Summer stared down at her screen, letting the ominous message run over and over in her head. It just didn't make sense. Kate had tried to impersonate her in front of everyone after they arrived. She'd threatened a child, she'd tried to bomb the damn observatory. Maybe Corey was just wrong? Brooks had come to them first. But she had been talking to Kate too, and hadn't seemed eager to share what had been decided between them.
She's fucking dangerous, Summer responded. She didn't want to send a long message, or else attract too much attention and probably be watched by whatever camera was aimed at them. But even if they knew about this, and she wasn't really talking to Corey, it wouldn't change the message she had to send. She hadn't changed her story once, and she had no reason to. She wanted to bomb this place from the other side. She was even willing to kill a kid.
The response came instantly, which made sense given he still had fingers and hands. That's fucked up. But there were no further responses, not the rest of the night. Summer slept restlessly, trying to figure out how she could share what she knew with Sharp without being overheard. In the end she could think of only one obvious answer, though it wouldn't be nearly as effective if he was right about Kate working directly with them. She could try to deliver the message in Ponish, but Kate's was much better than hers.
In the end, she went with the simplest possible option, even easier than trying to explain it. She took the tablet into the bathroom with her, and left it on for Sharp to find. That would have to be obvious enough for him to figure out, right?
By the time they'd been up for a few hours, Sharp had gone from his usual nervous excitement to a constant agitation, glancing frequently at the doors. But whatever he was waiting for didn't come—yet.
"I don't know what's going on either," Summer whispered to him, when they were together in the kitchen. "What could she possibly be telling them to get them to overlook how obviously evil she is?"
"Nothing," Sharp answered. "That isn't how she works. We caught her off-guard when we first landed, and she tried whatever she could think of. But once she had a little time to reassess... I bet she had a backup plan in place. She must've known that she might end up back here sooner or later. By now we've triggered whatever measures she had in place. Just think about it: when we first got here, Barton knew instantly she was manipulating everypony. But we haven't seen him again, have we? Anyone who might be skeptical of her will be gone."
"This is more than making a company," she argued. "I know how bad it looks, but... she's got to fool a whole country this time. The US isn't going to give up contact with another world. It's the most important thing that could happen for any nation in a hundred years. I don't care if she was a billionaire on this side, she can't offer them anything that valuable."
Sharp didn't seem convinced. "I don't know what she did or how, but... she's tricked whole countries before. If she can fool Equestria, she can fool you."
Summer didn’t know enough to argue, so she didn't bother. Besides, the more they spoke about it, the greater the chance that Kate would discover they knew, and they'd give up the single advantage they had. At least right now, it didn't seem like she knew they knew. But we know so little about what's really going on, that she's impossible to fight! What is she using to get creatures to do what she wants? Contacts in the government, just a more convincing speaker than we are? Why would they believe an obvious liar over three creatures without an agenda, who can prove one of them is the person she claims to be?
They waited with bated breath for updates, but nothing came through official channels. Emerald paced slowly around the apartment, so bored that even the human movies didn't interest her anymore. She’d been locked in a small space too long for a child, and there was precious little to do. Maybe they could get a switch sent in or something to keep her entertained?
Near evening—or at least the time Summer guessed was evening, she noticed something on the tablet. It came the same way as before, over passive radio.
Theo, I have bad news.
This thing is deep. I wasn't sure how much I'd be able to get, but this special agent was assigned to watch me. Guy was fucking pissed about something, and it wasn't hard to get him talking. Some outside organization is taking over the whole thing, and I think they have something to do with Kate. They've got their claws in the DoD and apparently they were waiting for something exactly like this. They want to run back the clock and make it like this whole first contact just didn't happen.
How? she sent back. Are they going to hurt us?
This time she didn't have to wait for a response. But how much could they say before this was noticed? No idea. But I think we might be able to get out. Before I tell you, I need to know how things are on the other side. If we were stuck living on that side for a few years, would it be that bad?
"We". Summer stared down at the screen, turning that one over. The implications of the statement were obvious enough. Whatever way they had to get out would take Corey's help. I love it over there. You have to give up lots of technology to be on that side. If you can load some movies onto a flash drive or something that would be great. But why would you want to get involved at all? I can secure-erase my tablet here and make this conversation disappear. I could walk you through how to do it to yours.
