Half-Life: Collision

by DirtyBlue929

Arcane Materials

Phase Ray’s tram car slowed to a halt alongside the Sector C platform. A cyan-coated earth pony in a security uniform and vest made his way to the door, a smile plastered on his face. Strapped to his side was a metal harness that housed a standard-issue security pistol, with a complicated reloading mechanism underneath him. A trigger mechanism jutted out in front of his left foreleg. The weapon harness was designed to allow non-gryphons or unicorns to utilize modern weaponry, and was standard issue for most security, police, and military forces that included pegasi and earth ponies.

“Mornin’ Phase!” he called out, cheery as usual.

Phase sighed, forcing a smile onto her face.

“Good morning, Officer Ricochet,” she replied, unable to bring any semblance of enthusiasm to her voice.

Ricochet simply grinned as he flipped the lock on the tram off with his forehoof.

“Looks like you’re-”

“Yes, Ricochet,” Phase Ray interrupted, frustration building, “I am well aware of the fact that I’m late.”

Ricochet chuckled, allowing the door to slide open.

“Aw, don’t worry about it. We’ve been having plenty of problems this morning, I doubt you bein’ late’s gonna make things any worse.”

Phase stepped out of the tram, walking alongside Ricochet to the Sector C airlock. As they reached the door, Ricochet stepped to the side, peering into the retinal scanner lock.

“Hey,” he said, “If it makes you feel better, I hear Spark’s gonna be a lot later than you.”

Phase perked up at this. Spark Plug was a recent hire, and made a habit of kissing up to her and the other science team members. He was kind of a joke around the office- no matter what was asked of him, Spark Plug would do his best to get it done, no matter how absurd, and he was never late. If he, of all ponies, was somehow not on time for the test, things were probably more hectic than she thought.

How that was a good thing was beyond her, but at least she wasn’t the only one making mistakes.

“Yeah,” Ricochet sighed, “Poor kid took the wrong tram. Last I heard he’s scramblin’ through the offices upstairs, tryin’ to get down here.”

A shrill beep from the retinal scanner signalled the airlock door to open. Ricochet turned to Phase and gave a quick salute.

“Well, go get ‘em Doc.”

“Thank you, Ricochet,” she sighed, stepping into the airlock.

“Oh! Hey, if you see Smash, remind him to meet me at the hazard course once my shift’s over,” Ricochet called out to Phase as the door closed, “I got a score to settle!”

Phase chuckled, in spite of herself. Atom Smash and Ricochet had a bit of a rivalry between them, made worse by Smash being one of Sector C’s lead scientists, a position that may as well have included a weak physical constitution as a job requirement. Naturally, it embarrassed Ricochet to no end that he and Smash were perpetually tied for 10th place on the Hazard Course speed record.

Phase contemplated as the outer airlock door locked into place. Things were actually going fairly well, in spite of her being late. Maybe she had been overreacting on the train. It wasn’t too much of an issue anyway, if Spark Plug was late- he was the one they were putting in the chamber, after all.

She looked up to greet Buckshot, the pegasus guard who operated the inner airlock, smiling slightly.

He smiled back, then raised an eyebrow, before finally scowling.

“Aw, come on! You ditched the bowtie?”

He fluttered over to the inner door controls, frowning.

“Sellout,” he muttered, slamming his hoof down on the button.

Phase’s smile flipped upside down.

‘Nope, I’m still doomed.’

Gordon walked into the locker room, keeping his pace brisk and his expression blank, hoping to avoid the wrath of Doctor Magnusson- how was Gordon supposed to know the microwave had been set on ‘high’? The cream-on-white color scheme of the room was dull as usual, and most of the lockers remained shut. A quick glance to the right revealed Doctor Tanner fiddling with his shoelaces, frowning.

“Why do we all have to wear these ridiculous ties?” Tanner moaned.

Gordon paid him no mind as he slipped off his lab coat, headed for his locker.

“And these ludicrous pennyloafers!”

Gordon hung his coat on the side of his locker, undoing his tie.

“Triple-pleated khakis?” Tanner scoffed, “Preposterous!”

Gordon finished changing into his tight undershirt and boxers, ready to gear up for the test.

“I swear, no one here has an eye for fashion!”

As he turned around, Tanner looked to him, rubbing his bald head.

“Does this labcoat make me look... fat?”

Gordon rolled his eyes at his co-worker’s antics, heading off to the far end of the locker room to the HEV storage chambers.

