Chapter Fifty Nine: RASP
The scientists stared, Astral’s limbs starting to shake as he put a final shot into the head of the Skitter on the floor.
She’s gone.
One second, she was there, and the next…
The stallion’s limbs finally moved, Astral dashing over to look down the elevator shaft.
Empty.
A quick glance solidified his plans. The two saddle guns had been neatly sheared off at their attachment points. That wasn’t an accident.
“Let’s move,” Astral said, mouth moving before his thoughts could catch up. He walked over and kicked one of the Guards in the ribs, forcing them to stand. “NOW! You two lead! Disobey me and I’ll kill you.”
As the hornless unicorns tottered on ahead, Astral trotted behind them, covering the group of scientists.
“Astral, I’m sorry…” Vial whispered, the stallion shaken and struggling to hold back tears.
“She’s not dead.”
Vial looked at him in shock as they rounded the corner, the unicorn not understanding.
“Astral, she-”
“Get to the escape tubes and point me in the direction of an armory,” Astral growled, flipping his visor up and gesturing to Vial.
Fear darted across Vial’s face, the stallion nodding.
The escape room was a simple one. A dozen large plastic tubes were set into the concrete wall, each appearing more like a large, pony-sized mail-delivery system than anything. From what Astral could gather, the user climbed in, punched two buttons, and off you went.
“This leads to the surface?” Astral asked, Vial nodding as he waved the other ponies into the various tubes.
“Yes. An above-ground exit. There should be Royal Guards there. Make sure those two don’t get far. Shoot them if you have to.”
Nodding in approval, Astral watched as the scientists and Guards were sent on their way, the capsule-like pods closing and zipping away in a flash. After a few moments, they returned for the next occupant.
“You won’t make it, Astral,” Vial said, having waited until everyone else had gone. “You have a few dozen shots with a shotgun and a single grenade belt against a Skitter horde and the Queen. That’s not enough, not even close, and that’s with your ribs being splinted!”
“I don’t care,” the stallion growled, waving a hoof at Vial. “I couldn’t live with myself knowing I left her behind. She doesn’t deserve any of this! The Skitter ripped off the guns on purpose instead of killing Sassi immediately. So, she has to be alive for some reason. Why else would they take her?”
Vial’s expression softened, but he still didn’t move.
“If you’re not going to help, get in the escape pod!” Astral growled.
“How much do you care about Sassi?” Vial asked pointedly. “There might be a way, but it will probably kill you.”
Astral paused, his thoughts slowing as he processed Vial’s words.
I promised her that I wouldn’t go anywhere, that I wouldn’t leave her alone.
But how far does my promise carry?
Warmth spread up through Astral’s chest, his jaw clenching. It was an empty question. The stallion knew fully well the answer.
“I’m not leaving this place without her. Whatever it takes.”
The scientist then grinned, a fire igniting in his gaze.
“Then follow me.”
The control room was silent, Twilight staring at the screens.
Somepony finally lost it, a communications stallion vomiting into a nearby trash can. The cold-blooded execution of a scientist, and then Astral’s actions had the entire room in shock.
And then Sassi…
“She’s not dead,” Flask whispered. “She can’t be. I can’t-”
“Astral doesn’t appear to think so either,” Twilight said, gesturing to a screen.
Flask watched as Vial led Astral into a small side-lab, the scientist punching in a series of codes for a secondary elevator downwards. The cameras switched, and Flask abruptly began to cry as a lab snapped into focus, four letters emblazoned on the entrance.
“RASP? It’s still active?” he whispered. “Astral, you would do that for her?” Flask asked the screen, his lips quivering.
“Please save my baby girl…”
Twilight was about to spread a wing over him in comfort, but Flask looked up with the oddest expression on his face.
Hope.
“I only understood half of that, Vial. Something about armor? Experimental?” Astral asked. The anger, fear, horror, and anguish were a confusing ball of lead in his stomach. His head was at least somewhat clear now, Vial leading him to something that could help.