Of course that wouldn't do a damn thing if even one other tablet on base had been left plugged in and switched on. They all picked up the passive radio signal, that was the entire point. But the military occupation didn't seem to know much about that.
It's not about telling you anything. I'm going to have to help. I have a realistic idea of how well this goes for me when this is over, assuming we don't get shot.
Summer glanced nervously around the bathroom, hunching over her screen and scanning for any camera that might be watching. So far as she could tell, this had all been set up before Kate interfered. Filming them in the bathroom probably wouldn't fly when they expected diplomats to be here, right? She should be safe.
Equestria is great. It's primitive, like I told you. But I'd definitely go there again. Safer than any city in your country.
He responded with a few stupid emoji faces, then, They're going to change custody over the observatory to private military contractors. The real soldiers are already packing up. For an hour, this place is going to be basically deserted. I'm not locked in anymore, and I have the passwords to all their hardware. Don't ask where I got them.
Summer had some idea. But it sounded like Corey didn't want to implicate whoever might be involved. There are good people everywhere, it looks like. Or maybe we've just been turned into pawns in another political power struggle.
So what's the plan?
This time the response took a little longer. Don't want to talk about it, just in case. Just be ready to leave at any moment. We're not going to let them pretend this didn't happen, Theo. I'll just need you to back me up wherever we end up.
She was trusting to Corey's interpretation of what he'd seen. For all she knew, he'd gone down some paranoid delusional rabbit-hole and none of this was really going on. Maybe the agent he'd been talking to was wrong. Maybe the real plan was to bait them into getting violent, and giving the United States an excuse. Summer thought about Ponyville's peaceful streets, and the friendship she'd received from almost every creature she met. Equestria wasn't without danger, but she didn't want to see it hurt like that.
Whatever plan you're thinking of, it can't involve hurting anyone, she said. We escape, that's it.
:>) What, did you think I was going to give your horse friends a gun? I don't even know how to use one. I'm a supervisor of an observatory, Theo. What did you think my plan was about?
She didn't respond, turning the screen back to a movie and emerging from the restroom as though she'd been watching the entire time. She made sure Sharp got his chance to see the messages there, much as she'd rather keep their dark suspicions from her companions. But as dark as the news and its implications, they needed to know just as much as she did.
At least there was nothing for them to do to prepare. They didn't even have real winter clothes, though they could survive the temperatures outside slightly better than an unprotected human. Still, Summer guessed that she'd last about an hour before she started getting frostbite in the snow, maybe less. But how long would they have to keep up the act?
There was still the chance that Brooks might return, with a news crew this time. A governor, an international science team? True, Summer probably wouldn't recognize those people any more than she had known if Brooks was actually the Secretary of State or not but the more people she saw the more legitimate it would seem.
But they didn’t receive anything like that. Someone called in the next day to let them know what Summer had already known: Corey wasn't dying in his bed of a disease that didn’t exist.
"That's great news!" she said, as enthusiastically as possible. "So we should be out of here in a few days, right? There's no reason to keep us quarantined."
"Soon," the speaker on the other line said. "Some tests take a while to come back. We have to know for certain that the volunteer isn't having a slower reaction. Once we know that, then the quarantine can end." Entirely non-committal, and of course there would be no way to test it until the date they'd been given. Not until they learned whether or not Brooks's week estimate was real would they know for sure.
But they wouldn't be left waiting for that long, because the next day Corey arrived.
It wasn't like any of the previous visits, with polite soldiers knocking on the door before introducing themselves and asking for permission to enter.
First the lights went out, and with them the constant heat blasting in from vents all over the room. It didn't get instantly cold, though the sudden silence was enough to make Emerald squeal with discomfort. All the appliances were electric, but at least Summer could flick on the tablet for light. There was only one new message waiting in the radio section when she turned to it: on my way.
"I'm at a loss to just how much Kate has managed to corrupt," Sharp said, moving in close to her. "Our world and yours? But how did she do it from a cage?"
"I don't think it can be just her." Summer pushed over a table, then the chairs one by one, turning the room into a minefield of obstructions that would make it difficult for any intruder to navigate. "Even if she was the one using Equestria for personal gain, big things like this take lots of hands. Hands willing to risk ruining our relationship with a whole new planet of potential allies and friends."
"Or who were trying to ruin your relationship," Sharp said. "I never felt like I really knew Kate, but one thing I'm absolutely certain about is the honesty of her goals. She really did want to keep travelers from crossing. It was a fervor I would suggest borders on the manic."
