//------------------------------// // Chapter Four: "Just Don't Think About It" // Story: Fallout Equestria : Lineage // by SunsetSpecter //------------------------------// Fallout Equestria: Lineage ____________________________________________________________________________ Chapter 4: Just Don’t Think About It They say ‘war never changes’, but they are wrong. Oh how they are wrong. War does change. New and deadly inventions are forged in the heat of battle until one side finally gets so good at killing that the other is eradicated. Then there are the world enders, those weapons that no matter the amount of troops will ensure both sides equal destruction if brought to bare. Those changed war, changed it back to the very beginning. Everything past that is just a repeat. The artificial glow of the terminal’s monitor bathed my face in the dimly lit office. I absent mindedly pressed the keys cycling between menus in a vain attempt to busy my mind. Journal entries I’ve read over a thousand times before, or the odd maintenance log detailing a problem needing pony intervention rather than the facilities normally routine repair robots. When I finally scrolled back to the top catching myself re-reading the entree I had inputted mere hours before for the fifth time, I couldn’t take it. "How's the patient doing?" Talking to nopony present in the room however knowing my query would go answered. "The patient has entered REM sleep again, sir.” The robotic voice crackled from an overhead speaker which showed its age popping on the last syllable. “Vitals appear to be normal; however his brain waves show that he is in some discomfort." Good, better for him to sleep. I turned away from the facility reports having already read the files that flooded in since, whatever it was, happened and decided to just start asking for live updates. "How's the power doing?" "The coil in the main reactor room is working at 53% capacity. Sir, without the grid, I'm afraid that the system will not be able to-" "I know...” I said with a sigh, cutting off the mechanical voice. “I think it's time we clear the smoke off the water." I returned to searching through the menus, this time with purpose. It was in here somewhere, buried in some otherwise inconspicuous directory. Why are there so many hidden files? I continued to dig deeper into the computer, changing my technique from randomly looking at individual directories to searching for inconsistencies in the layout. My eyes flicked between the logs as my hoof moved deftly across the terminal screen. Coming to a sudden realization my mind went into overdrive. I had realized that hidden within the data there were odd keys that suck out here and there, all pointing to the same location on the terminal. Wait, what's this? I finally found something. After so long and almost consuming hospitals entire supply of Mint-als, I found... Something. It was a text document too long to try and read right now. I connected my pipbuck to the terminal via the grid and started a download. I stood for a few moments watching the progress bar creep across my screen agonizingly slow. The thin slithers of progress stacking upon each other moved so slowly that they were barely perceptible. "This is going to take a while..." I muttered. I looked around at what had been my home from since I woke up. All throughout the room were stasis pods lined up on the wall, most were neglected to the point where the casing was cracked or shattered, each covered with a thick layer of dust. Except for five... "Otus, I'm going to visit our patient, inform me when this is done." I turned away from the slowly creeping progress bar. "Very well sir. What about the-" "Melt it." I stood up and walked out of the old office towards the lift. oo<>oo Sheets, smelling of lavender. My eyes flew open as my vision tried to focus on the details of the world around me. My mouth was dry and no matter how many times I tried to swallow I couldn’t eliminate the feeling of chewing on cotton. Sitting up was an adventure as what little command of my vision I regained was quickly spun away from me as my mind was overwhelmed with nausea. Okay... I’m just going to lie back down- A sound coming from the bottom of the bed caught my attention. The ragged sawing of breath that can only come from one thing, somepony was snoring. My eyes went wide the world snapping abruptly back into focus as my brain sent a dose of adrenaline surging through my bloodstream. The machines next to my cot protested the rapid change of vital readings with a chorus of alarms. I quickly sat back up fighting the swirling sensation in my brain and scanned the room for the other breathing pony. I had expected to see the blackened metal form of Tes slumped over the edge of the bed, but rather what my eyes rested upon was a small white unicorn wrapped in a lab coat drooling lightly onto the sheets near my hooves. I chuckled at the comical sight. Not much of a threat