He turned to the three chambers, noticing his was the only one remaining. He silently thanked the random number god for that- he and Gina weren’t on speaking terms at the moment. Having to change together would be more than a bit awkward. He made a mental note to see if Barney would be willing to talk to her for him- he had experience with that kind of thing, what with Lauren and all.

The stasis chamber hissed as Gordon pressed his thumb into the scanner, the computer confirming his identity at a painfully slow pace. Eventually, the glass doors slid apart, revealing the Mark IV HEV suit in all its glory.

Its bright, orange glory.

“Ah, I remember my days in the Hazardous Environment suit.”

Gordon’s head spun back at Tanner’s voice. The guy had a habit of sneaking up on people and ambushing them into a conversation, a trap Gordon refused to fall into. Shaking his head once again, Gordon headed down the short stairway to retrieve his suit.

“Of course, back then it was the Mark III...”

Gordon slipped into the lower portion of the suit, clamping it into place behind his legs.

“Mind you, the base color wasn’t so... loud.”

Gordon smirked at the comment as he pulled his gloves on, the color being one thing the two could agree on.

“And the helmet wasn't ventilated... or optional...”

That reminded Gordon- he needed to get his helmet back from repairs. The faceplate was a mess after what had happened last month on the hazard course.

The suit beeped, signaling that it was now ready for use. The mechanical, female voice of the HEV’s onboard monitoring system began listing off the various systems being engaged, none of which Gordon had ever needed to use. He stepped back up, nodding to Tanner as he passed.

“I will admit,” Tanner said with a smirk that Gordon found more than a little creepy, “That suit certainly... flatters your fundament.”

Gordon did a double-take at the comment, noting that Tanner’s eyes were focused uncomfortably low.

Gordon quickened his pace, leaving the room without a word.

Phase trotted down the hallways of the testing area, hoping to reach the control room before anyone noticed she was late- an unlikely scenario, but she had to keep hope. One of the security guards, a Gryphon who Phase had yet to learn the name of, tried to strike up a conversation, but barely managed to get past, “Hey, doc,” before Phase Ray sped past him. She rounded a corner, took the elevator down, and finally reached the door of the control room.

A middle-aged Gryphon scientist stood waiting for her- or Spark Plug, or any number ponies who were late for the test.

“Ah, Phase Ray. How kind of you to join us today,” he snarked, looking over a clipboard in his claws.

“I’m so sorry, Doctor Hawkeye,” she panted, mind racing, “There was a system crash in my dormitory, and my alarm clock wasn’t working, and...”

Doctor Hawkeye’s cold stare shut her up.

“I don’t care for your excuses, Phase Ray. We can’t afford any more delays- not with the administrator breathing down our necks like this.”

“Calm down, Doctor,” came a soft voice from behind a computer terminal, above which various clipboards floated in a shimmering purple light, “Administrator Ironhoof will understand- and so will I.”

The Gryphon sighed, rolling his eyes.

“Thank you, Professor Sparkle, but I don’t think he’s as forgiving as you seem to think he is...”

“Oh, hush,” the voice repeated, “It’s a simple sample analysis. I’m sure he can wait.”

On cue, the source of the voice rose from behind the terminal. A purple unicorn in a lab coat, with an immaculately maintained mane of a darker purple than her coat, save for a single pink streak running through it.

Phase Ray’s eyes widened, and her mouth hung open.

“T- Twilight Sparkle?”

Phase Ray couldn’t believe it. Princess Celestia’s Protege, one of Equestria’s foremost experts on the arcane, and the Element of Magic herself- Twilight Sparkle- was here, at White Canyon. Phase had idolized Sparkle ever since her days at Celestia’s Academy, and had a collection of scientific journals published by the illustrious mare. And she was here. In Sector C.

“It- It’s an honor, Professor, but why are you... here?”

On any other day, Phase would have fainted right there. Between the stress of being late and the exhaustion of galloping all the way to the control room from the front desk, she could only stare in awe.

“Uh, I’m here to oversee the test?” Sparkle nervously chuckled, “The Princess was impressed by your recent findings. She asked me to join your team for the time being.”

“Ah- I...” Phase Ray stammered, “I... wasn’t aware.”

Hawkeye glared at her.

“I sent a message down to the front desk an hour ago.”

Ah, that explained it. The security officer at the front desk, one Buckshot Steel, had mentioned that a recent system crash had erased several messages for her.

“No matter,” Hawkeye groaned, holding his clipboard out to Phase Ray, “There have been some last minute adjustments to the test parameters- go down and set the dampening fields to these specifications.”