Something rattled in the snow outside. Emerald huddled close to Sharp, whispering something in Ponish. Summer didn't have a clue what it was, but the terror was obvious enough. And how could she blame her? And here's some black-budget contractors here to make us disappear. Erase the whole thing, like it never happened. Corey was too late.
The door rattled, then swung open a crack. Only the aurora shone in the darkness behind, a swirling storm of blues and greens. The figure wasn't wearing armor, or even the clear facemask of the more conventional biohazard suit. "Time to go boys," Corey said, not even stepping all the way in. "We've got maybe eight minutes before the breakers can run a full cycle. We've got to be through the control room and gone again before that happens."
He had a handgun gripped awkwardly in one hand, not pointing at them. But otherwise, he seemed almost enthusiastic.
"You're certain of your suspicions, human Corey?" Sharp asked. "If we leave with you... it will spoil any impression that we're treating our hosts with trust and respect."
Corey nodded in his oversized arctic gear. "Pretty damn sure, horse guy. Even if I hadn't overheard them talking, or got the confession from one of the spooks who started this investigation months ago. They just didn't give a shit about studying me. I'm the first one to come in contact with an alien race, that they think is going to make the world sick... but they didn't even send in a nurse to pretend to take my vitals. This whole thing is someone else's joke. I'm winter crew, I'm the only one allowed to make myself into a punchline."
Summer touched Emerald once on the shoulder, then made her way to the doorway. "I trust Corey. We should act on this opportunity while we have the chance. You cycled base power in the middle of winter, Corey? You're getting fired for sure."
"Fired," he repeated, as though the word was entirely foreign to him. "Let's try not getting fired upon. I’ll take what I can get." He pointed, though Summer already knew where they'd be going. In all the new buildings around the grounds, only one thing could be a "control room". It looked more like a temporary airport control tower rising above observatory grounds. If the view wasn't enough, it was also the only place with any lights on. Those gigantic conduits ran directly into it, then up towards the tower.
Our ticket home, if we can make it.
They ran. Well, two of them ran, Summer flopped along through the snow, and Emerald glided over it all like it was nothing. but basically they ran.
"They really just left the observatory undefended?" Summer asked, incredulous. "There were so many military people here before!" It was hard to tell in the gloom, but the bright temporary lights in the nearby clearings were gone. There were no more headlights, no more APCs. "That seems really fucking stupid."
"It's probably part of their handover plan!" Corey called back. "Barton called it plausible deniability. Though he also thought they might just be about to bomb the place with us still inside. Don't want to lose any of their own men. But... we aren't alone. Your friend the bird is here, along with a dozen creepy-looking dudes in suits. I hope they're having fun with all the automatic doors while we're power-cycling."
He laughed, but Summer didn't. It was true the observatory mostly used heavy airlock-style doors to retain heat, and to allow individual sections to retain temperature while empty ones were cooled to ambient. But they weren’t security bulkheads on a starship, they were just heavy metal. They could all be opened with enough force.
"That's not going to hold them inside for long. What's our plan if they follow us?"
Corey held up the gun, which was already covered in a thin layer of frost. "Hopefully they think it's just a power failure and they go for the generator first! I haven't shot a gun since the boy scouts! And... never a handgun."
Our fantastic rescuer doesn't know how to use his weapon. Perfect.
They reached the steps, a set of temporary metal running up the side of the building to the door. Summer and the ponies had to jump between them, since they were much too far apart to be comfortably scaled.
"Getting out of here isn't even the clever part!" Corey continued. "We're about to Edward Snowden the shit out of this." He flashed a USB stick, which was far less intimidating to them than the gun. "Little bird gave me this. While we're switching the experiment back on, we're going to borrow the fiber to dump it all over the internet. How many people do you think they can buy?"
"Not that many." They reached the door, and Corey shoved his shoulder up against it. Once, twice, then the flimsy metal gave out, and they crashed into the control room.
Screens flashed and glowed, filled with power data and feedback from the aurora experiment. Much of it looked familiar to Summer, albeit scaled up beyond anything she'd seen in the funding proposals for the original experiment.
Corey pointed down to the end of the room, to a set of shut double doors. There was only darkness on the other side—for now. "Hey, horse guy? Could you start piling up some furniture while we figure this out? If anyone tries to come up here, let's make them go around."