there. "Hi, name’s Sunset," I said quietly not wanting to wake the stallion, "And ah believe ah owe you my life" figuring that the teal and green maned pony had done more than saving my hide after the mines blew up in my face. Shit, that's right, the EMP... Tes! My vitals started to destabilize again as the machines next to me started to make warning noises. What had I done? If Tes isn't here, then- "Morning sleepyhead." My eyes flew back to the now awake unicorn at the base of the bed. Those eyes, I... how? "Who... T-" I was about to start asking the many questions all pounding my brain for attention when the small unicorn spoke. "Hey, save your strength, don't try to talk just yet." The tiny stallion looked towards the machines hooked up to me scanning the various readouts before looking back to the sheets where he was laying. "Oh dear, I made a mess of your sheets. Something about the smell of lavender always makes me drool." His voice was light, carried as much weight as his tiny frame, without the subtle undertones of depth it could almost be mistaken for a colts voice. "Um... If you wouldn't mind calming down, that'd be nice, tiny headache. By the way my name is Joules." Something in the way he said his own name struck me as off. However my questions would have to wait, the unicorn was right, if the machines screaming next to me were any indication, I did need to relax. Deep breaths Sunset... In... and out. Try and remember. I thought about the fight, the body on the ground, the one under attack by whatever was wielding that minigun, of Twister. I loved that gun; her sister's going to be- gear! I looked about the room as the machines belted out another round of alarms. The same hooks as before held what remained of my barding and Battle Saddle. Morning Light looked intact enough, however Night Bane... I've lost a friend. Yes I'm aware of how that sounds, but when you have no one to call a friend in so long you start to consider the equipment that has saved your hide more times than you can count, family. I relaxed, the sounds of alarms finally quieted. In... out... "Joules huh?" I said looking back into his eyes, his emerald green eyes. "Well ah introduced myself, but you were asleep... Thanks..." The stallion looked puzzled for a moment before speaking. "For what?" "For... Ah don't know, staying here..." I mumbled shifting my gaze away from his face. Silence filled the room once more, save for the low monotonous beeping emanating from the now much calmer machines next to me. After a while of me just staring at my gear from across the room trying to gage how much damage I had taken. I closed my eyes and laid back. "How long was ah out this time?" I asked rubbing my face with my right hoof. Metal... "Oh that's not ri-" I opened my eyes as the machines hooked to me protested louder than they ever had before. I looked up and down my leg where my flesh and fur used to be. Mines... atom by atom. I knew what happened, and I understood what was now attached to my body was a cybernetic replacement limb. It took me a few moments to just looking at the metal before my brain registered that what felt like my old leg was not in fact made of flesh and bone. What I didn't understand is why this limb looked like it was made from the same metal as Tes. Joules was looking at me with a mixture of concern and pain, a look I didn't like. I took a moment to breath letting the cacophony of alarms quiet down. "Where’s Tes?" I said as calmly as I could manage. "I...he..." The unicorn shifted uncomfortably before changing the subject entirely. "It's a specialized metal, was the only thing I could use for somepony of your build. You’re quite a bit taller than what the medical charts say is normal for a pegasus, but you're also quite muscular, very muscular actually... so I was able to use heavier components." There was a pause as the unicorn’s emerald eyes moved over my body and I took the opportunity to interject. “W-what happened to Tes?” I could see the gears turning inside Joules’ head as he thought about how he was going to tell me the next part. A twinge in my heart caused my face to wince in pain. "He's... He served his part in keeping you alive, and he wanted to continue in protecting you. This is what I could salvage after the tainted gem crippled his leg and spread to the rest of his body.” The unicorn sighed before continuing. “It also has a few special features built into it, using some of the spell matrices scavenged from inside of the Enclave armour. I managed to integrate an E.F.S. matrix into it should activate in a similar fashion to that of their armour. Try it out and tell me if there are any problems. Also you can adjust the friendly colors, which is currently set to white." Most of what Joules said past 'Tes wanted to continue to protecting me' was lost. Wanted... Something about an E.F.S. the color white, didn't matter. My brain was focused on Tes and my stupidity. Sure, use