//------------------------------// // ch. 1 part 4: a single hello (end) // Story: fallout equestria: Paradise // by dquiroga //------------------------------// A single hello The trip to the office was easy enough, as the professor ignored the carnage on the first floor. However, the smell was getting a bit foul. We all settled into the room, while the Russians guard the door. As Vincent continued working on the terminal, the professor simply stared at the pod, examining every corner. Honestly, it looked kind of weird. I decided to stick with Vincent as he enters different codes. Files and protocols were displayed on the screen, but he canceled out most of them, keeping only those of interest. “how much longer, sergeant?” asked the professor, keeping a critical eye on the pod. “not really sure. The emergency protocol, that keeps him in there, is sophisticated. Since I don’t have the authorization, I have to keep feeding it false information to override it.” Vincent replied. After we showed what information was in the terminal, he was quite eager to have a chat with the overseer. What I want to know; is about the mega spells that were mentioned. It’s obviously a weapon, and, if one is capable to feel the impact from underground, I can only assume what it is equivalent to. ‘who would use such weapon and why?’ I only had to be patient; for my questions, will be answered soon. After about half an hour of waiting, the terminal began to display about the pod itself. “alright, I’m through.” Vincent said, with a hint of relief. “what are we looking at?” the professor asked, while Vincent scanned through the file. As he began to type away, multiple displays of the pod appeared on the screen. Soon red marks began to appear, indicating damage or malfunction. “to be honest, I’m surprised this thing still works. The temps are way out of proportion, multiple hole punctures, and it practically has 200 years of overdue maintenance.” He said. “and the overseer?” he then brought up a display of the overseer’s status. “he seems alright, but, due to the rise of temperature, he’s slowly thawing out. If he was left in there for a couple of years, his body will resume normal function and he’ll die of starvation or dehydration.” The professor hummed in thought, after hearing what was said. “I think it would be best to let him out then.” The professor said affirmatively. Even though this was the original plan, most of us had second thoughts about it. we don’t know how he’ll react to us or the current situation. Vincent was quick to voice our concerns to the professor, but he only scoffed in response. “he can’t stay in there forever, and I’ve waited long enough for this meeting. With that said, sergeant, open the pod.” Taking a deep breath, Vincent nodded and began the sequence. Seeing the possible danger, I asked the professor to stay behind me. he reluctantly complied, going only a few steps back. Vincent gave us a warning before entering the command. The pod began to hiss, as the locking mechanism was released. A cold mist began to spray out the edges, as the door slowly released pressure. Suddenly the door opened slightly, releasing a thick fog going above our feet. I tightened the grip on my rifle, feeling the anticipation. The door then began to slowly pan up, revealing a misty interior. As it began to clear, what we see was quite surprising. It was a light brown little horse. “well, given what happened before this, I am not surprised.” Stated Kazimir. (district 12 ruins- hunger games) The horse began to stir, slowly regaining conciseness. It leaned forward probably searching for solid ground. Sadly, the ground was farther then he could reach, and he was not conscience enough to right himself. Seeing this, I quickly stepped forward and caught him, feeling his body go limp. He was no feather but he wasn’t as heavy as I thought. He began to mumble incoherent words as his mind attempted to start up again. I was surprised that he was indeed speaking English, though broken due to his state. “you alright?” I asked. “I… yes… forgive me… not used to… cryo-sleep.” He said, taking deep breaths in between sentences. I was still in shock, but continued to ask if he remembers who he is. “I’m… overseer cross sight of stable zero… head researcher of project paradise.” He said as he became more aware of himself, “I’m guessing you’re the rescue tea-“ The moment he opened his eyes, his breath hitched within his throat. Instead of seeing a familiar face, his sight was on my vest. His large eyes slowly moved up till he reached my face. At this point, his pupils became pin pricks as he looked upon me in horror. I was about to say something, but he beat me to it. he screamed. It was so loud it made my eardrums hurt. He flailed wildly to get away. I didn’t really want to fight with him, so I granted his request and let him go. I winced as he fell to the ground. His legs didn’t look like they wanted to work; so, he ended up crawling to the farthest corner. I quickly relaxed my grip on my weapon, feeling pity for him. When he noticed, he couldn’t go any further, he quickly swayed back towards me, pressing his back against the wall. I could see his eyes move wildly in different directions, probably seeing the rest of our group. As I took a step forward, I brought my hand up, hoping to calm him down. It didn’t. “no! stay away from me!” he was practically panicking. I quickly brought myself back, feeling unsure of what to do. Then the professor ahead of me and stood in between us. Before either of us could speak our concerns, he spoke first. “hello, my name is professor Hubbard. These fine gentlemen you see before you are my escort. Please believe me when I say that we mean you no harm.” He didn’t seem to be calming down, but he wasn’t screaming either. On top of that, he almost looked surprised. I’m guessing he didn’t expect us to speak the same language. “I was looking forward to this meeting for a long time.” The professor said. “w-what do you mean?” the overseer stuttered. The professor then reached into his coat, pulling out a scroll. Upon seeing it, the overseer looked at it in shock. “that’s…” “yes, we were the ones you contacted through the portal. Though I wished it were in better… circumstances.” He looked at the professor confusedly; then took an actual look around the room. “what happened to my office… how long was I…” the professor looked upon him with pity. “I am afraid that you have been in cryo-stasis for… 200 years.”