn chuckled. The blue colt laughed his own quiet laugh, and he said, "My name's probably on the clipboard too, but I'll give it to ya anyway. I'm Calder." "Eade." "Keegan." "And Camdyn, at your service!" Calder whistled ponderously, and he said with a faint puzzled air, "Weird. None of us are Equestrian. Does anypony know why they picked us from the provinces instead of somepony from Equestria proper?" Camdyn grinned toothily. "Where in all of Equestria could they find four colts as poor and desperate as us four?" "Poor, maybe. You're probably the only, ahem, desperate one here," Eade sneered, and Camdyn's face turned bright red. Keegan's eyes moved from face to face to ruddy face. The four of them, bound by contract. Working together for the foreseeable future. Oh boy, he thought. What have I signed up for? Chapter 7: OrientationOrientation "Oof! I don't know about you guys, but this suit is pinching my place-where-Celestia-don't-raise-the-sun," Keegan announced, pushing his way out of the stall and hobbling towards the showers. The scientists had given each of them suits they said would need to be worn for the duration of their stay. I wouldn't mind not needin' to shower, Keegan privately admitted, but if I'm going to be pinched back there the whole time... Three bangs of doors signaled their respective exits. Keegan glanced around at his fellow colts and saw that he was not alone. Each had their own clothing malfunction, and Keegan fought the dire urge to collapse on the locker room floor from laughter. Calder's ocean blue spandex suit had over a yard of sleeves beyond the end of his hooves, and he tiptoed as slowly as a newborn foal, so as not to trip himself. On the other hoof, Camdyn's cyan suit overestimated how large he was, and he had to deal with a baggy girth which swayed back and forth like the ribcage of a fat dog. Eade's was the worst. He could barely move because of how awfully they had underestimated his muscular figure. The He pulled the neck of his scarlet suit to snap it back into place and confidently uttered, "These guys at MaxxiDyne, no finer tailors in all Equestria. Really." "Tailors don't fix spandex," Eade growled. "What's that matter?" Calder asked petulantly. The inability to move at more than a foal's pace frustrated him. "They could'a leess waited 'til they got our measurements." "I don't know about you, but I look like an imbecile!" Camdyn shouted, batting the air with an angry hoof. "They captured your essence perfectly," Eade snarked. "Might as well go show them now so we can get 'em fixed!" said Keegan hurriedly. Conflict avoidance was an entirely new emotion for him, but he was fast getting used to it. The four colts filed into a small auditorium. The rows of seats were raised to view a podium, complete with whiteboard and projector. Already sitting were several lab-coated scientists, a mix of middle-aged mares and stallions who greeted the colts with pleasant but wary eyes. At the exits were posted half a dozen security stallions in blue suits, hooves on tasers and gazes firmly focused on the colts. The three colts took their seats near the front, where two scientists waited patiently for them to file in. By their demeanor, they could tell those two were in charge. One was the golden-maned stallion who woke them up. The other was a strange black-maned mare who kept a watchful eye on her, uh, watch. All throughout, Keegan made note of his surroundings as well as of his companions. While Eade sat down without a fuss and patiently stared straight ahead, Calder mumbled apologies and gave short hiccups of laughter at making tiny fumbles. Camdyn, on the other hoof, jerked around and wouldn't stop making awkward, sudden, spontaneous movements that drew the attention of every security guard in the room. He looked around at everything excitedly, and bounced up and down in his chair. To Keegan's surprise, he eventually shouted out why he felt such eagerness. "Dude, it's just like juvy!" Camdyn exclaimed, loud enough for the whole room. The guards unbuckled their holsters, and the scientists coughed and scooted a little away. The other three looked at him incredulously. The message was clear: Dude, shut up. Shortly thereafter, the black-maned mare ambled to the center of the podium and cleared her throat. Finally, Keegan thought, some real answers. "Hello, fillies and gentlecolts. My name is Dr. Lyn Spectra, for those of you who don't know," she began. The other scientists murmured their assent, and she lightly coughed before continuing. "Since Mister Teller is not here to begin the presentation, I shall instead open with the propositional remarks and go on from there. Ahem." "Here at MaxxDyne, we are always exploring the new and the weird. Everypony knows that the MaxxDyne corporation is a scientific research enterprise. What they do not know is that we do not only research the conventional avenues of scientific progress, but also the unconventional, precisely because we feel true, progressive science is not made by timid nudges, but by leaps and bounds. It is for this reason that Maxx Teller has found it conducive to advanced research to create a special program here at the Gideon Laboratories facility dedicated to focusing efforts on exploring such a possibility." Keegan's jaw was agape. If he thought he was going to get simple answers, he knew now he was mistaken. "First, some history. As all of you know, current theories about the origins of magical connection in ponies is murky. Nearly no other species in the natural world -- including even those species within our own evolutionary family -- possess nearly as much magical potential as ponies do. Every individual pony possesses some innate power, expressed as an aptitude for one activity or another. Many of us now do not think of anything but arcane powers to be 'magic.' For example, an earth pony may object to the classification of her aptitude with, say, agrarian pursuits to be distinctly non-magical." "To the contrary," Dr. Spectra whirled about. "Scientific consensus is that at least some portion of these expressions of natural aptitude are in fact due to a pony's magical potential (though the consensus of magic-scholars is quite the opposite). This applies to earth ponies and pegasi as well as the unicorn subspecies. Magic has been linked to being a unicorn, true, but we scientists have never determined exactly why it's far easier for them to express their innate magical abilities." "However," she grinned for the first time. "We have some clues that give us insight." "History and legend are rife with ponies of exceptional talents. Ponies who have gone beyond the normal power level. Ponies who possess unparallelled control over aspects of the natural world... super-ponies, if you will." All four colts sat up, disregarding their ill-fitting clothes and totally intent on Dr. Spectra's lecture. "This sounds like the stuff of comic books, but we see opportunities in all things. No matter how obscure. No matter how odd. And no matter