an EMP, I thought, Crash some Spell Matrixes, kill your new friend. Good job Sunset, three days. Two of which you spent asleep in bed. That's ‘got’ to be a record for shortest terminal friendship ever. I mocked myself as I sobbed into my hooves. No, scratch that, hoof and metal hoof. Any other time that would have pushed me to freakville, but I was too focused. "I'm... just..." Joules said trailing off as he backed out of the room. Three hoofsteps and a click, three hoofsteps and a click, followed by a door closing. Even through the grief of having killed the first pony I'd had more than a fleeting conversation with in years, one that saved my life, three times now, I still registered that Joules had at least one metal limb. oo<>oo I stood outside in the hallway for a while trying to collect my thoughts listening to the sobbing emanating from the other side of the door. "Great job Joules, for all your intelligence your still an idiot." Sighing I walked down the hall, my lab coat dragging on the tiled floor behind me, being a size or two too big. A few floors down in the lift and a short way along the hall was a door that had remained locked since the orange pegasus’ arrival. Touching my horn to the handle, a small tint of green washed over the door and the locking mechanism released. I walked into the room, not bothering to close the door behind me. The room on the inside was simple, just a bed, jukebox, table, and a bookshelf all coated in a layer of dust that the filters failed to pull from the recycled air. On the table were various bits and pieces of scrap metal and electronics along the salvageable parts of the Enclave weapons all of which had been deposited there for me by the interfacility transports. Walking up to the table, I floated a book over from the shelf. Clockwork’s Electronics. After reading a few pages, I began working on the firearms. I would only be able to make one rifle and pistol, but it would have to do. After a while of trying to get unfamiliar components to play nice with each other, I pushed back from the desk, covered in grease stains and a few patches of scorched fur. "How's the water level?" It took a moment before the speaker in this room to crackle to life bringing the voice of Otus “The water talisman is currently operating at seventy two percent with two hundred and sixty nine point se-” “Thank you.” Cutting the artificial voice from the ceiling short, not needing to know exact numbers on how much water was left in the facility. Walking over to the bed I pulled off my lab coat exposing my hide to the magical illumination for the first time since waking up. The light reflected off my foreleg since its casing had long since lost its original enamel. The cybernetic limb was at this point little more than a mechanical hoof with a built in pipbuck which I was honestly surprised still functioned given the leg’s state of disrepair. Wires poked out from the exposed joints as I hung the coat on a hook near the shower. I removed the five small pins from inside the leg, each one sending a tiny twinge of pain up my leg. Feeling the limb release from the socket I removed the cybernetic leg and replaced it with what was little more than a steel rod. Slipping into the shower I turned the temperature down as cold as it would go, no sense taxing the failing reactor by cycling the heating coils. I stood there for a few minutes before letting my body slump against the wall, sliding down the tiles. "Otus...open the deceased list." I said feeling the water running across my face doing a wonderful job masking the tears. "Yes sir." "New entry; Tes. Date of birth, Unknown. Date of death, Unknown. Family status, Unknown. Blood type, Unknown. Marital Status, Married. Children, One." I curled up on the floor of the shower. "Cause of Death... magical radiation poisoning from a corrupted gem. Add sub-note... Best damn psychopath out there... and an even better friend." oo<>oo Apparently I fell asleep at some point, probably for the best. The machines next to me were finally quiet, their leads detached. There was only one tube snaking across the bed, one end connected to an IV bag hanging above my head the other... Ugh, I hate needles. My eyes moved to my other limb, Tes' gift. The hoof looked like a normal hoof should, just with four raised sections around the side. I traced the outlines up my foreleg noting the access covers most likely used for lubrication. How do these things work anyways? The joints were covered with what looked like thick rubber protected by articulated plating. The metal was still Tes colored, a stark contrast to my dull orange coat. It was worn in places, scratches here and there and just for a moment I thought I saw a hint of green flame lick out from a joint. I shook my head. Luna what have I done? I'm no saint; I've done my fair share of killing. I do try and avoid it when possible, try and make whomever is shooting at me stop without ending their