Hecate's Orphanage

by BlackRoseRaven

Curious Assistance

Chapter Forty Two: Curious Assistance
~BlackRoseRaven

Cadence rubbed absently at her aching wing: it still hurt like hell from when Moonflower's magic had backfired, faint burns still visible in her flesh. She grimaced a bit as she flicked her wings a few times, before quickly furling them when Moonflower turned towards her, doing her best to hide her discomfort as she smiled at him lamely.

He only glanced away after a moment, rubbing slowly at one foreleg before he made an odd rolling gesture with his back, then he simply hung his head as Cadence softened. She recognized that movement: he was trying to shift a wing that was no longer there forward, so he could play with the feathers. But he had given those wings up, to save their lives. Not once, either, but twice...

Cadence hesitated as she looked around quickly, but Thorn was still doing something with the computer he and Muse had managed to get working, and Necrophage was trundling up and down the hall outside, moving debris out of the way: whoever had sealed this room off had also collapsed part of the hall, meaning they were likely pretty serious about keeping them out of this facility. It also meant that someone had known they were likely to try and enter through this route, which Cadence thought was much more worrisome.

If Thorn was concerned, however, he wasn't showing it: not that she would expect him to, of course. Thorn wasn't exactly big on broadcasting his thoughts or emotions, after all. But she thought he was working a little faster than usual, like he was trying to hurry things along.

She watched him as he paged through holographic screens, his eyes narrowed as he concentrated on the task at hoof. His eyes roved over the accumulated data, his expression tense as he sorted through the data he could access.

Thorn dismissed the holographic screen after a few more moments, shaking his head briefly before he turned towards Cadence and said quietly: “Alright. It looks like quite a few of the systems are up and running. More than we originally expected, at least. We'll have to be extremely cautious.”

Cadence frowned a bit at this, asking: “Were you able to find out anything else from the computer? I mean, I assume you were probably data mining, right?”

“As much as was safe, yes. But all I did was ping the network and decode the response data, so I don't know entirely what we're up against.” Thorn shook his head slowly, and then he continued: “All I know for sure is that we're dealing with someone who understands how Clockwork technology works, and furthermore, the tactics that Decretum uses.”

The ivory mare nodded slowly, and then Muse glanced up and added with a small smile: “But we haven't been detected yet, and there are no hostile biorhythms near by. We will have to be very careful, of course, but...”

Muse suddenly halted, then frowned as she looked at the doorway, Thorn immediately turning his attention to the opening in the wall before Necrophage leapt through with a wheeze, visibly wincing as she blurted: “Contagium!”

“Muse!” Thorn said sharply, and Muse hurried forwards as her horn and eyes began to glow, the crystalline orb flying off the ground to orbit quickly around her as her powers thrummed through the room.

Cadence and Moonflower both winced and stumbled quickly away from the door, watching as chitinous, scorpion-like Contagium leapt in through the doorway, then thankfully halted, the swarm of nasty, hoof-sized parasites pausing and rocking back and forth on their pointy legs, their deadly, toxic tails waving back and forth slowly in the air above their heads. Cadence shivered a little in revulsion as the sight of these creatures: the Contagium were a parasite used to spread the Clay of Prometheus, and they could be extremely hostile when they weren't under psychic control. If one of them stung them...

Necrophage had run over to Thorn and was almost quivering behind him, while Muse breathed slowly in and out, her eyes narrowed slightly as she tilted her head back and forth, and the scorpion-like parasites mimicked her movements. She bit her lip, then murmured softly: “Strange... they have no master. They have built a hive here, gone feral...”

“We can't assume that they blocked this area off just to quarantine the Contagium. Considering the defenses, it's more likely that they left the Contagium here as a trap.” Thorn said quietly as he strode up beside Muse, and then he asked quietly: “Can you read their minds while retaining control?”

“No... too feral. And there are more than a dozen of them and more, crawling, crawling in the walls, all full of animal thoughts, with no memories, just... instincts, and flashes.” Muse shivered a little, and then she closed her eyes and whispered: “Protolea could understand them, but I cannot.”

“That's okay.” Thorn said with surprising gentility, and then he ordered, quiet and almost gentle: “Make them kill themselves.”

Cadence looked up in surprise as Moonflower winced a little, but Muse only nodded slowly before she straightened and took a slow breath. And after a few moments, Muse slowly leaned forwards, and her horn pulsed before the Contagium reacted by raising their tails, then plunging them viciously down through their own backs.

Most of them died after only the first strike, squealing as black blood spurted from their bodies, but others stabbed relentlessly, continuing to pierce and pummel their own bodies long after they were dead. Muse whimpered a little, legs quavering as she forced the parasites to exterminate themselves, before she finally gasped and staggered backwards, but Thorn caught her gently and whispered something soothing to her, the psychic slowly relaxing as she shivered a bit, her glass orb silently orbiting her and Thorn, then Necrophage as well when her sister hurried up to her side to hug her comfortingly.

