//------------------------------// // Chapter Five: Sub-Level Five // Story: We don't go to Sub-Level Five // by RadBunny //------------------------------// Oxygen flooded into the elevator as Astral staggered out, dragging the sled of tanks behind him as he tore off the mask. Shutting off the tank, the stallion adjusted the crossbow on his forelimb and tried to stop his legs from shaking. What was that?! Seeing a piece of the threat made things both better, and infinitely worse. On the plus side, Astral knew his gut had been right and he wasn’t crazy. On the downside, there was something here that could tear through metal and concrete. Dragging the sled to the entrance of the elevator and stairway room, Astral carefully poked his head around the corner. The walls here were a bit cracked but otherwise intact. A cautious investigation down the hallway to the left revealed another supply closer (but no oxygen or useable items) and the right led to a massive room with generators. Astral noted that the tiles seemed significantly worn on the right side, so that is where he dragged the sled, following the hallway to the metal catwalk that spanned the room. The catwalk that led off to the right in the room hugged the wall, leading to a smaller, elevated room that was dwarfed by the other equipment. On the left and right were generators the size of small houses, flywheels spinning slowly. Overhead lights occasionally flickered, Astral pausing in the monitoring station. Aside from refilling some water bottles, it offered nothing of use. Half of the board was covered in green lights, the other half in red. Astral assumed red meant bad. A brief pause and off he went again. The sooner he could leave the creature and the unfeeling computer-mare behind him, the better. The fact that there was a dark spot at the edge of one of the generators made him move all the faster. He wasn’t sure if it was another hole in the floor, but the bat-pony wasn’t about to find out. At least the ceiling was clear as far as he could tell. “Evaluating Level Four containment measures. Stand by.” “Oh, sod off, Lady!” Astral huffed, picking up the pace as he traversed the catwalk. There was light at the end of it; the catwalk leading into a room set into the wall with windows. At least these windows weren’t covered in blood. It appeared to be an employee lounge; snacks and water went into the saddle bags (which were now fairly full) and a single hallway led to a bathroom and another, long hall. The longer hall was a bit of a trek, with no windows on either side, just a path burrowing into the solid rock. It quickly opened up into a branch. The left one led to some large supply rooms (which appeared to be spare parts for the generators, electrical gadgets, and so forth) and then to the right, a large door. Pausing at the massive, arch-like entrance, Astral blinked in surprise. The door was heavily armored, metal-clad, and not about to budge. There was no doorknob, only a keypad and ID card scanner. Fishing out his personal card, Astral gave it a shot; and to nopony’s surprise, it blinked red. “Hmm.” Ledger’s ID card also didn’t work, so the bat-pony tried the only other tool he had. ‘0…3...2…4...0’ The keypad blinked green, a familiar mare’s voice speaking far too happily then sounding. “Please use ID card for administrator access pairing.” Pairing? Trying his own ID card, Astral was genuinely shocked as the arch glowed a soft green. “ID Card for Astral. Sentinel. Paired with Administrator level override code, confirmed. Welcome, Astral.” The massive door slid open, and the Thestral tugged his supplies inside, watching as it closed soundlessly behind him. “So, I’m an administrator now? Somehow I don’t think I want that promotion.” The immediate room was far too cheery; cream archways well-lit with dark-green couches, a snack bar, and even a television. It was an employee lounge for creatures far above Astral’s already-generous pay grade. “S.L Four-point-five, quite a maintenance floor indeed,” he muttered, cautiously checking each side door. Bathrooms, conference rooms, offices; it’s what he’d expect a high-rise skyscraper to look like. Even fake windows shimmered with artificial scenery. He didn’t stop for too long, however, tugging the oxygen sled along the spotless white tiles down the central hallway. Sure enough, it led to another set of elevators. While they appeared identical to the others, Astral noted the doors were significantly thicker, and the interior appeared almost armored. He paused for a good long moment on seeing the floor selection, however. There was only one, the number softly glowing above another ID card scanner and keypad. Sub-Level 5. Astral stared at the number. It was one thing to know there was more than meets the eye to the facility, but like the monster, it was another thing to see it. Sub-Level Five most certainly existed, and apparently, it was the only place Astral could go. “Level Four containment measures authorized. Commencing immediate detonation of SL Three, Four, and Four-point-five,” a familiar, fiendish voice echoed through invisible loudspeakers. ‘Detonation’ wasn’t a term Astral wanted used to describe anywhere he currently was, so he hauled in the oxygen tanks, put on the mask, and tapped in the code on the nearest elevator. His ID badge caused a green confirmation light to flash, and the elevator immediately dropped. The ride was a long one, and while it was smooth, Astral had a feeling they were moving fast. The stop was almost imperceptible, but the barely-detectible rumble overhead indicated that even the explosion of three basement floors didn’t so much as phase this one. “Welcome, to SL-5.” Stepping out of the elevator with the spare tanks, Astral paused to immediately look around. For all intents and purposes, it looked like a normal office. It was massive, hundreds of typical office cubicles with computers and magical doo-dads glowing in crystal lights. The fact a moth fluttered in front of his face made Astral cautiously take off the SCBA, relieved the air seemed fresh. In fact, it smelled fantastic, as if it was piped from a mountainside. For a secretive floor that shouldn’t exist, it was remarkably cozy and welcoming. Emblazoned on the welcoming archway was some odd lettering, however. ‘Welcome to Sub-Level 5, Silo 1.’ “Silo One?” Astral muttered, his thoughts interrupted by a familiar voice. “Level Four Containment measures successful. Level Five measures remaining on standby. Thank you for your sacrifice.” “You are not invited to my funeral, lady,” Astral proclaimed. Clearly, the computer was targeting that…thing. And if it was buried under a hundred tons of rock? All the better! As he wandered the office, Astral noted that, like the above-ground cubical, there were signs of a frantic exit. Spilled coffee, microwave meals still on the counter; they had all left in a hurry. A brief look around indicated that aside from a large employee lounge, there wasn’t much left on this level. Another hallway led to more elevators, but Astral left those alone for now. There were some scattered folders the Thestral snagged; they looked a bit important, so that could be some reading material for later. But he quickly found that moving was increasingly difficult. His limbs finally gave out, the bat-pony shrugging off the heavy saddlebags and SCBA unit. The mental and emotional weight came crashing down onto his shoulders, the Guard treating himself to a few microwaved meals and some fresh fruit. Securing the supplies, he barely was able to flop onto the couch before passing out. The door was, of course, locked and barricaded, the SCBA unit and crossbow within reach. But the Thestral could barely keep his eyes open as he curled into a ball. Maybe when he woke up, he’d be back in his apartment. Unseen by the Thestral, a small, dome-like protrusion rotated, red light blinking softly. The video feed traveled along the miles of wires, finally relaying the image of the slumbering pony to a brightly lit monitor. On seeing his various supplies and exhausted demeanor, the viewer let out a soft huff. “Huh. I wonder how you got down here? I don’t recognize you. Hmm. I wonder if you’re a good pony or a bad one? I guess I’ll find out soon enough…assuming you live that long. I hope you do.”