how seemingly unrealistic. We are always willing to apply serious research to such possibilities. If it turns out to be a dead end, we say 'better to have tried' and call it money well spent. If it doesn't, then we have advanced a field which all others had hitherto then dismissed... real science. Plus, we get the patent." "To the point, we have already formulated a process, through months of dedicated research and theoretical calculation by our finest minds, all of whom contributed greatly to the project and deserve applause," she took a second to clop her hooves together at the scientists, and they all applauded along with her, grinning at the thought of all those long worknights. Keegan clapped along with them, until the glares of the other three reminded him he had no reason to be clapping. So he stopped. Dr. Spectra went on, "You four colts, good sirs, are the brilliant volunteers upon whom we shall develop our thesis over the coming months. If our theory is correct, any pony of unexceptional could be remolded, with some targeted processes and intense training, into an exceptionally powerful one. You four, pardon me for saying, were as unexceptional as we could find." "Ouch," said Calder. "Well," she tried to console them. "You did qualify. You have to be zeroes before you can be heroes." "Still ouch," replied Eade. "Moving on." The gold-maned stallion from before rose to take centerstage. "Thank you, Lyn, for that excellent crash course. You did forget to mention what the project entailed, so I guess that's my job now." He laughed, 'shiningly' as Camdyn later described it -- mostly because the light glinted off his teeth and blinded him. "Well, my name is Dr. Ian Stone, and this project is called Project Sutter. We started it last year. Lyn is the current project director, and I am the current assistant director. If anyone has any questions, or complaints, or requests, either Lyn or I should be able to get you what you want." "I can't introduce you to all these talented scientists here, boys. It would take too long, and you won't be meeting too much with them anyway. They did the theoretical work, and they'll oversee its application, but it won't be their central role. That belongs to Dr. Sue Partexa." Dr. Stone waved to a silver-maned mare sitting in the front row across the room from the four colts. Dr. Partexa got up, took a slight bow, and sat back down. "You have been fitted into the suits, I see, but it seems our manufacturer made a mistake with the specifications," he chuckled, but none of the colts showed any trace of humor. "We'll get those fixed for you as soon as possible. Your suits are of utmost importance, especially when -- I mean, if -- we progress to the later stages of the project." "Calder McMiren, Eade MacDomhan, Keegan McCadden, and Camdyn McGaith. Welcome to your new home." "What!" "New home? Are you kidding me!" "What a load!" "I am also shouting!" "Settle down, settle down," Dr. Stone rolled his eyes. " 'Settle down'? Don't you tell me to 'settle down.' How long are we going to be here for?" Keegan snarled. "Indefinitely." "Indefinitely! Ha! ... is that like 'infinity'?" Calder mused. "It might as well be," Eade shouted. "Shut up, or my good friend, security chief Tays Orrin, will shut you up." They shut up. "If you had read the contract, you would have seen the clause stipulating that you were signing over yourself to be a test subject indefinitely. Heck, you'll be given food, board, exercise, clothes, and entertainment for a long time, all just from participating in a few tests! We all should be so lucky!" "Lucky ain't the word," Camdyn quipped. " 'Bucked' is more like it." "Hush you. It's a sweet deal, and you'll realize it soon enough." "But we're supers, right? Why should we listen to you, we'll have superpowers and we'll kick your butts," Eade challenged. "First, that would be very rude. Second, you are on track to be supers. You're not super yet. We can pull the plug on your track if you misbehave." "Who's 'Emerald Thistle'?" Calder wondered aloud. "Sounds like a pretty name." Dr.'s Stone and Spectra both visibly tensed at that topic. "She's no concern of yours. She's just another subject." "Oh. A 'she', huh?" Camdyn raised one eyebrow. "Don't you get any ideas, twerp," Stone reprimanded him. "She's in a different part of the program than yours. The only interactions you'll have with her are in common areas. We've got ball courts, a mess hall, and an entertainment area for y'all, but you won't see her elsewhere. All three are under supervision constantly by security." "Oh, sir, you've got the wrong idea," Camdyn mocked. "I have no ideas whatsoever." "That's new," Eade remarked. Camdyn waved him off; he was used to it by then. "Oh, Ian. No need to be so cynical," came a voice from the stairs. Chapter 6: Come AlongCome Along Emerald Thistle paced back and forth against the walls in her cell. She could feel her mind going. She couldn't take the loneliness and the starvation from social contact. She had been awake for four hours officially, but to her it felt like four days. She had almost lost her voice yelling at the camera, yelling at the door, yelling at the walls and ceiling and floor. She had jumped up and down on her cot, trying to reach the tiled ceiling to access the ventilation shafts. She had tried pounding on the door to get any passerby's attention, but nopony passed by except steel-eyed stallions in blue security uniforms. Emerald was not naturally confrontational. During school, she had never pressed her way for anything and she was always rather pushed around for it. Everypony told her what to do, and she almost always went along with it. Psychologists told her parents she was "empathetic," but everyone else called her just "pathetic." If it weren't for her half-sister, Ruby Thistle, constantly sticking up for her and defending her, she would have probably sunk into depression and withdrawal years ago. But this. This was pushing her to the limits. Dragged out of her home. Given drugs to keep her quiet and to put her to sleep. Kidnapped from her life in Phillydelphia, which seemed was finally going right for her. Dragged, drugged, and kidnapped. How dare they! As soon as they opened up that door, she was going to rant and rave and give them such a verbal tirade that- "Miss Thistle." She jumped in the air and landed on the bed, completely taken by surprise. In the doorway, which was now wide open, stood a silver-haired lab-coated mare, who regarded Emerald with curious eyes. At last, she managed a small squeak, "Yes?" "It's time for your orientation," said the mare. "Come along now." "All right," Emerald whispered, mentally chastising herself. She had completely forgotten everything she had wanted to say, but it was too late now. Now she was being escorted down concrete hallways by a lab-coated mare and two security stallions to somewhere. "Come on, keep up," the mare ordered. "We're on a schedule." To hell with your schedule, she wanted to say. "Yes, ma'am," she said.