“RASP is the key,” Vial said again, his voice jittering with both excitement and anxiety. “I don’t…it’s the only thing that could help. You won’t make it past two floors with the suit and gun you have.”
Walking into a large room, Astral could only stare. On one side, an odd enclosure sat. It looked like a surgical table, but with needles and robotic arms angled for the patient to be standing while being injected. Green amplifying crystals surrounded the table, all indicating something important.
Astral was more focused on the item to the left of the table.
Held suspended by wires and power cables, a suit of armor faced the pair. Every inch of the suit was covered in either black, flexible fiber, or dark grey armored plating. Blue ‘veins’ ran from underneath the plating and across the entire suit, pulsing softly. The unblinking look from the angular helmet’s gold visor seemed to pierce Astral’s heart.
This is how I get her back.
“Rapid Augmentation Soldier Program,” Vial explained, tapping various keys on a nearby console and making the whole room flicker with various lights. “RASP. Officially off the company’s records for everyone but the Board. It was designed to take an ordinary pony and have them battle-ready in under an hour and be as combat effective as an entire squad. They’d be at Sassi’s level, or close to it. It’s the culmination of what Sassi’s treatment was originally designed for.”
“Explain what I have to do, Vial. Quickly.”
Vial adjusted a few more settings, finally sitting down in front of Astral.
“You can’t wear this armor, not as you are,” he explained. “It’s reactive and supportive. Originally the armor itself was just meant to supplement and amplify movements. But we found out that if you aren’t modified, you’ll tear yourself apart. Your movements in the armor would kill you. It normally operates at the same speed a modified creature does. Metal-ceramic composite armor plating, bulletproof and stab-resistant mesh, isolated reactor, shields, medical injections, modular weapons; it’s a one-pony army. Assuming the modifications work, that is.”
“And I assume that table…?”
Nodding, Vial gestured to the large apparatus.
“It modifies one’s magical and genetic structure. Ideally.”
“Ideally?”
The unicorn’s expression became grave, the pony taking a deep breath.
“We’ve only had five live subjects, and we’ve refined it each time. Flask only heard about the basics of this project, and he had no idea I was working on it. It’s beyond secret and barely tested. Astral, I’m asking you again. Are you willing to die for a chance to get to her?
It wasn’t even a question requiring thought. Sassi had done the same for him.
“Yes.”
Vial frowned, then continued.
“Look. The augmentations never got to the ideal time limit with minimal side effects. I don’t even know if you’ll survive.”
“Vial, tell me exactly what is required for me to wear that, and what is going to happen if I go through with this,” Astral growled impatiently. He knew the unicorn was right in his previous words. A single shotgun against the Skitter hordes?
But with this armor…
“You’ll get injected with a similar serum that Sassi was, but far more concentrated and refined. Magical energies will then saturate your frame and accelerate the process. Your genetic structure will be altered along with every other part of you,” Vial said. “We were aiming to give the soldiers a full day before the side effects hit. We never got close.”
“What’s my timeline? What happened to the five test subjects?”
Tapping a few more keys and dashing to another console, Vials shook his head.
“I don’t know. The other ponies…it was bad, ok?” he shuddered. “The first died on the spot, literally dissolved into a bloody puddle. The second lived a week. The third through fifth survived, thankfully. The fifth test got two hours of feeling a hundred percent before being laid out for two months in intensive care, and that was with round-the-clock healing spells. But he lived, and the effects were permanent as far as we can tell. I’m not sure where he is now. You’d be the sixth, but…” his voice trailed off, and Astral got the gist.
The full weight of the decision now began to settle in Astral’s mind, not that it changed it.
“So, this will kill me?”
“Step in here, this is a preliminary scan.”
As he did so, Vial sent the spell running over the Thestral’s body, then frowned at the readouts.
“Horseshoes, Astral. What did you do!?” he gasped. “Your blood toxicity levels, adrenals…”
“Might have gotten dunked in chemical waste earlier on, I went through a decontamination cycle though. And I’ve been stressed for weeks on end.”