Thorn gently pulled away from the Replicant after a moment to stride forwards to the doorway, before he glanced up as Moonflower asked disbelievingly: “That... was that really...”

“Yes. It was the cleanest, most effective way to deal with an immediate and present danger.” Thorn stated, shaking his head briefly before he simply stepped into the passage beyond, and Moonflower mouthed wordlessly as Cadence shifted awkwardly, even as the Swan gave an almost approving twist inside of her.

Thorn reentered the room after a moment with a nod, saying calmly: “The area ahead seems clear and we should be able to move forward. Power still seems to be active in this zone, so we should be able to access the maintenance ducts and move deeper into the base without detection.”

The others nodded, even as Moonflower shifted almost uncomfortably, but Thorn only looked over the group before he gestured at them to follow, saying calmly: “Let's move.”

Muse and Necrophage were both quick to follow Thorn into the hall. Moonflower stared after them almost uncomprehendingly, until Cadence sighed and walked over to gently tug him up, saying quietly: “Come on, let's go.”

“I don't...” Moonflower shook his head, biting his lip before he lowered his head silently. “Yes, you're right. Have to be professional and all that, right?”

“Don't mix up professional and private lives, Moonflower. You know Thorn is just... very good at keeping those separate.” Cadence reassured, as she gently nudged Moonflower forward, and Moonflower gave a hesitant half-smile before he nodded slowly and headed for the doorway.

He and Cadence stepped into the hallway to find Muse waiting for them, the Replicant bowing her head politely before she said softly: “Prince Thorn and my sister have gone on ahead to find an open duct. He was concerned you both needed time to recover.”

Moonflower lowered his head embarrassedly, but Cadence only shook her head as she gently patted Thorn on the back, replying kindly: “We're okay, Muse. We just needed a moment to... get our heads back in the game. Usually... I guess it's hard for me to not be the leader, and this is a lot different from the usual... run in and kill everyone thing I usually do.”

Muse smiled a little at this, nodding once before she replied quietly: “I understand. Sometimes I feel hesitance and fear. I don't understand why, but I don't question the value of my programming: I simply respond to it and do my best to keep in mind that... even these things have their reasons.”

“A season for all things.” Cadence said before she could stop herself, and Moonflower looked at her quizzically as Muse smiled again. “Sorry. It's from a poem. Sort of. One of Daddy's explanations for things.”

“Sombra, yes. He's always so wise. I wish he was here with us.” Moonflower said softly, and Cadence couldn't help but agree before she looked up as Muse politely cleared her throat.

“We should follow the others if you've returned to operative status.” she said softly, and Cadence couldn't help but smile a little at this: it seemed like no matter what happened, there would still always be ways in which the Replicants would remain different, she thought.

Cadence gestured to Muse to lead the way, and she and Moonflower followed after the Replicant as she turned to head down the corridor. It only took them a few minutes to catch up to Thorn, who was standing down the hall in front of a wall hatch that had been pried open.

He glanced up as they approached, giving them a brief nod, and Moonflower nodded awkwardly back with a small smile before the black unicorn asked hesitantly: “Do you... need us to do anything?”

Thorn looked at them for a few moments, and then he gave a quick nod before pointing at the debris-strewn hall behind him: these ugly cement corridors were badly damaged, covered in cracks and ugly patches of rot and unnatural scum, but it looked like there was still a way to move forward through the ruined tunnel. “There's a door at the end of the passage that's been alarmed. I need you to set a self-detonating rune on it. Thirty minutes should be sufficient.”

Moonflower nodded, taking a breath before he straightened and puffed out his chest a little, saying firmly: “Consider it done.”

Moonflower hurried off down the hall, tripping awkwardly over himself, and Cadence smiled a bit before her eyes shifted back towards Thorn. The stallion looked back at her, and then he simply shrugged before saying quietly: “You can rest while Necrophage finishes her assessment. She's built for dealing with hazardous chemicals.”

Muse glanced nervously towards the duct, and Thorn smiled a little as he noticed the Replicant's look, saying quietly: “You know she'll be careful. But if you scan the area for any present life, it would be helpful for the situation.”

The Replicant smiled, bowing her head in silent gratitude before she closed her eyes, the glass orb humming silently around her as it began to glow distinctly with her psionic power. Cadence couldn't help but watch as Muse shifted ever so slightly, before she murmured softly: “There's... there's a strange energy above...”

Thorn frowned slightly at this, immediately looking up as he adjusted his visor, and Muse shifted uneasily before she whispered: “Not heat... not electricity... something else. I can't comprehend it... it is not... intelligent, yet... it is cunning...”

“I'll decipher the anomalous data. Is it hostile?” asked Thorn, and Muse shifted uncertainly before the stallion specified: “Has it detected us, then?”

Muse shook her head quickly, and Thorn nodded before he said quietly: “Then we continue as planned. Necrophage is returning.”

Cadence looked uneasily up as the squat Replicant leapt out of the ducts, shaking herself briskly to rid herself of the gunk on her body, and then she saluted quickly to Thorn before declaring: “The toxins are not at levels that will cause permanent harm through short term exposure!”