Chapter 1: AwakeningAwakening Darkness. There's nothing here. Real, honest-to-Celestia, soul-crushing darkness. Running. Stopping. Heart pounding. Hiding. Wild. Darting. Hoping. Praying. Screaming. They've found her. At this point Emerald Thistle awoke. She gasped and cried, consoling herself over a horrible dream. She had dreamed of terrifying legions of ponies, with black suits and gas masks. Their identities were totally obscured. No faces, no cutie marks, not even the smallest patch of colored mane peeking out. They were black reapers, and they were breaking down her door. In the dream, it was early morning. She was making coffee, fancy roast, ready to start her weekend right. And then came the loud crash, and the sounds of advancing booted hooves, and Emerald was filled with unimaginable terror. They followed her into every room. They poured through the hallways. She tried to barricade herself in the bedroom. It was to no avail. They soldiered on and battered down the door, their radios clicking and hissing incomprehensibly, frenzied statics and mumbled orders. They pointed inside their black gloves, and they encircled Emerald as she clung desperately to the bedposts. *crrk* fhr abgr lrgs. Yto pshrf rmthbd, they crackled to each other. They took ahold of her legs by the cannon, and three others pried her from the bedposts, shoving hard against her chest, bruising her forelegs. All the while she was screaming and begging them to stop. They pinned her to the ground, and she fell apart on the floor, pleading and whimpering. When they took out the vial and the five inch needle, that was when she woke up. She held herself underneath the covers of her bed. It was a horrible dream, the worst of her nightmares yet. Though she'd had them since she was a foal, never before had they been this terrible. Dreams of demons and the end times, dreams of loss and loneliness, sure, but there was no equal in the powerlessness she had felt. But it was only a dream, she consoled herself. She was back under her covers in her own home in Phillydelphia. She untangled her legs and rubbed the covers to emphasize to herself how at home she was. That's when she realized she wasn't home. Emerald Thistle sat up. These weren't her sheets. These were rough cotton ones. That meant this wasn't her bed. That meant this wasn't even her house. That meant it wasn't a dream. It was pitch dark, wherever she was. It wasn't her room though, she could tell. The bed was not her plush goosefeather, it was a plain cot suspended from a wall. She touched the wall, and it was not her beloved cherry wood wall, it was a cold, smooth, sterile wall. She couldn't see the rest of the room she was in, but she could tell its dimensions were much larger than those of her cozy townhouse. This wasn't her house, this wasn't her house, this wasn't her house. She began to inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale much faster than she should. She knew she was starting to hyperventilate. She took ten seconds to calm down. And then she cried. She cried a good long time, maybe twenty minutes, who knows how long. Time loses itself in the dark. At once, the ceiling flickered on, and twenty fluorescents made the room unbearably bright. Emerald Thistle backed against the cold wall and gasped. Her containment room was made apparent; she was in a bare, white room, a hundred feet by a hundred feet. The only piece of furniture in the room was the cot that she was deposited upon. All else was sterile, off-white tile. The room was a cold shock to Emerald. There was nothing organic about her environment. Nothing natural. Only pure sterility. The walls were blank, entirely featureless, except for one door on the opposite side of the room. The only sound was the overbearing hum of the air conditioning, pumping clean air in and out of the contained cell. Yes, Emerald thought, no mistake about it. This is a cell. She noticed a camera in the far corner of the ceiling. Unsteadily, she edged off her cot, and she tremblingly tiptoed towards the camera to face it directly. She shivered and turned her eyes into the black pupil of the video camera, demanded as loud as she could manage, "What have you done with me?" She got no answer from the electronic installment, except whirring as it focused and unfocused.
Chapter 2: MonitoredMonitored A grey-maned stallion in a blue workingpony's suit and black utility belt yawned and switched the positions of his feet, both propped up on his desk. Over his shoulders, a half a dozen monitors displayed the views of security cameras scattered throughout the facility. In one, an empty staircase. In another, the overhead view of an elevator. In yet another, a sweet little filly was staring defiantly into the camera, mouthing demands of one kind or another. But the cameras didn't pick up sound, and so the stallion did not take his attention away from the sitcom on his personal TV set. He was leaned back in his office chair, just as another stallion and a mare pushed open the swinging door to his station. Both were clothed in classic white lab coats, and their nametags displayed prominently. The latter took one look at the security guard's position and gave a curt laugh. "Hey, Trunch, working hard or idly slacking?" Her companion frowned. "That's not how that joke goes, Sue," he corrected her. The one named Sue waved him off. The grey-maned security stallion, named Trunch apparently, smirked at the two of them. He kicked his feet off the desk and swiveled around to face them. "Why, no, in fact, I've been hardly slacking," he nodded to the monitors behind him. "I've been watching these two bottom screens for nigh on seven hours straight, so I thought I'd give myself just a couple minutes of relaxation." "Which ones? These two?" The stallion scientist, whose name was Del, pointed at the bottom two screens, at which Trunch nodded his assent. Sue put her forelegs up on Trunch's desk and propped up her head. "Why these two?" she asked. "Orders! Yep. Straight from the top. I have to watch the ones with the boys from the provinces, and there's this filly they brought in," Trunch boasted. "They've been brought in for an extra-high security project. Maxx was very specific." "OoooOOoooh," Sue sarcastically whispered. "Straight from the toooop. Oh, Trunch, just because Maxx told you personally, it doesn't mean it's 'straight from the top.' He likes to tell everypony everything personally." "I'm serious! He said, 'Trunch, this project could make or break the company. I have confidence in you that you will place the'... uh... oh, the 'utmost importance on keeping an eye on these subjects,' " Trunch stuck his hooves in his belt proudly. " 