Phase nodded, telekinetically taking the clipboard. She quickly glanced over it, cocking an eyebrow.

“65 percent... isn’t that a bit low?”

“These instructions came directly from the Administrator,” Hawkeye growled, “If you have a problem, take it up with him. After the test.”

“Right,” Phase gulped, nodding.

Hurriedly moving for the door at the opposite end of the control room, she paused for a moment as she passed Professor Sparkle.

“I’ll be honored to, uh, work with you, Professor,” she stammered, a nervous grin on her face.

“The pleasure is all mine, Doctor Phase Ray,” she replied with a friendly smile.

With that, Phase scrambled out of the door, her heart racing. She was going to be working with Twilight Sparkle. The Twilight Sparkle. This was going to be the Best. Day. Ever.

Phase practically skipped down the hallways to the damping field controls, not a care in the world at that point. As she approached, she caught sight of a red-orange earth pony stallion in a lab coat with a long, ragged mane that stood out from the other scientists. He glanced towards her, giving a large grin, and chuckling.

“Well, you’re lookin’ happier than a parasprite in harvest season this mornin’, Phase!”

Doctor Atom Smash was a living contradiction. Born and raised on a farm west of Dodge Junction, he spent much of his childhood doing manual labor. Despite this, he had an incredible intelligence, and often found himself reading scientific journals and teaching himself from them.

“Good morning to you too, Smash,” Phase giggled in response, “How are things going down here?”

“‘Bout as good as they can get, given the circumstances,” Atom Smash worriedly replied, shaking his head, “Ah swear, we’re pushin’ our gear to the limit with this test.”

When he came of age, Smash graduated from the Manehattan Institute of Technology with a PhD in Theoretical Physics, and was quickly offered a teaching job at the university, all the while retaining his rustic, country-colt mannerisms. It wasn’t long before he was recruited by the government to be a part of the White Canyon team, an offer he graciously accepted.

“Well, hopefully it’s worth it,” Phase replied, looking over her instructions.

“Ah suppose,” he sighed, “We can’t start ‘till Sparky shows up, anyways. Speakin’ of which, ah should head on up to the control room to meet him. Got some questions for Ol’ Hawkeye while Ah’m at it.”

“Well, you’d best get to that then,” Phase replied, “I have to calibrate the dampening fields anyway.”

The two offered their goodbyes, going off in opposite directions. Phase paused for a moment after Smash had left the room, before wincing.

‘Drat,’ she cursed to herself, ‘I forgot to tell him about Ricochet!’

Gordon stepped into the test chamber airlock, nodding to his two colleagues inside. The younger, Phillips, he knew, but he couldn’t for the life of him remember the name of the older one.

“I’m afraid we’ll be deviating a bit from standard analysis procedure today, Gordon,” Phillips began, stepping forward.

“I heard,” he replied simply, nodding. He wasn’t sure about the parameters for the test- the anti-mass spectrometer was rarely used at 90 percent, let alone 105. It seemed like they were pushing it.

“Yes, but with good reason,” the older scientist replied, “This is the purest sample we’ve seen yet.”

“And potentially, the most unstable,” Phillips grumbled, frowning.

“Now, now,” the elder assured him, “As long as we follow standard insertion protocols, everything will be fine.”

“I don’t see how you can say that,” Phillips sighed, “Though I will admit, the possibility of a resonance cascade scenario is extremely unlikely... I just-”

“Gordon doesn’t need to hear all this, he’s a highly trained professional!” interrupted the elder, stepping between Gordon and Phillips, “And we’ve assured Administrator Breen that nothing will go wrong?”

“... Right,” Phillips conceded, “Gordon, we have complete confidence in you.”

Gordon raised an eyebrow. Phillips didn’t exactly sound sincere.

“Well, let’s let him in now,” said the elder, stepping towards the retinal scanner.

Phillips spared Gordon a glance that told him exactly how he felt about all this, before heading to his scanner.

Gordon sighed, cracking his knuckles and tapping his foot impatiently.

Phase was headed back to the control room, having finished her calibrations. She was a tad uneasy, the excitement of meeting Twilight Sparkle of all ponies being dulled by the task at hand. Something about this test seemed... off. She couldn’t put her hoof on it, but things were just not going right, like the gods themselves were trying to prevent them from going through with this.

She shook the thought aside as Atom Smash rounded the corner, flanked by Spark Plug, his Light blue coat clashing with the orange of his HEV suit.