Thorn nodded, and Necrophage smiled at him before she looked over at her sister. She leaned forwards slightly, then suddenly hopped towards her and said warmly: “Come on, silly! You don't need to look so down, everything's going to be just fine!”

Muse looked at her sister for a few moments, and then she gave a hesitant smile before Thorn glanced over his shoulder as Moonflower returned, saying quickly: “You and Cadence are with me. Muse, Necrophage, follow after thirty seconds.”

“You got it, boss!” Necrophage said cheerfully, saluting again, and Thorn gave a brief smile before he turned and headed into the duct, Cadence and Moonflower trading looks before they followed quickly after him.

Moonflower looked confused and awkward, but Cadence smiled a little before she said quietly, as they carefully strode down the tight metal corridor: “So you do have a heart somewhere in there.”

Thorn only looked dryly back over his shoulder at her as Moonflower stared at Cadence almost disbelievingly, but then the sapphire unicorn turned his eyes back ahead and replied simply: “Avoid chatter. Poison levels are high.”

Moonflower winced, then he took a deep breath before visibly holding it, while Cadence only grimaced a little as she looked down at her hooves, checking her step as they made their way slowly upwards along the sloping, damaged vent.

They reached the other side after a few minutes: Cadence was starting to feel lightheaded, while Moonflower was wheezing loudly in and out, visibly nauseated. Thorn seemed fine... but I bet you could break his head open and he'd just keep walking on, doing whatever business he had to do, broken face and all...

Some nasty part of Cadence wanted to see if that was just what would happen, and the Swan itched to jump on Thorn and... hurt him? Wait, why? That doesn't make any sense, Thorn's... Thorn is... “Thorn, who are you?”

Thorn only glanced over his shoulder, then he instead looked forwards, gesturing with his head towards a broken grating at the end of the duct as he said quietly: “We need to exit quietly. Stealth is our most important objective right now. We cannot be discovered or our infiltration operation will be put at risk.”

“I can do it!” Moonflower wheezed, and Thorn grimaced as the black unicorn stumbled past him before he took a slow breath as he gathered his magic. But he steadied himself visibly after a few moments, grinding his teeth together before he exhaled quietly as he slowly cut through the rusted vent cover with a thin beam of wavering magic energy.

The grated hatch covering the duct creaked loudly before it snapped out of place, and Thorn quickly caught it with telekinesis, gently lowering it to the ground before he gave a small smile and nod to Moonflower. Moonflower brightened immediately at this before he hurriedly stumbled through the hole in the grating, blushing as he turned towards Thorn and opened his mouth-

Moonflower vomited loudly, nearly falling over, and Thorn sighed a little before he quickly reached out and gently caught the stallion by the back of the neck as his legs buckled, holding him on his hooves as Moonflower retched miserably. Cadence winced a bit as she stepped awkwardly away from the two, feeling more than a little nauseated herself at the sight, while Thorn only reassured gently: “You'll feel better if you get it out.”

Moonflower vomited loudly again, and then he whimpered a little as he shivered, his hooves scratching against the ground before he spat several times, then rasped weakly: “I... I'm sorry... don't want to...”

“Now stop that. It's okay.” Thorn said softly, and Moonflower smiled faintly, trembling a little as he nodded weakly before the sapphire unicorn instructed in a murmur: “Stand up. Deep breaths.”

Moonflower nodded a few times, breathing slowly in and out as he straightened and shivered a bit, stumbling backwards and shaking himself out briefly. Thorn nodded back to him after a moment, and then his horn glowed as he flicked it, burning away the vomit as he ordered at the same time: “Cadence, scout down the hall. A hundred feet, then return.”

Cadence nodded quickly, deciding it was better not to argue as she turned to stride quickly down the curving hall, drawing a throwing knife with telekinesis as she went. She frowned a bit as she looked at the surfaces of the corridor before she realized this wasn't so much a hallway as it was some kind of exhaust tunnel.

But even though it reeked, there was no poison in the air, and she could feel her lightheadedness – and the nastiness that had come with it – fading quickly away. The mare frowned a little as she glanced back over her shoulder: the curve of the hallway had been so gentle she hadn't even realized she had moved out of sight of the rest of her team.

She turned her eyes back ahead, scanning the area around her before shrugging and turning around to make her way back. There wasn't much to see: a lot of damaged gratings, some gunk on the walls, a few scratches here and there on the floor...

Cadence paused, then frowned and stopped, looking down at the scars in the metal at her hooves. She leaned down and studied it intently, realizing that the damage was recent and unusual: something heavy, with a large blade of some kind, had been dragged through here.

Cadence followed the track it had made, frowning slightly as she touched the edge of the metal. It was jagged, badly scoured... not a clean cut. And those flakes mean... metal on metal, right?

The ivory mare frowned a little at this, and then she glanced up in surprise as Thorn rounded the gentle corner, the stallion saying in a calm voice: “We need to move quickly. Muse has detected several electrical signatures that could likely be drones headed in this direction.”