'Especially the filly.' And dammit, I've kept eye on those foals since the start of my shift. Any change in their condition, and I'm the one who knows about it first." Sue rolled her eyes, but Del narrowed his. He asked, "Has the subject been asleep since they brought her in?" "Yeah, sound asleep. They knocked her out, I think, when they acquired her." Del looked at the other two curiously. He motioned to Trunch, saying, "Well, here's one development that may have escaped your all-seeing eye, Trunch. The subject woke up." All three crowded around the solitary viewing screen. They saw the filly alternately banging against the walls and the door, screaming soundlessly at the camera, and plopping down in the middle of the floor, shoulders shaking from sobbing. They were silent throughout the filly's tirades. It was an uncomfortable sight. Eventually, Sue saw fit to break their tacit silence. "So, I guess you should alert Maxx then, huh." "Yep. That's what he said to do," Trunch shook himself and he trotted over to the phone. As he dialed, Del and Sue backed a couple of paces away from the screen, and on the other screen, the other ones that Trunch had been told to watch, they saw four colts in small cells, each in stasis chambers. Sue frowned. Stasis chambers were still an experimental project for them. What was Maxx playing at? Didn't they tell him about the dangers of using those things before they were fully beta tested? "Say, Trunch," she interrupted Trunch's dialing with a careful question. "Did Maxx say what the subjects were here for in the first place?" Trunch shrugged, and though his voice projected , the worry in his face was evidence enough. "No. It's triple security level, though. Only those involved know what it does. Those scientists and Maxx, of course." Del cracked his jaw, and hmph'ed. Sue asked, "What's the name of the project?" "Uh, it's Project Sutter, I think," Trunch mumbled. He resumed dialing, unwilling to answer anything else. Sue shook her head to herself. She wasn't on Project Sutter, so she wouldn't know what the heck was going on until the project was completed. That was always how it worked with Maxx. What are you up to Maxx? You always do enjoy your secrecy and your power. What's the game for this one? Del tapped the door, interrupting her thoughts. "Sue, we're due back on Project Meridian by 5:00. You coming, or you just going to get in Trunch's way?" "Yeah, Del, I'm coming. If you're so eager to get more paperwork, you go on ahead without me," she said more caustically than she meant to. Del snorted and left. Sue returned to her musings. Maxx knew stasis tech was experimental. What did he need the four subjects put in stasis for? And what were they doing with five subjects, all civilians? This was too unsettling, but it was out of her reach. She wasn't on the project, and it was triple security, so she couldn't get access to its details for a long time. Sue grunted, and she left Trunch to his monitors and controls. As she left, she heard him say, "Hello, Mr. Teller? Ah, yes, I mean Maxx. Well, you told me to call when the female subject became conscious. Well, she's conscious sir. You're quite welcome sir, it's only my job." Sue frowned. No. I'm more than qualified in whatever secret pet project Maxx has got here. I've got three doctorates in SCIENCE, dang it all. I'll just have to convince Maxx to put me on Project Sutter. Whatever that is.
Chapter 3: Up And At 'EmUp And At 'Em Cold. Cold. COLD. AAAAAAAAGH. "Aga brb rbrbhrbrhrbrhrbhaaaaaah!" The brilliantly red colt sat straight up and let out a long series of gripes and curses. Boy, was he freezing! And wet! Keegan McCadden hated the cold, and he hated being wet. Being both was the ultimate injustice at this point, and he made it very clear how uncomfortable he was. He heard the laughs of somepony else in the room, and as his vision cleared, he saw two figures standing before him. One was a serious-looking, gold-maned stallion with a clipboard and a labcoat, but the other was a disheveled colt about his age and size. This colt was thin and squirrelly-looking. His eggshell mane was spiked backwards, and his mane was sky blue. He was cackling with laughter as the other scribbled on the clipboard and tapped some machine. Keegan snarled. He hated it when ponies were laughing at something he didn't get, but he got the distinct feeling this colt was laughing at him. He hated that even more. Keegan strongly felt the urge to clobber this colt in his squirrelly little face, but curiosity overtook his irritation. After all, he realized he didn't actually know where he was, what he was doing there, and why he was, in fact, cold and wet and confused. "Where am I?" He asked the gold-maned stallion, who seemed to be in control of the situation. He saw that he was on a medical table inside a small laboratory. Beside him were three additional tables, one of which this giggling stick-colt was sitting on, gloating over his own position. The well-lit lab was brimming with medical equipment, most of which Keegan didn't recognize. He thought that it must be some big hospital he was in, since his county hospital never had this much fancy equipment. He also noticed that the stallion in the lab coat was examining his head and legs, because Keegan was covered in little suction cups wired to these machines for monitoring. "You're in the belly of the beast, ya half-wit!" The colt sniggered. "You signed the contract, and now you're cold and wet and dis-orientate-torted! What a deal!" Okay. This punk was getting on Keegan's nerves big time. "Why don't you shove it, ya l'il cretin, afore I come over there and shove your jaw all the way up into your brain?" The colt's demeanor switched hard and fast to wild-eyed anger. "Come over here and try, why don't ya!" Keegan was right about to, when the stallion in the lab coat put his hoof on Keegan's chest and said, "I wouldn't recommend that. He's been out of stasis for about half an hour longer than you." The colt sneered at this, but Keegan hoofed his nose at him. "Sorry for not introducing myself the moment you woke up," the lab coated stallion continued. "But administering your vitals was the most pressing issue. The cold stasis technology is... experimental." Keegan had too much of a headache to fully comprehend the hesitation in his voice, and he just said, "Thanks a lot, doc." The "doc" smiled. He said, "Not a problem. Do you in fact know who you are?" "Aye. I'm Keegan McCadden," the fire-maned colt said proudly. The other colt scoffed. "And do you know where you are?" The "doc" asked. Keegan paused to consider. He confessed, "As a matter of fact, doc, I don't. Am I at a big-time hospital? Did