life, but to say I'm some 'Hero of the Wastes' is too much. I'd gladly take on assignment to keep caravans safe, protect ponyfolk just trying to survive and make an honest cap to support themselves or kin. I won't, however, go out of my way to help. It's too risky, a high profile isn't something I need when the words 'death from above' hold special meaning to me. Just let me slide under the radar, ignore the orange pegasus in the corner drinking whiskey, be about your way, pay me the caps I'm owed, please don't make a fuss, and we'll be alright. Water started to trickle down a drain somewhere and my body reminded me that the little colt's room was just past the hooks with my gear. Well... test trot? Looking back to my new limb. I carefully rolled out of bed setting my three natural legs on the ground first. Then I tried to move my mechanical limb to meet them. It was smooth, natural almost silent and I felt- Felt? My new hoof touch the ground. "This is going ta take some gettin’ used too," I muttered under my breath. I started to shift my weight onto the leg. It held, corrected for balance. I overcorrected by instinct, as the cyberleg corrected again. I stood there trying to get a feel for how the limb operated and could tell a great deal of work went into fitting this prosthetic to me. It really felt- Felt? Like my old leg, the sort of semi stiff movement however with none of the pain and as I found out when I carefully picked up my left leg, it didn't collapse under my weight. Trickling water. "Okay... let's try for the restroom." After a few false starts, I put my left hoof forward first and took a few hesitant steps as drops of sweat beaded on my forehead from the mental effort. I just past the foot of the bed when the surgical tubing pulled taught at the IV needle removed itself painfully from my leg. The distraction broke my concentration and both forelegs buckled. "Oww." I said through gritted teeth as I lay on the ground hindquarters raised. "Buck this." I stretched my wings giving them a few experimental flaps making sure that they had survived intact. "Thank Luna you protected me." I ‘would’ figure out how to walk with my new limb, but right now nature called. I hovered a little off kilter towards the bathroom. Tes' gift was heavier than my natural limb used to be, but not by more than I could compensate. I closed the door with a kick of a hind leg. and sat down on the fixture. After relieving myself I stood looking at the pony reflected back in the mirror. I still looked like myself, no random additions that I could see, though the black mechanical plating extended up past my shoulder and curved around my neck to cover just under half my chest. Was the blast really that bad, or was that just to attach the limb to the rest of my fleshy bits? I stood there watching the armoured plates move over themselves as I articulated the joints in the mirror and half contemplated taking a shower. I felt physically clean, sure salt crusted my face, but other than that I was spotless. No, I wanted a shower because I felt unclean. I had killed four ponies that didn't need to die. Sure three of them weren't there for me and most likely would have been killed by their own actions against the hospital, but it was my fault they opened fire. Then there was Tes. The tears started again, this time more controlled. I wiped them away with a metal hoof. Why was it so easy to use this when I'm not thinking about it? I looked at the tiny water drop on the hoof. Is this even waterproof? Will I rust? I decided against the shower. Making my way back into my room I snagged my Battle Saddle in my teeth from its hook and took it over to the bed walking slowly, deliberately. Disassembling the rigging to free the twin guns onto the mattress, or at least what was left of Night Bane and her sister. "Oh Goddess what did she do to ya?" The gun was a mess, the Anti-Material round had lived up to its name entering the top of the receiver at a slight angle causing the round to tumble as it proceeded to displace the bolt, gas chamber and trigger sheer before bouncing off the forged casing and removing the magazine catch from the bottom of the weapon. I looked at her as my mind worked out what might be salvageable aside from the barrel. My attention turned to Morning Light looking as pristine as ever. I reached a hoof out to work the bolt to make sure the weapon was empty before servicing the rifle and a little appendage popped out and hooked around the cocking handle of the bolt. I pulled slowly. The bolt slid back against the return spring as the mechanical hoof’s appendage held firm as the catch locked the bolt in the open position. I let go of the handle and brought my hoof to my face. Three more of the little appendages popped out of the side of my hoof and with a little thought I found I could control them individually. I blinked. "That... is going ta be useful." oo<>oo Turning off the shower after actually