“How's Moonflower?” Cadence asked, and Thorn smiled slightly before he looked at her pointedly, and the ivory mare sighed a little before saying finally: “All clear ahead. But there's some recent scarring on the floor, from something metal being dragged over it.”

“No, not dragged. Pressed. Those marks are from cleat blades.” Thorn replied, and Cadence blinked in surprise as Thorn simply walked past her. But he paused after a few steps, looking back over his shoulder to explain: “Butcher Drones are supposed to keep these exhaust ports clear, but even if they've been turned back online, they're obviously malfunctioning. We should get out of their way before they come back.”

Cadence nodded hesitantly, and Thorn gestured at her, saying quietly: “Moonflower is still a bit ill. Muse is tending to him. Keep an eye on them, please.”

“What about you?” Cadence asked, as Thorn turned to walk away, and this time the sapphire stallion didn't slow.

But he did answer, all the same, without looking back: “I'm going to see if I can find a control panel I can interface with, so we can get out of here faster.”

Cadence smiled a bit as the stallion continued on his way: she thought that one way or another, Thorn was warming up to them a little, and maybe even learning to put the welfare of others before the completion of the mission.

Thorn was striving to balance both: as hard as he was pushing the mission, he realized just how tough he was being on these ponies, who were all people he cared about in some form or another. But he was pushing to get through this as quickly and efficiently as possible because he wanted to minimize the danger to everyone involved, and he hoped they understood that. Just as he also understood that if the mission wasn't completed, they would be putting many more lives at risk.

Thorn paused at a panel in the wall, carefully tugging it open with telekinesis before he grimaced slightly at the sight of it. It was rusted out, with no working antennae or visible way to interface with the controls... it's all been corroded and eaten away at by the acidity in the air. I might not be able to find a working node here.

The stallion continued a little further down the tunnel, frowning a bit as he checked almost uneasily over his shoulder. He hoped that the others were on their way: it had sounded like those drones were starting to close in on them, after all, and they didn't want to be in the way of those machines when they came through the tunnels again.

He stopped at another access panel, yanking it open and grimacing at the condition: rotted, the more sensitive metals beneath the cover eaten away by the poisons that had chewed their way in through the weaker seals. Thorn shook his head slowly, then he turned and moved to the next panel even as he shifted uneasily: the levels of poison in the air weren't high enough to cause much more than irritation. Why was there so much corrosion?

Thorn halted suddenly in front of a vent, studying it for a few moments as his visor spat out several readings, before his eyes narrowed and he turned to almost gallop down the hall. That certainly explained a few things...

“Open communications.” he ordered, and there was a fizzle before he said curtly: “If you haven't already, get moving. Catch up to me as soon as possible. We have a problem.”

Thorn cut the communication link with a gesture, not wanting to risk any of their messages being picked up by the enemy as he looked back and forth before his eyes locked on another control panel. He opened it, then scowled at the damage he found: this time, however, the stallion quickly checked along the edges of the control plate, until he found a section where the metal had started to come loose.

Thorn grasped this, then yanked on it, tearing most of the plate off as it fractured into rusting pieces. He narrowed his eyes as he brushed away the debris, then he began to tear the wiring beneath apart with telekinesis: it was very possible he might set something off by accident or trigger an alert of some kind, but right now urgency outweighed the risk.

Lights flashed into life along the ceiling of the hall, and Thorn scowled a little as he tore several wires loose, the ceiling lights flickering back out before he tried a different series of cables. This time, he was rewarded with a buzzing from the panel, which turned into a much louder humming after a few moments.

Thorn nodded to himself, and then he grimaced a bit as he reached up and tugged a broken circuit board loose: the control panel was working now, sure, but the systems were still fried. It was like plugging in a computer that had all its circuits removed.

The stallion dug through the rotten circuitry, not looking up even as the others came down the tunnel and not letting them see his relief, even as Cadence asked: “What's so urgent, Thorn?”

“They're not filtering the exhaust that's being pushed through these tunnels. At full toxicity, that acidic gas will burn the flesh off our bones.” Thorn replied without looking up, before he finally managed to dig something he could use out of the jumble of rotten machinery.

Cadence stared at him, but Thorn ignored the ponies as he carefully began to rewire the transmitter node into the system. Without looking up, he continued calmly: “I should be able to get the maintenance hatch open, but if I can't, our only remaining option will be to make a run for the end of the exhaust port and hopefully get into the filtration center before the tunnel is flooded with poison.”

“Hopefully.” Cadence echoed, wincing slightly before she looked worriedly over her shoulder. “We heard something moving towards us-”

“Butcher Drones. We don't want to be in their way, either.” Thorn answered curtly, shaking his head before he winced slightly at the sparks that traveled over the control panel. A moment later, however, a metal panel in the wall slid creakily aside, revealing a large hatch door that was covered in rust and ugly fungus. “Let's get moving.”