I fall in a lake or sommat?" "No," the "doc" told him. The grin was gone, and a look of seriousness took its place. "You are at a medical bay in Gideon Labs. I am not a doctor, not of medicine anyway. I am a scientist, and you signed a contract with MaxxDyne corporation. You belong to us now." Keegan looked at the doc -- no, scientist -- with no expression but blank non-understanding. For ten seconds. Then understanding dawned on him. "Oh! That's right!" He laughed. He remembered signing that thirteen page contract with those nice-looking professionals. He remembered that charming CEO telling him all the wonderful things about this contract. He remembered how desperate he was for some work, after every single job opening in Coltsburg turned out to be a dead end. And he remembered being bagged and tossed in the back of a truck and being driven for hours to who knew where. "Some deal, huh!" He kept laughing and laughing, and to his surprise the other colt saw fit to join him. "Ha ha! Same thing happened to me!" The colt said between laughs. "That so? Ha ha ha!" Keegan was bent over from the hilarity of it. The other colt just nodded, the wind in him exhausted from lauging. "Ah, aha! Ha! Whew, ha ha." Keegan wound down enough to get out a solitary question, "What's your name? Heh heh!" "Eh hee hee ha! It's, aha, oh, it's Camdyn McGaith." "It's ruddy good to meet ya, Camdyn! We're in this belly together!" Tears rolled down both their cheeks, and the scientist stallion just shook his head, wondering what had become of colts these days and asking himself if they were all on dope.
Chapter 4: Project-HoppingProject-Hopping There is a great desert outside of the realm of Equestria, one which has lured many an enterprising pioneer, but, save for a few scattered towns, it is mostly unsettled. Archaeologists speculate that this vast highland desert, over fifty thousand years ago, was a lush valley. The ruins they've uncovered underneath nearly a mile of sand. contained an ancient, booming civilization. At some point in history, so the theory goes, the entire valley was silted in and became the dry basin it is today. At an undisclosed location surrounded by the vast sandy wasteland, there is Gideon Labs. It operates outside the confines of territorial Equestrian law. It is one of many facilities maintained by the MaxxDyne corporation. Its purpose, unlike their sister facilities, is the secret testing of dangerous and unprecedented technologies. Its existence is kept secret from even Celestia. Its location is unlisted. The majority of its staff and scientists, except for a select few, are officially "missing ponies." Most are not allowed out of Gideon Labs. From the outside, it seems to be a small group of three-story office buildings, surrounded by twelve foot high chain-link, barbed wire-topped fence. It is far more than that, though. The office buildings are the tip of the iceberg. Underneath lies Gideon labs, over two dozen stories of underground testing facilities. It has power to run itself indefinitely and was commissioned, built, and run by the founder and CEO of the MaxxDyne Corporation, Maxx Teller. Deep inside that facility, as the scientists and technicians and security guards go about their business, two colts are discussing the nature of their predicaments. In another part, a filly is desperately wishing she was home. In yet another part, two scientists are arguing over project staff listings. And the stallion responsible for those project staff listings, and the two colts' predicaments, and the desperation of the filly, is on his way down through the facility to check on all of them. The room Sue and Boole were in was, by its nature, an observation room. A large glass panel gave the view of the massive biological labs, housing hundreds of sections where the scientists at Gideon could nurture and study some bio-engineered product or another. Of course there were no real windows to the outside; the whole facility was underground. All light was artificial, all air pumped in. Sue had caught the Senior Physiomagical Operator, a stallion named Boole, packing his notes into a small brown file. She called him incessantly for the past half hour, and now she was marching down to persuade him face-to-face. "I'm telling you, Sue, I can't get you on my project!" Boole took his folders and shoved them in the desk cabinet. He spun around to face Sue, finding she was only two inches from his face. The silver locks of her mane spilled over her face and gave her a wild appearance. "So talk to Maxx about it, Boole. I'm done working on Meridian. Give me something new!" Sue insisted. Her vehemence took Boole by surprise. "I can't talk anything into Maxx. He's dead-set on this project's staff," Boole stood his ground. He pulled at his necktie, but he was earnest. "Listen, Sue, I'm going to tell you it's not because of my decision. You're plenty qualified in... what we're doing. It's got nothing to do with office politics. Maxx drew up the charter for the project. It's his staff, it's his idea. You know we have no control over the stuff here at Gideon." "Stop blaming everything on Maxx!" Sue slammed her hoof down. "What do you want from me to get me on the project?" Boole sat down on the floor, plopping down without trying to soften the landing, and cast sorrowful looks at the ceiling, "Please, Sue. I know you don't understand this, being single, but I haven't seen my wife in weeks. Gideon Labs is secrets within secrets with security codes and iris ID. I don't have the control here. I can't even leave the lab to see my family until the end of this year." Sue was silent. She hadn't even considered the stresses the No Contact rules put on those scientists who, unlike her, did have family and connections to sever. Boole rubbed his forehead and sighed. "There's nothing I can do. Maxx controls everything here. If you want to get on the project, ask him. Until then, let me alone." "Sorry about your kids and wife, Boole, but this is important." "I should say it sounds important," came a voice from the doorway. "Questioning secrecy protocol is not something done frivolously." Maxx Teller stepped between them, bserving both Sue's standing position as well as Boole's kneeling one on the floor. He gave Boole a small smile until the latter realized his awkwardness and scrambled up. Sue remembered just why she hadn't gone to Maxx first off. Maxx Teller was an imposing stallion. His brown mane, though cut somewhat short, was richly brown, and he kept his steel gray coat immaculate. He wore such rich, yet unassuming clothing, and he had green eyes that offered neither confrontation nor condolence, only comprehension. And he was