cleaning the dirt from my coat, I carefully hobbled out. Really need to add a grip to the bottom of this thing. Looking down that the improvised crutch. I entered the main part of my room and flopped onto the bed, which managed to make me look even smaller, being a princess size. Removing the pins from the temporary leg hurt almost as much as re-inserting them into my cybernetic limb. Slinging my over-sized lab coat back on I returned to the table, this time inspecting the third firearm resting atop the particleboard. It was a large rifle, okay that was an understatement, it was a small cannon. At least it used to be seeing as the blast had done quite a number on it. I sat there awhile prodding at bits of the gun not really sure what could be done with it. The centre of the cannon looked intact but I was pretty sure the rest was slag. Maybe he can make use of it. Deciding that there were better things to be doing with my time than poking at a half mangled firearm with an idle hoof I got up and made my way to the lift. Hopefully he's had time to cool off. [Hopefully he won't think that you're a kid.] Shut up. [Maybe a mare?] Seriously? As I reached the door that held the patient, I raised a hoof to knock, then hesitated. Maybe I should wait. [For puberty to hit.] I swear I'll kill you. I knocked on the door. "Excuse me," Once again, I couldn't help but notice how my voice really sounded like a little colt, or mare’s voice. "It's Joules. Do you mind if I come in?" There was a moment of silence from the other side of the door before the pegasus responded. “Yeah, c’mon in.” Trotting slowly into the room I noticed that he had littered the bed with his possessions and gun parts. Most of the objects I recognized as really weather worn versions of things kept in the storerooms however. What’s with all the bottle caps? The orange stallion was working on the one gun of his that had survived the battle, using his new cybernetic hoof with aptitude I had not expected from such a recent transplant. "I see you've gotten used to the new... hoof." I cringed a little at having to mention it, but protocol is protocol. "However, I still need to run over the spell matrices installed in it. Been awhile since I worked with them and I need to make sure that they're working by tomorrow morning." I trotted over and jumped onto the side of the bed, propping my forelegs up on the rusty crate the pegasus seemed to use as a toolbox so I could feel taller, my hoof bumped something. {Be Awesome} A pegasus, or rather a small statue of one. The athletic body seemed to be crafted with the utmost care so that her radiant beauty was overly apparent even in this miniature form. At the same time I felt a boost of confidence course through me. "Interesting statue, seems to have some magical properties to it.” I looked at the large pegasus concentrating on smoothing some part of his remaining rifle. “Say this was one of the Six Hero's isn’t it?" I thought back to a book I had read as a colt, mentioning tales of six friends and the adventures they had. "Interesting that they would enchant a toy." "Yeah, one of the Ministry Mares." Replied the preoccupied pegasus taking a moment to look at the statuette "She..." He trailed off returning to work on the disassembled firearm, grabbing the better of the parts from between the two guns. I could tell just by watching his expression that I had hit a nerve. Okay, careful how you say things from now on... nothing witty? "How much do you know about her? All I have to go on is the stories I was told when I was a foal." [You mean you’re not?] There we go. I looked back at the statue. "She was supposed to be brave, awesome, and loyal I hear." I poked the statue again, and felt the same boost of confidence as I had the first time I made contact with it. "It was said that she could break the color spectrum while flying, but that's just silly foalish talk, would be physically impossible to do that." "Oh that was foal’s play for her.” Muttered the blue eyed stallion before his hoof slipped sending a spring flying into the air. I caught the projectile with my horn and floated it back to the pegasus as silence filled the room. He continued to work on the gun until I noticed his eye flick upward in his vision and he racked the bolt back. "Seven minutes twenty seconds, that's a new record." He said looking into my eyes once more. "So what's so special ‘bout tomorrow?" I stared back into his eyes for a few seconds before moving to get off the bed. “When you came here, you were being chased by a group called the Enclave.” I walked over to the medical equipment and started fiddling with it, just trying to do something other than look at the pegasus. “This group was then drawn to this place for pre-war tech,” I waved a hoof in a circle. “and they also found you here.” I returned to fiddling with the equipment. “So, when the group you killed doesn't return, they will send out another team