Vial let out a huff, shaking his head.
“Well, that cycle wasn’t enough. But that just makes this trickier. That stuff may make the process more efficient, or the opposite. Any allergies?”
“Bad reactions to caffeine, narcotics, and any other heavy-duty drugs I assume. Not medically bad, but they make me loopy,” Astral paused, “And you never answered my question.”
Silence settled into the room, Vial not meeting Astral’s gaze.
“If you don’t get to the medical bay in Silo Three and stay there until stabilized, yes, you will die,” he finally said, eyes on his hooves. “If I had to guess, you’ll likely have about four hours of feeling combat-ready based on our prior improvements. You can look forward to those hours as a taste of what you'll feel like long-term, if you survive. But unless you can have the healing systems in that medical bay keep you alive during the immediate side-effect period, you’ll die. The suit can’t heal the amount of trauma your body is going to endure from this.”
Vial shook his head, now meeting Astral’s gaze. “Even with the healing spells in the medical center, you aren’t likely to survive. Your body is just too stressed. If you do survive the immediate modifications, you’ll need to continually inject yourself with the follow-up serum twice a day for a week after that. If you don’t, you’ll go into full organ failure. With your current state, you’re looking at months recovery time at the absolute minimum, and that’s with constant healing spells. I don’t even know if you’ll be able to move. Our other subjects had a year to prepare and were in peak physical condition.”
The unicorn paused, shaking his head slowly.
“That said, if successful, you’ll be close, or at Sassi’s level of strength, reaction time, stamina, calorie intake, and so forth. You’ll have decades added to your life as well. You'll weigh more due to increased muscle and bone mass, and another big side effect is that you’ll be sterile. Your DNA is going to be completely altered,” Flask seemed rather surprised at Astral’s amused shrug. “This is all assuming you aren’t permanently disfigured by the process, of which there is a chance of occurring. You sure you want to go through with this?”
It wasn’t so much of a choice for Astral as much as a confirmation. Was he ok with this? Likely dying at a chance to save a mare who could already be dead?
Rather abruptly, a simple peace returned to Astral’s mind and heart. A warm fluttering in his heart, a confirmation. He was ready to charge down there without the armor, and that was a death sentence. This was a step up from that.
I promised.
“Let’s get started,” Astral said firmly, shedding his saddlebags and shotgun. “What’s first?”
“You’re sure?”
The Thestral nodded, wincing as Vial carefully removed the splinting crystals, gesturing to the armor.
“Then take off everything. You’ll go through a rapid detox and healing procedure first, including your ribs,” Vial paused. “This entire thing is going to hurt.”
“Never thought it wouldn’t.”
Vial managed an uneasy smile at that, waving the stallion into a small stall adjacent to the full-blown medical table.
Astral’s fur crackled as a powerful surge of energy pulsed across his body. For a moment he felt fantastic, and then abruptly sick as his insides twisted and turned. He vomited up a mouthful of tar-like liquid, spitting in disgust.
“Great. That stuff again. Whoa, world spinning…”
“That’s detoxification tar, a magical and natural by-product of the process. You’ll be having that stuff leaking out of every orifice for the next few months as your body learns to process contaminants. And I mean it will come from everywhere.”
A huff left Astral’s mouth at that.
“Charming. What’s next? At least I can breathe easier. That fixed my ribs?”
“Correct, that was a rapid healing spell. Thankfully it’s already got Thestrals in the database, hence why it was able to target your ribs. Over to the modification station. Stand here.”
As Vial strapped him in, Astral’s ears twitched in thought.
“Thestrals? Was Sassi…”
“The initial armor set was designed for her. But with the failure of her program, it was delegated to this one,” Vial explained. “There’s only one other suit located at one of the main exits past Silo Three, but there are refill stations in that silo. They were starting to implement them as supplementary pieces to the crowd-control armor the guards had. Even with her limited involvement, Sassi was rather insistent about the software program version to end on. Apparently it meant something to her.”