leveling his gaze right at Sue. "I am surprised at the both of you," Maxx remarked, not in disappointment but in honesty. "I am sorry about your family Boole. I hate keeping all of you away from your loved ones. It brings me no pleasure, but you both know the nature of what we do here. The smallest of rumors, escaped from even our Fernlab or Hefton facilities, stolen by competitors, can mean the loss of profit. It can mean the loss of Equestrian security. It could even mean... loss of life. Can you imagine what would happen if a terrorist group or a criminal cartel got hold of our data?" As if in emphasize, Sue glimpsed a the tip of a giant tentacle waving around behind the observation glass. It was true. They did dangerous work here. Cutting edge technology, powerful fringe science... none of this could be made public. No leaks could be tolerated. He was right. Still. "I understand, Maxx. I really do. But all the same, I want to ask why I'm not on Project Sutter," Sue reiterated. Her gut was a cement mixer, but Maxx smiled reassuringly. "Doctor Sue, dear, it completely slipped my mind," Maxx flashed a big grin. "You've got all the right qualifications, let me tell you. There's no other explanation except a bad memory." "Boole, how's about a vacation with your family? I'll put someone else in charge as project director. Sue, you're on Sutter. We've just begun the most important introductory phase! It's quite exciting. Come with me down to Sublevel 12 and I'll fill you in on the way." Maxx marched out of the room and trotted down the hall towards the nearest elevator, and Boole sat right back down on the floor, mouth agape. Sue felt struck by lightning. In a fell swoop, Maxx had just rearranged the project management, given Boole and her what they each wanted, and charmed the both of them into forgetting their troubles. It must be good to be the CEO, she thought as she raced to catch up with Maxx.
Chapter 5: DefrostingDefrosting "Great news. Both your vitals turned out fine. We were worried that the stasis would present some problems for you colts, but it seems our concern was misplaced. You're both healthy specimens and you've handled the defrosting just fine," the gold-maned scientist warmly explained. Keegan and Camdyn both rolled their eyes. Being told that there was a chance you could have died cannot be softened by a smile, but the scientist didn't take notice. "Well, as soon as the technicians give me the OK, we can defrost the other two." Keegan and Camdyn started. "Other two?" Keegan inquired. "There are others?" "Oh sure. They signed the contract just like you two" -- the colts smirked at that -- "but since we've had such encouraging results from you colts, I figure we'll do them both at once to save time," the gold-maned scientist lectured, not missing a beat. He waved to the remaining two tables at the far end. "You two can be here to meet and greet them when they defrost. Oh, and do try to be better to them than you were to him." He jerked his hoof first to Camdyn, then to Keegan, who grinned widely and said, "Doc, it's not a problem. We'll give them a warm welcome." "You had better," the scientist considered them over his glasses. "Failure is expensive. And it has dire consequences here." At that moment, two pairs medical technicians entered the room, each pair bearing a stasis cylinder, complete with frozen ponies inside, and the colts were left wondering what kind of dire consequences failure resulted in. "Coldness. Ugh. Brr. Coldness. Ugh." The beefy colt with a earthy brown mane and sandstone coat shifted back and forth, muttering and shivering. Keegan watched him with great amusement, while Camdyn studied the other recently defrosted colt. The other one, colored deep blue in mane and coat, squirmed not at all. He merely had a mildly displeased look on his face, like he had stepped in a puddle and splashed his nicest clothes. "Ffft. This one's no fun," Camdyn griped. "Yeah, well this one's not much better. Looks like a wicked constitution," Keegan remarked, pulling his warm towel tighter around his shoulders. After about five minutes, the brown one came to consciousness, the blue one following shortly after. The brown one sat up as soon as he could. As the technicians steadied his bulk and checked his pulse, he made a confused grunt. Keegan took the initiative on Operation Meet & Greet, fearing that Camdyn would be tempted to renege on his promise of goodwill. "Hello, friend! Glad to see you've woken up," Keegan smiled. "If you have any questions, you should ask me or my friend here, and we'll gladly fill you in." The brown one took one look at him and Camdyn, and he snorted. Keegan wasn't about to let that stop him, so he took the clipboard that the scientist had left, and he continued, "So your name is... Eade McDomhan, is that right?" Eade nodded, still not talking. Camdyn sniffed Eade's mane and exclaimed, "Phew! Didn't you bathe before you got here, or what?" Finally Eade saw fit to speak, "Listen smart one, I'm a miner for a livin' and I got trapped in some peat. When they came to get me, I hadn't got the chance to shower. And let me tell you, tiny, you smell much worse than I do. You smell like a wet golden retriever, so bug off." Before Camdyn could threaten Eade in his own way, Keegan got a gut feeling that he should step in and take charge. "Listen the both of you. We're in this boat together. I'm pretty sure you signed that contract too, isn't that right, Eade? So listen up. We'd better get along, because whatever we're doing, we're going to be working together." "Working together eh?" A calm voice came from the blue colt, startling the other three. The blue colt sat up and wistfully stared beyond the other three with some starkly sapphire eyes. "Boy, this is going to be quite the contract. Y'all sign that crazy thing too?" He murmured. Keegan, Eade, and Camdyn chuckled. The blue colt laughed his own quiet laugh, and he said, "My name's probably on the clipboard too, but I'll give it to ya anyway. I'm Calder." "Eade." "Keegan." "And Camdyn, at your service!" Calder whistled ponderously, and he said with a faint puzzled air, "Weird. None of us are Equestrian. Does anypony know why they picked us from the provinces instead of somepony from Equestria proper?" Camdyn grinned toothily. "Where in all of Equestria could they find four colts as poor and desperate as us four?" "Poor, maybe. You're probably the only, ahem, desperate one here," Eade sneered, and Camdyn's face turned bright red. Keegan's eyes moved from face to face to ruddy face. The four of them, bound by contract. Working together for the foreseeable future. Oh boy, he thought. What have I signed up for?