Necrophage was already at the door, grasping into the large, valve-shaped handle on and wrestling it back and forth as she whined a little in her throat, before she firmly hauled to one side and wheezed in triumph as she managed to twist the handle-

Necrophage fell backwards with a squeak as the handle popped loose from the door, and Thorn and the others stared for a moment before the Replicant gave a weak giggle, holding up the broken valve handle as she said awkwardly: “Well, uh. Let me fix that.”

“We can't fix that. The shaft is broken.” Thorn muttered, grimacing a bit before he looked quickly down the passage: he didn't like how loud those noises were starting to get. Furthermore, if the exhaust schedule bore any similarities to what he was used to in Decretum... “We need to get moving. We've lost too much time. We'll just have to make a run for the filter conduit.”

“Are you sure that's a good idea?” asked Cadence uneasily, as Moonflower winced a bit, but Thorn only pushed himself away from the control panel to turn down the shaft, shaking his head.

“It doesn't matter if it's a good idea or not. It's the only chance we really have.” the stallion replied, and then he began to head quickly down the tunnel, his head raised and eyes forward.

The others followed after him, falling into pace as they strode quickly through the exhaust tunnel. Thorn was tempted to start galloping, but he knew that while they had to move quickly, they couldn't risk missing any possible exits, either. He had to get his team out of danger as fast as possible.

“Thorn, I don't think this is a good idea. What if we turn back? It was safe where we came in, right? We could find another way.” Cadence suggested as she hurried up to the stallion's side, and Thorn only shook his head again.

There were too many things that could go wrong. And by now, the Butcher Drones would have passed the entrance to the passage, and even if they were damaged – perhaps especially if they were damaged – those were things they didn't want to deal with for a multitude of reasons. “No. We have to press forward.”

“Then maybe we should... pick up the pace?” Cadence half-suggested, and Thorn gave the mare a dry look before he turned his eyes back ahead.

“We can't risk skipping any possible escape points, either. Furthermore, if we run headlong down the tunnel, we won't know about the acid cloud barreling towards us until too late, in the event of an exhaust release. At least this way we have some time to prepare ourselves if something happens.” Thorn replied calmly, keeping his eyes ahead. “Haste will just lead to more trouble.”

Cadence grimaced a bit at this, and then she asked suddenly: “What do your instincts say, Thorn?”

Thorn looked back at the mare for a moment, and he thought about not answering, but after a few moments, he finally replied reluctantly: “That we should go to the filter.”

“Exactly! So let's go!” Cadence encouraged, almost lunging past, but Thorn reached out and caught her, scowling at her.

“I'm in charge of this operation, Cadence. And I didn't think that you were afraid of the concepts of pain or death, either. Both of which are still nothing more than apparitions on the horizon.” Thorn said calmly, and the ivory mare gave him a flat look.

“Dying in an acid cloud isn't what scares me, Thorn. It's coming back to life in it. I bet the Swan will make me feel every moment of it.” Cadence retorted, although that wasn't really what had her worried. She felt like every moment they wasted here, was another moment that death drew closer... and not everypony here could get back up after being killed like she did. “Thorn, sometimes you just have to trust your instincts. I happen to agree with you there, we should head to the filter, but-”

“And we're heading there. There's no point in rushing, Cadence.” Thorn replied evenly, and that was clearly the end of the discussion, which made the mare sigh a little before she nodded almost grudgingly.

She lingered beside him instead of falling back into position, however, and the sapphire stallion looked at the mare for a few moments before he finally sighed and asked finally: “Yes?”

“I just... I'm not questioning your abilities as a leader, Thorn, don't get me wrong. I know that you're plenty capable of... administrating, and being an officer, and uh... being in charge, in general.” Cadence started, but she felt herself faltering a little as she went along, looking awkwardly at the stallion.

“But you don't think I'm an effective field agent, is that it?” Thorn asked with the slightest sour note, and Cadence gave a lame smile. “You also question whether or not I can handle the responsibilities that come with leading a unit, correct?”

“No, no! No... no... well, uh, yes.” Cadence rubbed at her face as she smiled awkwardly again at the stallion, before she said finally: “I think the world of you, Thorn, I honestly do. But at the same time, I don't know if you're really... I just mean that leading a unit like this is so much different than... bossing people around, or... taking care of administrative paperwork or... you know, things like that.”

Thorn looked irritably at Cadence, and then he asked acerbically: “So what do you consider to be more my 'style,' then? Do you think I should be back in Decretum, handling reports and passing along information?”

“Well, no, but...”

“Thorn, don't you worry, Cadence is just... trying to get a grasp on this side of you, that's all!” Moonflower suddenly blurted out, as he hurried suddenly forwards. “I know that you're a great leader, a strong, compassionate leader, you just... sometimes it seems like you forget not everything happens... according to plan.”

“Believe me, Moonflower. That's one lesson I learned very well over the years.” Thorn replied quietly, shaking his head briefly before he sighed a little, turning his eyes back ahead. “So far, if you haven't noticed, none of this has actually gone according to plan. I'm doing everything I can to prioritize the team's security.”