“Hey, Phase!” called the young colt, enthusiasm in his voice.

“Good morning, Spark Plug,” she replied, smiling faintly, before turning to Atom Smash, “Smash, I’m glad you’re here. Some of these last minute changes-”

BOOM!

Phase spun around, alarmed, as Smash and Spark Plug jumped back in surprise. A nearby piece of equipment had exploded behind them, smoke rising from its open panel as a small alarm beeped furiously.

“Hot damn!” Atom exclaimed, rushing towards it, “She’s gonna blow!”

Mind racing, Phase dashed towards the smoking panel with speed that would impress the Wonderbolts. Adrenaline rushing through her head, she flipped switches and pulled wires with a flurry of levitation magic that would have been impossible for a casual onlooker to keep up with. Finally, the smoke cleared, and the beeping came to a halt.

“There,” Phase breathed, “I shut it down.”

Atom Smash grimaced, stomping the ground with one hoof.

“What in Tartarus is goin’ on with our equipment today?” he growled.

“It... it was never meant to run like this in the first place,” Phase panted, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

Spark Plug glanced between the two, worried.

“You need any help with this?” he asked, nervously pawing at the ground with his hoof.

“Nah, we’ll take care of it,” Smash sighed, shaking his head, “Just get on down to the chamber, Sparky.”

Spark Plug looked between the two, then the broken equipment, gulping.

“Right...” he sighed, turning towards the elevator.

Phase and Smash watched him descend before turning to the panel, frowning. Cautiously, Phase flipped a single switch, only to be showered by a flurry of sparks.

Atom Smash sighed with a worried frown.

“Yep, this is gonna take a while.”

“Testing, testing...” came the nervous voice of a scientist in the control room, echoing across the Test Chamber, “Everything seems to be in order...”

“Alright Gordon,” came a deeper, more confident voice, “Your suit should keep you comfortable through all this. If you would be so kind as to climb the ladder and start the rotors, we can bring the anti-mass spectrometer to 105 percent, and keep it there until the carrier arrives.”

Gordon sighed, beginning his ascent. No turning back now, no protesting the changes. Might as well get it over with and get back to work.

He reached the top of the ladder, walking across the small catwalk to operate the control panel. He glanced at the video monitor to his left, showing the control room team waiting patiently for him to begin.

Cracking his knuckles, he flipped the primary power switch and went to work on the panel, slowly bringing the rotors up to the necessary levels.

“Very good,” cooed the scientist in the control room, “We’ll take it from here.”

And now for the fun part.

Gordon stepped away from the controls, leaning against the catwalk railing and watching the anti-mass spectrometer rumble to life.

“Power to stage one emitters in three...”

Gordon wiped a smudge off of his glasses.

“... two...”

He put a hand in front of his eyes, preparing the for the incoming light show.

“... one.”

There was a bright flash, and beams of energy sprung from the rotors to the central emitter at the top of the chamber.

“Everything seems to be in order. Stage two emitters activating... now.”

Another flash. Now, three faint beams sprang from the rotors to the analysis port, along with a larger, more coherent beam. The chamber began to rumble and vibrate, and Gordon began to carefully make his way down the ladder.

“Gordon, we cannot predict how long the system can operate at this level, nor how long the readings will take- please, work as quickly as you can.”

“Overhead capacitors to One-Oh-Five percent...”

Several lights flickered on the floor at the far end of the chamber.

“Gordon, I’ve just been informed that Doctors Cross and Green have prepared the sample,” the scientist stated, “Look to the delivery system for your specimen.”

Just as Gordon reached the area housing the delivery system, a cart rose up from the floor on a small service elevator, a small cage creating a barrier in case some clumsy soul somehow fall down the shaft.

Gordon gripped the cart handles, steeling his resolve...

“... Standard insertion for a non-standard specimen,” Professor Sparkle stated over the intercom, “Go ahead, Spark Plug. Schlomp the carrier into the analysis port.”

Atom Smash raised an eyebrow at the Professor’s choice in words, eliciting a blush from the unicorn, before Phase Ray gave him a poke in the ribs and an angry look.

“Show some respect,” she berated him in an almost inaudible whisper, before turning back to the chamber window.

Spark Plug looked up at them, giving a quick salute, then slowly began to push the cart towards the center of the anti-mass spectrometer, the orange crystal at its front seemingly glowing in the light of the chamber.

Phase Ray looked down at her console, quickly going over all of her readings, checking for any discrepancies. The entire control room was silent, on the edge of their seats. It was... unnerving.