here...” Confidence is much needed with this next part please... I looked at the statuette. Is it possible to become addicted to a spell? I took a deep breath steeling my nerves. “Now that my guardian is dead, staying here is a death sentence. But going outside alone is just as much of a death sentence for me as staying in here is.” I looked at the orange pegasus with hair as green as mine sitting on the bed. “Which is why tomorrow, you are going to leave, and take me with you.” oo<>oo How many days was I out? Should have had at least five days before that patrol would be missed. "Yeah, ah figured that they weren't gonna leave this facility alone, one hint of tech and they'll swarm a place. Well, that's if the steel rangers don't get there first." I started rigging Morning Light onto the left of my Battle Saddle to offset the weight of my new limb. "What you meant ta say is that ah killed your guardian, and now you're my responsibility." Tes... "Well... ah don't even know ya," Looking over the compact unicorn, wearing the 'one size fits most' lab coat, "But, I'm betting it's what Tes would've wanted, and ah bet... you're the one ah have ta thank for this." I waved my cybernetic hoof in the stallion’s direction. “No, you didn't kill him. He was dead long before you arrived; he just didn't realize it until you showed up.” Joules moved away from the machines next to my bed. “But you're right about that leg, and I doubt that you know how to keep up repairs on it. Actually, I know you don't. This is a specialized model, created to use spark batteries for power rather than burning gems.” I blinked and tried to process what the unicorn was telling me as he started for the door when he suddenly halted. “Oh, right! Stupid me!” He trotted back over to me and grabbed my new limb. “Okay... just let me...” He seemed to have trouble rolling the sleeve of his coat up over his left foreleg, getting the cuff caught on the tangle of metal and wires beneath. Wrapping a connector of apparent importance amongst the tangle in his horn’s magic he floated it over to my metallic leg and plugged it into one of the small ports near my shoulder. “Aaand, there. Just updated the software to include a S.A.T.S And established a D.G.C But don't worry, both transmitter and receiver must be on to establish the link.” A slew of new readouts filled the upper portion of my vision as I tried to work out what those acronyms stood for. "Ooh more shiny things." Escaped my muzzle before I mentally batted my hoof back to my side. There has to be something about pegasus eyesight that disagrees with whatever magic was now showing me all these readouts on the edge of my vision. I took a moment to quickly toggle through the effects that I knew. E.F.S worked, though the single white line of Joules was hard to see due to the contrast. "Right switching that too.... green," I mumbled. S.A.T.S powered up normally as my mind entered the augmented reality of the targeting spell. I cycled across the body parts of the stallion standing next to the bed. I dropped the spell without selecting any action. "So, any particular reason why your left limb reads twenty seven percent?” Joules just stood there mouth slightly agape. "B-but I... instructions." "It's a big wasteland out there kid, you pick up a few things here and there." I looked back at the unicorn taking my attention off the readouts. And now why does he look offended by that? "Fair enough, why don't you get some rest," Joules said curtly. "Call for Oats if you're hungry, there might be some pudding left." With that he walked out of the room not bothering to shut the door. I waited till I heard the lift doors close and the carriage depart. Did he go up or down? I can’t tell. I started to gather my belongings returning them to their place within my saddlebags. Well saddlebag, either the blast or exploding parts of Night Bane shredded the bottom of my left bag. Not that it was really a problem at this point, I had so little in the way of possessions everything fit with a little room to spare in my one remaining pack. My attention turned to my barding, I hadn't so much as looked at it since I woke up. Lifting it off the hook with my mouth brought back all sorts of memories, most prominent was the taste of exploding plastique. Laying the garment out on the bed I started to pull the first of the plates free from the fabric. "Oh this is going to be bad." I said as the first thin ceramic plates crumbled. Out of the thirty five plates this barding had when it was new, I still had twenty eight before the fight with the Enclave three, Four? Days ago, what now lay on the bed before me was a large pile of armour like chips, and seven plates. Sure these were only designed to fend off small arms fire, maybe a 12.7mm round at best, never meant as an E.O.D. suit by any means. Yet somehow I expected better. The cloth holding all this together had not fared much better. Riddled with small holes and