“Well... I guess that's true.” Cadence admitted, shifting awkwardly before she sighed a little and mumbled: “I'm not saying you're a bad leader, Thorn. I'm really not. I'm also just not sure that this is the best mission to test your potential on the field, that's all.”

Thorn only shrugged in response, and Moonflower hesitantly shifted a little closer towards the stallion before he murmured: “But either way, we're... with you a hundred percent! As Cadence and Hecate and... well, you, too, have taught me, though... sometimes that means... making sure the person you care about is giving his best. Not that I ever doubt you're giving your best, of course!”

Moonflower smiled lamely, but Thorn smiled a little all the same back to the stallion before he nodded slowly, murmuring” “I know. And I appreciate that. I don't mind you questioning my judgments. But please don't question my leadership.”

“I didn't mean to.” Cadence said honestly, smiling lamely. “Even if it is... pretty hard to not be team leader for once. But I know my own start as team leader wasn't exactly that great anyway.”

“You've always excelled as an agent of Decretum, however. The other Orphans have a lot of respect for you, and so does Mother.” Thorn replied with a glance towards the ivory mare. “Team 0-0 boasts one of the highest mission success rates, and you yourself are one of our most trusted people. There will always be a place for you in Decretum.”

Cadence smiled at this, but she couldn't help but note... “You kind of make it sound like you don't expect me to stick around forever.”

“We don't.” Thorn said honestly, and Cadence looked up in surprise as the stallion said softly: “No contract with Decretum is indefinite. And every single one of you has the right to request to be discharged after ten years.”

Cadence stared, as Moonflower did a double-take himself before he blurted out: “Even me?”

“Even you, Moonflower. You were never really charged with anything, after all. You're not a criminal.” Thorn answered, and Moonflower looked both relieved and a little disappointed all at once. “Hecate knows that we can't rely on people who don't want to be here to serve as Midgard's protectors. That's asking too much of people who aren't ready for that responsibility, let alone people who can't be trusted to do the job.”

“Ten years...” Cadence murmured: that wasn't really such a long time, was it? “But then what? I mean, you wouldn't... wipe our minds or anything, would you?”

“Only in extreme cases.” Thorn answered, and it took a few moments for them to realize this was his version of a joke.

In the time it took the two to figure that out, Thorn had become serious again, looking over his shoulder at Necrophage to order: “Scout ahead of us, see what you can find, then return. Quick and quiet.”

“Yes sir!” Necrophage said brightly, saluting quickly before she bolted past them, and Muse gave a small smile at Thorn's back as Cadence looked almost embarrassedly over her shoulder: she had almost forgotten about the Replicants. They were just so... quiet...

“I can scout too, if you want me to.” Cadence volunteered, but Thorn shook his head.

“Necrophage is best suited for it. She'll be resistant to any of the poisons that might be vented through the tunnel ahead.” Thorn replied with a shake of his head, before he added almost impulsively: “I trust her.”

“What, you don't trust us?” Cadence asked, but she knew what the stallion meant. Thorn only gave her a mild look as Moonflower gave a lame smile, perhaps taking the sapphire pony's words a little more seriously...

“I do trust you both, which you should both know. It's like I said, though: I trust Necrophage, and I know she won't be harmed by the obstacles ahead.” Thorn gazed down the tunnel, saying softly: “My duty as team leader is to keep you safe. If I return with the mission complete but the team badly injured when I could have prevented it, then I have failed in my duties.”

Cadence smiled as Moonflower lowered his head humbly, and Muse murmured meekly: “Prince Thorn, I do not mean to speak out of line, but... perhaps out of all the ponies in the world, my sister and I know best that you will do everything in your power to protect us.”

Thorn smiled briefly over his shoulder at the Replicant, nodding to her slowly before he turned his eyes back ahead. “Good. Now, eyes front and cut the chatter. We can't alert anyone to our presence here.”

Cadence gave another amused smile despite herself as Moonflower nodded hurriedly in agreement, and the group continued forward until Necrophage came bounding back, the mare skidding to a halt in front of them before quickly beginning to walk backwards in front of the group as she blurted out: “There's a great big gate way at the other end of the tunnel! It's got all kinds of holes in it and it's made of shiny metal and I don't think I can bite through it, uh-uh, no way!”

“So the filter gate is intact?” Thorn asked, and Necrophage nodded vigorously in response, although she clearly seemed worried. “The hatches are both sealed shut too then, I take it?”

“Yep! They're covered in gross gooey stuff, too, and it looks like some drones got really sick and... d-i-e-d.” Necrophage almost whispered the last, as Muse frowned uneasily and Thorn tilted his head, his eyes narrowing slightly. “I... should I go back and eat them up, boss?”

“No, Necrophage. You don't have to do that.” Thorn said gently, and Necrophage smiled in relief that Cadence and Moonflower both visibly shared. “Is the 'gooey stuff' toxic?”

“Yes, it gave me that itchy feeling, just looking at it.” Necrophage nodded violently several times, and Thorn frowned slightly and looked down meditatively. “Boss, um... I smell something, too. Something funny. I think something bad is going to happen.”