Chapter 7: OrientationOrientation "Oof! I don't know about you guys, but this suit is pinching my place-where-Celestia-don't-raise-the-sun," Keegan announced, pushing his way out of the stall and hobbling towards the showers. The scientists had given each of them suits they said would need to be worn for the duration of their stay. I wouldn't mind not needin' to shower, Keegan privately admitted, but if I'm going to be pinched back there the whole time... Three bangs of doors signaled their respective exits. Keegan glanced around at his fellow colts and saw that he was not alone. Each had their own clothing malfunction, and Keegan fought the dire urge to collapse on the locker room floor from laughter. Calder's ocean blue spandex suit had over a yard of sleeves beyond the end of his hooves, and he tiptoed as slowly as a newborn foal, so as not to trip himself. On the other hoof, Camdyn's cyan suit overestimated how large he was, and he had to deal with a baggy girth which swayed back and forth like the ribcage of a fat dog. Eade's was the worst. He could barely move because of how awfully they had underestimated his muscular figure. The He pulled the neck of his scarlet suit to snap it back into place and confidently uttered, "These guys at MaxxiDyne, no finer tailors in all Equestria. Really." "Tailors don't fix spandex," Eade growled. "What's that matter?" Calder asked petulantly. The inability to move at more than a foal's pace frustrated him. "They could'a leess waited 'til they got our measurements." "I don't know about you, but I look like an imbecile!" Camdyn shouted, batting the air with an angry hoof. "They captured your essence perfectly," Eade snarked. "Might as well go show them now so we can get 'em fixed!" said Keegan hurriedly. Conflict avoidance was an entirely new emotion for him, but he was fast getting used to it. The four colts filed into a small auditorium. The rows of seats were raised to view a podium, complete with whiteboard and projector. Already sitting were several lab-coated scientists, a mix of middle-aged mares and stallions who greeted the colts with pleasant but wary eyes. At the exits were posted half a dozen security stallions in blue suits, hooves on tasers and gazes firmly focused on the colts. The three colts took their seats near the front, where two scientists waited patiently for them to file in. By their demeanor, they could tell those two were in charge. One was the golden-maned stallion who woke them up. The other was a strange black-maned mare who kept a watchful eye on her, uh, watch. All throughout, Keegan made note of his surroundings as well as of his companions. While Eade sat down without a fuss and patiently stared straight ahead, Calder mumbled apologies and gave short hiccups of laughter at making tiny fumbles. Camdyn, on the other hoof, jerked around and wouldn't stop making awkward, sudden, spontaneous movements that drew the attention of every security guard in the room. He looked around at everything excitedly, and bounced up and down in his chair. To Keegan's surprise, he eventually shouted out why he felt such eagerness. "Dude, it's just like juvy!" Camdyn exclaimed, loud enough for the whole room. The guards unbuckled their holsters, and the scientists coughed and scooted a little away. The other three looked at him incredulously. The message was clear: Dude, shut up. Shortly thereafter, the black-maned mare ambled to the center of the podium and cleared her throat. Finally, Keegan thought, some real answers. "Hello, fillies and gentlecolts. My name is Dr. Lyn Spectra, for those of you who don't know," she began. The other scientists murmured their assent, and she lightly coughed before continuing. "Since Mister Teller is not here to begin the presentation, I shall instead open with the propositional remarks and go on from there. Ahem." "Here at MaxxDyne, we are always exploring the new and the weird. Everypony knows that the MaxxDyne corporation is a scientific research enterprise. What they do not know is that we do not only research the conventional avenues of scientific progress, but also the unconventional, precisely because we feel true, progressive science is not made by timid nudges, but by leaps and bounds. It is for this reason that Maxx Teller has found it conducive to advanced research to create a special program here at the Gideon Laboratories facility dedicated to focusing efforts on exploring such a possibility." Keegan's jaw was agape. If he thought he was going to get simple answers, he knew now he was mistaken. "First, some history. As all of you know, current theories about the origins of magical connection in ponies is murky. Nearly no other species in the natural world -- including even those species within our own evolutionary family -- possess nearly as much magical potential as ponies do. Every individual pony possesses some innate power, expressed as an aptitude for one activity or another. Many of us now do not think of anything but arcane powers to be 'magic.' For example, an earth pony may object to the classification of her aptitude with, say, agrarian pursuits to be distinctly non-magical." "To the contrary," Dr. Spectra whirled about. "Scientific consensus is that at least some portion of these expressions of natural aptitude are in fact due to a pony's magical potential (though the consensus of magic-scholars is quite the opposite). This applies to earth ponies and pegasi as well as the unicorn subspecies. Magic has been linked to being a unicorn, true, but we scientists have never determined exactly why it's far easier for them to express their innate magical abilities." "However," she grinned for the first time. "We have some clues that give us insight." "History and legend are rife with ponies of exceptional talents. Ponies who have gone beyond the normal power level. Ponies who possess unparallelled control over aspects of the natural world... super-ponies, if you will." All four colts sat up, disregarding their ill-fitting clothes and totally intent on Dr. Spectra's lecture. "This sounds like the stuff of comic books, but we see opportunities in all things. No matter how obscure. No matter how odd. And no matter how seemingly unrealistic. We are always willing to apply serious research to such possibilities. If it turns out to be a dead end, we say 'better to have tried' and call it money well spent. If it doesn't, then we have advanced a field which all others had hitherto then dismissed... real science. Plus, we get the patent." "To the point, we have already formulated a process, through months of dedicated research