rips, the seams were split around most of the plating pockets. Sighing I brushed the armour fragments into one of the few remaining intact pockets and wadded up the outfit stuffing it best I could into the comically undersized waste bin. The remaining seven plates filled out the rest of my saddlebag. "Well now what?" Talking to the wall again. Not really all that hungry and still unsure if I was in fact waterproof, more scared now knowing that my new limb ran off of spark battery. That is a large explosion waiting to happen. I mused while idly looking at my leg, trying to guess which of the many access panels the powerful little component resided under. Giving up after a short while, unable to find the M.O.P. warning label that I was sure would have read 'Warning, don't shoot here, boom'. I laid back in bed and just stared at the ceiling. I tried to sleep, I really did, but three, Four? Days of sleep and my brain was raring to go. Fidgeting in bed I looked over at the open door. "Test run?" Again... I started out slow, just trying to mastering the slowest of walks shuffling about the small patient room. I walked to the end of the hallway and back, then again, a little faster with only the slightest falter as I tried to correct when turning around to do it again. Don't think, do... Think, no, don't. Do... "Uhg I need more space." Walking over to the lift at the end of the hallway I pressed the call button. Come to think of it, I have no idea where I am this place. I made sure to make a mental note of my room's floor number. Inspecting the control panel I noticed that the lobby was marked as the uppermost floor confirming my hunch that all of this was, in fact, built below ground. Makes sense, most everything is intact here. The megaspells would have taken it out if it was above ground. Wonder if Stable-Tec had anything to do with this. Looking further down the list of floors nothing really caught my attention. The first five floors looked like patient rooms and doctor offices, minor labs, radiology nursery and so on. "What floor would the lab be on... the one with the skylight?" I asked the panel, like that was going to do me any goo- "That would be subfloor twelve." The speaker built into the lift chimed up. "I- uhh... thanks? I said pressing the button labeled 'Sub-Floor 12: megaspell Chamber’. The lift descended, smooth, well maintained, until the floor counter reached twelve and after a moment the doors slid open. I stepped out into a small waiting area attached to a viewing deck. This has to be what was beyond the door the Enclave came through. I stepped through the partition. It wasn't long before I wound my way into the hall leading to the main chamber. I think it was the smell that got to me first. Whatever automated systems had been keeping this part of the building sanitary were knocked out by my EMP grenade. Stepping into the open area I took my first good look at what had become of the place. Rubble was strewn about everywhere. The whole area was dimly lit with emergency lighting which made it hard to distinguish between rubble and what could be the remains of Power Armour. The only way I knew I stumbled upon something that was once alive was my hoof slipping on the congealed blood. I corrected, my limb corrected, I corrected again, my limb corr- and I toppled to the ground. "Ah have wings you know." I chastised myself. Laying in the ichor I realized two things. The Enclave armour I was lying next to was Twisters, and that somepony had scavenged parts off of it judging by the non-scorched tool marks around the now empty mounting for the large Anti-Material Rifle. Secondly, was the tufts of orange colored fur snagged on it. Oh, that's not snagged that was plastered on... from the... Atom by atom. I started to cry, this time not for Tes, or the lives of the three other ponies I had killed, or crying for Joules whom was now forced to brave the wastes because of my actions. No, as I lay there matting my coat with my own days old blood, I cried for myself, because I had come so close, after all I've been through, to dying alone. ____________________________________________________________________________ Footnote: Maximum Level Reached New Perk: Cybernetics: You’ve made permanent enhancements to your body! The Cyborg perk instantly adds +10% to your Damage, Poison, and Radiation Resistances, and 10 points to the Magical Beam Weapon skill. ((Authors Note: Here we are once again, another chapter down many many more to go. As always Kkat and Somber have my undying love for creating and expanding upon this universe respectively. Huge thanks as always to my co-writer The Wiseless Stallion for adding to the creativity of this project. To my editors and pre-readers; frozenpyro71, Istalir, KaraSkakalac, and That Awesome Brony Guy for spending hours of their time working on making this as polished as possible. And most importantly to you for taking the time to read this story.))