Thorn looked up for a few moments at Necrophage as Cadence frowned and Moonflower cocked his head, and then the sapphire stallion ordered almost abruptly: “Then we pick up the pace. Let's move.”

The sapphire stallion began to gallop, and Necrophage smiled brightly as she spun around to run at his side, as Cadence, Muse, and Moonflower hurried behind the two. Moonflower looked almost envious again, but as they moved down the tunnel and that stench that Necrophage had complained of reached their own noses, they all became serious.

It only took them some ten minutes to reach the end of the passage: everything here was rusted and corroded and reeked like ammonia, and Thorn grimaced at the toxicity readings across his visor. But it wasn't bad enough to harm them yet, and what they had to deal with at the moment was the polished, spotless metal gate in front of them.

“They closed the conduit cover but they didn't lower any of the actual filtration shutters. There's no machinery running, either. It's like they're trying to get the facility running, but have no idea how any of this works.” Thorn muttered, and then he turned towards Moonflower and instructed: “You're the only person here with sufficient magic energy to cut through this.”

Moonflower blinked in surprise, looking dumbly at the closed shutter before he gave a lame smile, then hurriedly shook himself out and raised his head high, beginning: “Well, if no one else is up to the challenge, then I will certainly be more than glad to-”

“You need to concentrate as much energy as possible. Move slowly, keep focused.” Thorn instructed, and Moonflower hurriedly nodded before he leaned forwards, his horn beginning to glow brightly- “Don't rush. Concentrate, take a breath, stay calm.”

Moonflower let out a little wheeze, and then he nodded hesitantly before taking a slow breath and leaning forwards, the glow around his horn intensifying as he visibly focused himself. A beam of dark light shot out of his horn, scouring the alloy plate before he gritted his teeth as he only managed to scratch the surface of the alloy.

“Focus. Nothing else is important except what you are doing here and now.” Thorn said calmly, even as Cadence grimaced a bit: she could see some steam rising up from the shutter, but if Moonflower couldn't cut through it...

No, she knew that he could. And furthermore, he had to: the hatch doors on either side of the end of the tunnel were both covered in some kind of gelatinous ooze and had dead drones stacked in front of them like warnings. Cadence didn't need any kind of visor to know that whatever that goop was, it was toxic: the sight of the scarred and melted metal around the slime was more than enough to tell her that.

Moonflower's eyes locked on the shutter as he leaned forwards slightly, but even as he tensed, some part of him relaxed, in a sense. His anxiety started to fade away as he poured his effort into the task at hoof, and Thorn maybe smiled ever so slightly as he instructed: “Don't just pour magic into the beam. Focus on what you want the beam to do. Push your magic forward and shape it, don't just blindly expel it.”

The black unicorn grimaced a bit, but he shifted ever so slightly before gritting his teeth, focusing further as his eyes narrowed almost to dots, his body flexing...

The laser of magic slowly cut downwards: it was a slow, grinding movement, but all the same, Cadence could see the thin beam of energy was cutting deep through the metal. Whether it was going all the way through or not, she wasn't sure, but it would be enough either way, she thought.

Moonflower slowly, carefully traced a pony-sized cut in the metal shutter, before he finally slumped back with a loud wheeze, and Thorn surveyed the unicorn's handiwork before he reached up and gently patted his partner on the shoulder, saying softly: “Good.”

Moonflower looked up with a beaming smile through the sweat running down his face, and Thorn smiled briefly back before he turned his eyes towards Muse. He didn't even need to speak for the Replicant to nod and step forwards, swinging her horn firmly down to blast the alloy shutter with a telekinetic hammer that knocked the cut metal out of place.

“Necrophage.” Thorn gestured with his head towards the hole in the shutter, and the Replicant saluted sharply before she bounced quickly forward. She returned after only a few moments, chewing visibly on her lip, and the sapphire stallion tilted his head even as he frowned a little, obviously not expecting the best news.

And unfortunately, it didn't sound good: “I don't think we can get through the other side, sir! The furnace is on low, but it's still really really hot at the back, and it's really toxic in there, it'll hurt you guys to go in. I think it's getting ready for a purge, too!”

“Did you see a maintenance hatch in the ceiling?” asked Thorn, and Necrophage paused and hopped quickly backwards into the hole, before she returned a moment later with a quick nod. “How does it look?”

“There's goop all over the walls and everything, but the hatch looks okay!” Necrophage replied quickly, and Thorn nodded meditatively before he looked over at Cadence.

The ivory mare grimaced a bit... but a few moments later, she had a bubble of magic around her head, protecting her from breathing the poisons as she lingered uneasily at the edge of the hole in the shutter. She looked back at Thorn, but he only nodded to her before saying quietly: “You can open a door, Cadence.”

“I... well, I'll try.” Cadence mumbled, and then she sighed a little before jumping in through the hole and immediately taking flight, grimacing a bit as she tried not to look at the sludge covering the walls or the grime over the filter floor beneath her: just more reasons for her to get this over and done with quickly.