Spark Plug was near the center of the chamber now. Phase scanned every monitor before her, sweating ever so slightly. Why was she so worried? Things were going fine so far, but with everything that happened before the test...

She looked over all of the data before her. Nothing of note so far...

Her eyes darted to the final monitor, scanning the data on it.

‘Oh, Celestia.’

She whipped around, ready to cry out for them to halt the test.

She had barely opened her mouth when the first explosion went off.

“GET HIM OUT OF THERE!”

Gordon ran for the airlock door. He didn’t know what was going on, and he didn’t care. The sample couldn’t be retrieved, not now. He had to focus on getting out.

“Attempting shutdown!” cried one of the scientists in the control room, yelling over the panicked screams of his colleagues.

The doors weren’t opening. Why wasn’t Phillips opening the door?

Gordon slammed his fists against the airlock door in a futile panic. He could hear the explosions from the spectrometer, the screams from the control room. It was chaos.

“It’s not- IT’S NOT SHUTTING DOWN! IT-”

“GET BACK!”

Without warning, Twilight Sparkle leaped onto the main console, horn alight with a brilliant glow. A purple screen of light appeared over the window just in time for a bolt of green bolt of energy to crash into it. Faster than any normal unicorn could react,Twilight shot a bright beam from her horn, enveloping the specimen in a thick purple bubble

“I’LL TRY TO CONTAIN IT!” Twilight shouted over the screams of the science team, “JUST GO!”

Phase lay on the floor, terrified. She could see Atom Smash kick open the glass door of the control room, before dashing towards her.

“GET UP! WE HAVE TO GO!”

“B- but Spark Plug...”

“DAMNIT, PHASE, AH AIN’T TAKIN’ NO FOR AN ANSWER!”

“We... we can’t leave him there...” she whimpered, unable to move.

Another explosion rocked the chamber. Phase could only stare in shock as she saw Twilight flying backwards, her horn scorched and smoking.

She could feel Atom Smash dragging her across the floor. She could barely process what she was seeing, let alone move.

She closed her eyes, letting the black void of unconsciousness consume her.

The screams from the control room had stopped. Gordon was still banging his fists on the door. He glanced back, wondering if the delivery system might offer an escape route- just in time for a bright flash of green energy to consume him.

It was dark. There was nothing. All Gordon could hear was the sound of his own labored breathing. And then...

A flash of green. He fell onto the ground, dazed.

… wait, ground?

Gordon glanced up. What he saw... he simply couldn’t comprehend.

An unfamiliar, alien sky stretched above him, nebulae and cosmic objects clearly visible. The ground was a strange kind of dirt, porous yet brittle, and in an odd yellow-brown hue.

Immediately in front of him was what looked to be water, but the creatures inside of it were something else entirely. Gordon could make out two legs, an elongated body, and what appeared to be tentacles in front of their face.

A flash. Darkness again.

Suddenly, Gordon was back in the test chamber. The same explosions and warning sirens filled the air. But something was different.

“CELESTIA AND LUNA, SOMEPONY LET ME OUT!”

A panicked wailing was coming from the airlock door, but its source was... impossible.

What appeared to be some sort of alien creature, light blue in color, was banging mercilessly on the airlock door with what appeared to be its forelegs. Barring the fact that it was speaking english, the most disturbing characteristic of the creature was its clothing.

An almost exact match to Gordon’s HEV suit. Obnoxious color and all.

The creature turned around, revealing, large, panicked eyes, and a face with what appeared to be a snout extending from it.

“WHAT IN TARTARUS?! STAY AWAY FROM ME! OH, CELESTIA, I DON’T WANNA DIE-”

The creature was cut off as a large piece of equipment fell from the ceiling, crushing it completely. Not even Gordon’s HEV could have saved him from that, and the creature’s likely wouldn’t either.

Flash. Darkness.

Gordon was in a dark room- or at least, it was probably a room, the only light coming from several strange, fungus-like growths on the ground. Suddenly, several strange creatures emerged from the shadows, bipeds with wrinkled brown skin and a single, enormous red eye. A third arm extended from their chest, and they had some sort of green... things around their neck and wrists.

They simply stared at Gordon for a few moments, as if in wonder. Then, their eyes shut, and they reached forwards, shaping their hands- all three- into a sphere, from which a green glow appeared.

Their guttural chant would be forever burned into his memory.

“Gar jung... Gar jung...”

Flash. Unconsciousness.