//------------------------------// // Chapter Seventy Nine: Don't let the bedbugs... // Story: We don't go to Sub-Level Five // by RadBunny //------------------------------// Sassi finally pulled away, but Astral saw that the familiar, hopeful gleam in her eye was far more prominent than before. “Your bangs are coming in nicely, by the way,” he said with a grin. “Looks good.” He winced as she glared at him. “What?” She trotted over and very gently poked him in the chest. “You are making it far too hard to not kiss you for the next hour,” she grumbled, snagging the RASP helmet and putting it on. “Uh, that makes it sound like I’d object? I mean, maybe the reactor needs a boost?” A soft giggle, and then a frustrated huff was Sassi’s reply. “It’s good to have you back, Astral,” she said. “I’m just going to check the barricade. The freaky creatures are the ones who killed the power. Considering they nearly killed you too, we’ll burn this entire floor when we leave. Until then, we need to make sure they don’t try anything funny.” Astral blinked. “Ok. I’ll…uh, be here.” Sassi vanished from view for a minute or two, but she quickly returned with a familiar, battered helmet. “My helmet isn’t as new as the RASP, but it has a radio. I was using it for motion detection,” she explained. “Now that you’re up, we each should have a radio.” “Sounds good to me. Especially since moving uh, isn’t really possible for me right now,” Astral admitted. His cheeks bulged, and the stallion abruptly vomited up a disturbing amount of black tar. “Urg. Ok…didn’t expect that. How is there so much of it?!” Sasi was at his side immediately, visor flipped up as looked at him in concern. “How are you feeling, Astral? I’m surprised you’re as lucid as you are.” He stared at her, coughing up some more tar. “That’s…not a comforting answer, Sas,” Astral muttered. His ears perked up on seeing Sassi’s face flush with a blush. “What?” “You called me ‘Sas’.” “Erm, sorry,” he said sheepishly. “Is that the first time I did that?” “Second, or third I think.” Astral wasn’t entirely sure whether Sassi was mad at him or not, but those thoughts vanished as she reached up and squeezed his hoof. “No apologies needed. I like it. Just…may take some getting used to.” “I can seriously just not call-” “I’ve never had a nickname before, Astral. Not from somepony I care about.” That shut the stallion up, and he laughed. “Duly noted. So, is this permission to continually flirt with you?” Sassi’s deadpan expression made Astral laugh again, especially as her eyes pointedly drifted to the two glowing dynamos on Astral’s backpack. “Sooooo that’s yes?” “It’s always been a yes,” Sassi sighed. “At least you’re not using the other name for me.” His head tilted, the Thestral’s ears perking up adorably. “Huh?” “I’ll tell you later. But this is a new step for me. May take some getting used to, even if I like it.” Another hacking cough, but Astral managed to smile as he wiped away the tar from his mouth. “You’re, um, a bit more open about all of this. Is…that a good thing?” he asked, a bit cautious. Considering what Sassi had been through, and how reserved she had been prior, this was certainly a development. She trotted over and gently placed a hoof on his chest. “It’s a very good thing. I’ve had a lot of time to think, y’know,” Sassi admitted. “It’ll all come crashing down, more likely than not. So…just please be patient with me.” “Some of the best things are worth waiting for. You included,” he said with a cheesy smile. It was ruined as he vomited up some more tar with a wince. “Urg. Mood killer. Starting to not feel so great. Really tired.” “Then rest, Astral. I’m here.” I don’t want to. He could see the turmoil in Sassi’s eyes. It was hidden behind the affection, but there was a lot of fear. “Will you be ok?” he asked softly, and she nodded. “I’ll manage.” Astral let his eyes drift closed with a cough, the stallion wincing and curling up. A foil blanket was draped over him, Sassi giving him a gentle touch on the shoulder. “Welcome back, Astral. I’ll be here when you wake up.” As he drifted off, he somehow knew Sassi was smiling, a hoof gently resting on his cheek. Astral now being out cold again gave Sassi a few moments to think. Before anything else, there was one primary issue. “When can Astral move?” she asked the AI. ‘Within 12 hours, suit-assisted movement is possible without compromising healing status. Limited to thirty minutes of slow walking. Movement not advised until then.’ “Suit assisted?” ‘RASP armor can function as an independent exoskeleton supporting the user, if normal motion is not possible, another mode requires needing only a fraction of normal input to engage motion.’ Well, that would be interesting. With the lights out, it made Sassi’s nerve fray. The emergency bulbs occasionally flickered, and the entire location now felt more foreboding than even remotely safe. They’d have to move eventually. As to when, that depended on a few things. But more importantly, Astral was ok. She gave him the regular injection, carefully replacing the syringes. Her eyes drifted to the supplemental medical pack. Fifteen percent?! “Why are the foam and medications so low? The last report said it would last longer!” she growled into the helmet. ‘Unforeseen hemorrhaging required use of vita-foam. Additional antibiotics needed to stave off infection from fused crystals.’ “How long do we have until it’s all empty?!” ‘Unknown.’ “Are there any more of these refills within range?” ‘No. Data suggests potential supply locations are in medical bays or high-risk areas.’ Their moving schedule just got bumped to top priority. “Well, scan for other supplemental cartridges and medical bays. And tell me what I need to do to make Astral ready to move.” ‘Acknowledged.’ The next few hours were a flurry of activity. Dismantling one of the other medical beds to attach the crystals to Astral’s armor, and then packing what few supplies Sassi deemed useful into their saddlebags. She also put the armor back on the stallion, sans helmet of course. It was fully active and ready to move if needs be. The shield systems were also fully charged, along with the miniguns. Apparently love could be used to forge bullets. The mare briefly entertained the idea of putting that as a framed quote in her room… Ok, more like seriously entertaining. ‘This bullet forged with love.’ ….That sounds more like a threat. There was also another project the mare embarked on, with the help of the AI. There had been some spare tanks used for oxy-acetylene welding in the storage locker, back near the main blast door. As the mare slotted the makeshift flamethrower onto her side saddle, she grinned as the targeting reticle popped up on the RASP helmet. Trotting out past the barricade, Sassi sent a stream of flame towards one of the oddly-untouched Fony corpses. The entire corridor lit up with a bright light, Sassi smirking behind the visor. There was a bonus of facing fleshy fungus monsters. They were highly flammable.