and theoretical calculation by our finest minds, all of whom contributed greatly to the project and deserve applause," she took a second to clop her hooves together at the scientists, and they all applauded along with her, grinning at the thought of all those long worknights. Keegan clapped along with them, until the glares of the other three reminded him he had no reason to be clapping. So he stopped. Dr. Spectra went on, "You four colts, good sirs, are the brilliant volunteers upon whom we shall develop our thesis over the coming months. If our theory is correct, any pony of unexceptional could be remolded, with some targeted processes and intense training, into an exceptionally powerful one. You four, pardon me for saying, were as unexceptional as we could find." "Ouch," said Calder. "Well," she tried to console them. "You did qualify. You have to be zeroes before you can be heroes." "Still ouch," replied Eade. "Moving on." The gold-maned stallion from before rose to take centerstage. "Thank you, Lyn, for that excellent crash course. You did forget to mention what the project entailed, so I guess that's my job now." He laughed, 'shiningly' as Camdyn later described it -- mostly because the light glinted off his teeth and blinded him. "Well, my name is Dr. Ian Stone, and this project is called Project Sutter. We started it last year. Lyn is the current project director, and I am the current assistant director. If anyone has any questions, or complaints, or requests, either Lyn or I should be able to get you what you want." "I can't introduce you to all these talented scientists here, boys. It would take too long, and you won't be meeting too much with them anyway. They did the theoretical work, and they'll oversee its application, but it won't be their central role. That belongs to Dr. Sue Partexa." Dr. Stone waved to a silver-maned mare sitting in the front row across the room from the four colts. Dr. Partexa got up, took a slight bow, and sat back down. "You have been fitted into the suits, I see, but it seems our manufacturer made a mistake with the specifications," he chuckled, but none of the colts showed any trace of humor. "We'll get those fixed for you as soon as possible. Your suits are of utmost importance, especially when -- I mean, if -- we progress to the later stages of the project." "Calder McMiren, Eade MacDomhan, Keegan McCadden, and Camdyn McGaith. Welcome to your new home." "What!" "New home? Are you kidding me!" "What a load!" "I am also shouting!" "Settle down, settle down," Dr. Stone rolled his eyes. " 'Settle down'? Don't you tell me to 'settle down.' How long are we going to be here for?" Keegan snarled. "Indefinitely." "Indefinitely! Ha! ... is that like 'infinity'?" Calder mused. "It might as well be," Eade shouted. "Shut up, or my good friend, security chief Tays Orrin, will shut you up." They shut up. "If you had read the contract, you would have seen the clause stipulating that you were signing over yourself to be a test subject indefinitely. Heck, you'll be given food, board, exercise, clothes, and entertainment for a long time, all just from participating in a few tests! We all should be so lucky!" "Lucky ain't the word," Camdyn quipped. " 'Bucked' is more like it." "Hush you. It's a sweet deal, and you'll realize it soon enough." "But we're supers, right? Why should we listen to you, we'll have superpowers and we'll kick your butts," Eade challenged. "First, that would be very rude. Second, you are on track to be supers. You're not super yet. We can pull the plug on your track if you misbehave." "Who's 'Emerald Thistle'?" Calder wondered aloud. "Sounds like a pretty name." Dr.'s Stone and Spectra both visibly tensed at that topic. "She's no concern of yours. She's just another subject." "Oh. A 'she', huh?" Camdyn raised one eyebrow. "Don't you get any ideas, twerp," Stone reprimanded him. "She's in a different part of the program than yours. The only interactions you'll have with her are in common areas. We've got ball courts, a mess hall, and an entertainment area for y'all, but you won't see her elsewhere. All three are under supervision constantly by security." "Oh, sir, you've got the wrong idea," Camdyn mocked. "I have no ideas whatsoever." "That's new," Eade remarked. Camdyn waved him off; he was used to it by then. "Oh, Ian. No need to be so cynical," came a voice from the stairs.
Chapter 6: Come AlongCome Along Emerald Thistle paced back and forth against the walls in her cell. She could feel her mind going. She couldn't take the loneliness and the starvation from social contact. She had been awake for four hours officially, but to her it felt like four days. She had almost lost her voice yelling at the camera, yelling at the door, yelling at the walls and ceiling and floor. She had jumped up and down on her cot, trying to reach the tiled ceiling to access the ventilation shafts. She had tried pounding on the door to get any passerby's attention, but nopony passed by except steel-eyed stallions in blue security uniforms. Emerald was not naturally confrontational. During school, she had never pressed her way for anything and she was always rather pushed around for it. Everypony told her what to do, and she almost always went along with it. Psychologists told her parents she was "empathetic," but everyone else called her just "pathetic." If it weren't for her half-sister, Ruby Thistle, constantly sticking up for her and defending her, she would have probably sunk into depression and withdrawal years ago. But this. This was pushing her to the limits. Dragged out of her home. Given drugs to keep her quiet and to put her to sleep. Kidnapped from her life in Phillydelphia, which seemed was finally going right for her. Dragged, drugged, and kidnapped. How dare they! As soon as they opened up that door, she was going to rant and rave and give them such a verbal tirade that- "Miss Thistle." She jumped in the air and landed on the bed, completely taken by surprise. In the doorway, which was now wide open, stood a silver-haired lab-coated mare, who regarded Emerald with curious eyes. At last, she managed a small squeak, "Yes?" "It's time for your orientation," said the mare. "Come along now." "All right," Emerald whispered, mentally chastising herself. She had completely forgotten everything she had wanted to say, but it was too late now. Now she was being escorted down concrete hallways by a lab-coated mare and two security stallions to somewhere. "Come on, keep up," the mare ordered. "We're on a schedule." To hell with your schedule, she wanted to say. "Yes, ma'am," she said.