Her skin burned as she shot through the chamber and up to the roof several dozen feet above her head: she could still feel an uncomfortable, itchy feeling up here, but everything did seem... cleaner, in a word. And the hatch was easy enough to locate, recessed into the ceiling and with a large, simple bar handle.

Cadence wheezed as she grasped into this, bracing her hooves against the side of the nook before she pulled with all her strength, and the bar groaned before squealing as it slowly began to move. It took some wrestling and all of her strength, but Cadence finally managed to jerk the bar to the side, the door popping loose before the ivory mare pushed herself up into it, flapping her wings hard and pushing with all her strength to shove the hatch open.

She emerged into a dusty, narrow duct, grimacing a bit, but it definitely seemed less... toxic up here. More importantly, there was a rope ladder that the mare was able to quickly throw down, before she leaned her head down through the hall and shouted: “Ready!”

Necrophage and Muse were the first to join her in the maintenance duct, and the squat Replicant immediately wiggled her way past Cadence towards the other end of the passage. Thorn and Moonflower both appeared after another few moments, both with bubbles of air around their heads to try and protect themselves, although Moonflower looked sick all the same.

The moment they were inside, Cadence quickly yanked up the ladder, and Thorn slammed the hatch shut before he easily sealed it with his mechanical limb, the sapphire stallion grimacing as he muttered: “Worse conditions than I expected. We'll let Necrophage check ahead for now.”

“Everything looks good, boss!” Necrophage called, as if in response, and Thorn smiled briefly at this before he nodded and turned to head quickly down the duct.

Muse followed immediately, but Cadence lingered for a moment to glance at Moonflower, who looked a little bleary, she thought. She nudged him gently, and he blinked a few times before hurrying quickly forwards, saying awkwardly: “I'm perfectly fine! Just a little... amazed by my own power!”

“Yes. I'm sure that's it.” Cadence said wryly, as she followed last. And she couldn't begin to describe how relieved she was when they descended into a relatively normal looking room: sure, it was made of steel and had large racks of weird-looking tools sitting off to one side, but considering what she was used to...

Furthermore, the air was clean, and Thorn was already tapping quickly away at an open control panel near the door, explaining: “It looks like they've managed to get the utility power going, but not all the systems are up and running. There's anomalous energy presences nearby as well. We'll have to move slowly and carefully.”

Cadence nodded quickly as Muse frowned uneasily, her glass orb floating up beside her head as if she was anticipating an order, but Thorn only shook his own without looking up. “No, there's no need to scan. We just have to be careful.”

Muse nodded, stepping back and bowing her head politely. A moment later, the armored door opened with a loud beep, and Thorn ordered calmly: “Cadence, I need you to scout ahead.”

Cadence nodded again, stepping quickly through the doorway and heading down the sterile hall, assessing it as she went: the metal corridors were even more sterile and empty than Decretum's were, lit by painfully-bright fluorescent lights. And, much like Decretum, it thankfully wasn't exactly complicated: there were forks in the path, but they were always distinctly marked by signs she could vaguely understand, with the simple knowledge she had of the runic language used by Clockwork World.

She noted security cameras and various sensors mounted on the walls, but none of them seemed to be active: it was like Thorn had said, only the barest minimum seemed to be powered. Even the door locks didn't seem like they were engaged, which explained why Thorn had been forced to hack a control panel just to get a door open.

She stopped when the halls finally came to an end at a sealed door that was marked with what vaguely resembled the Decretum word for 'bridge,' which she guessed meant it was probably was a connector from these sterile halls into a different zone. She hesitated, however, as she leaned up and peered through the tiny tinted window, making out what looked like some of piping on the other side...

Something tickled down her neck, and Cadence shivered for a moment before she suddenly pushed herself away from the door when she felt something prick her. She looked back and forth as the Swan twisted suddenly inside of her, the mare biting her lip before she flinched when a beep came from her Mission Drive, followed by Thorn's voice asking: “Situation?”

“Uh...” Cadence looked nervously back and forth, before she finally shook her head and muttered: “It seems all clear up to the end of the passage... I'm at a door labeled... 'zodka,' I think?”

“Zadkja. An access point. That's what we're looking for. We're coming to your location.” There was a pause, even as Cadence faintly heard movements and voices in the background, before Thorn asked almost hesitantly: “Is something wrong?”

“I... don't know.” Cadence admitted after a moment, shaking her head before she looked uneasily around... but as she had backed away from the door, that strange, eerie sensation had faded. “I think... I think I just ran across whatever you were detecting. I didn't see it, though, and I don't know if it saw me. But we... felt each other.”

“Alright. Stay alert.” Thorn said after a moment, and after a moment, the link cut out, Cadence giving a small smile before she looked silently back at the door, feeling a shiver run down her spine as the Swan's instincts told her there might be more dangerous things than Voidborn waiting ahead, and she feared what that might mean.

Comments

[Randomfastreader]

what could be worse than the void born?
a lot of things apparently!