“Oh?” Astral asked, trying not to focus on the dozens of large needles slowly lowering to lock a hair from his skin.
“She asked that we have the last iteration of the update be one hundred and seventeen. Mark two.”
He couldn’t help but smile at that. The stallion could almost hear the chanting.
“She would.”
Vial shrugged, tapping a few more keys as the modification table began to hum, straps locking around Astral’s limbs.
“After this, no going back, Astral,” he said. “If we stop the process, you die.”
“I’ve only got one question then,” Astral asked, looking over and meeting Vial’s gaze. “Is there any other way for me to fight dozens of Skitters, Guards, and get to Sassi other than this procedure?”
The unicorn shook his head firmly.
“No.”
Astral nodded, taking a deep breath. He looked around, then noticed a camera in the corner blinking at them.
“Then do it. Just tell my parents that this was my choice, ok?” Astral asked, then glaring at the camera. “And if the company is watching…I already killed one Board member. I’ll come for the rest if I have to.”
Apparently, Astral’s tone was a lot nastier than he thought because Vial was rather pale as he looked at the Thestral.
“You frighten me, Astral,” he admitted.
“I’ve been through a lot.”
“Clearly,” Vial murmured. “Nod when you’re ready. First will be the injections, a one-minute pause, and then the magical fields for fifteen minutes. That will be the most painful part. Painkillers are part of the procedure; I can’t change that. They’re strong ones.”
“Well, I apologize in advance for singing and dancing,” Astral muttered. “But if there’s no other way, let’s get started.”
“Bite on this.”
Taking the offered mouthguard from Vial, Astral clenched his jaw.
This was going to hurt.
The injections weren’t that bad, dulled by painkillers dumped into his bloodstream. As he stood there, the needles retracting, Vial looked over his screen and nodded.
“Phase One complete. Latent period beginning, starting up acceleration spells.”
The world seemed to both blur and sharpen at the same time, Astral feeling a bit tipsy. This wasn’t so-
“Phase Two beginning.”
A small cyclone of magical energy tore around Astral’s body, every spark a biting ant that dug through flesh and bone. He would have vomited if not for the fact every muscle in his body was tensed up and locked in position.
The mouthguard cracked in-between Astral’s clenched teeth, stabs of pain radiating up and down Astral’s limbs, burrowing into his eyes and gut.
I promised.
A growl formed in Astral’s throat, the Thestral lifting his head and staring ahead. As the pain continued to crawl and sear across his body, the image of Sassi’s hopeful, affectionate expression saturated Astral’s thoughts. The hopeful look in her eyes after giving her a brief kiss. The embarrassed but proud blush at every compliment…
I promised to show you the forests.
He knew that a yell was forcing itself out. More images flashed across his mind. Saving the mare in PhillyDelphia, pulling the filly from the wrecked building.
Meeting Sassi…
The growl was now a roar, anger making the pain feel more like a challenge than a procedure. Even if it would likely kill him, Astral had had enough of this place, of this world. And yet the anger was complimented by the yearning to simply be close to the amazing mare he owed his life to many times over.
Sassi had saved his life over and over. But when the Guard fell, who saved them?
I promised to not go anywhere, to leave you alone.
I promised.
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Somewhere in my gut I knew he would get the power boost! Once I saw last chapter it was either super-suit or chemical boost, and he gets both.
I can't wait to see him go full Doom Slayer on the Skitters.
Please let him go full Doom Slayer on the skitters.
I didn't think I could love this story more than I already do, but then you had to go and make Astral more or less a Spartan. God I'm on the edge of my seat every chapter.
11247824
I'm so glad you're enjoying it! Definitely wanted to tongue-in-cheek reference the Spartans. Just don't fall off your chair!
11247809
*Metal music begins to play in the distance*
11247831
Him and Sassi after they get together again:
loginportal.funnyjunk.com/large/pictures/9d/37/9d37c4_7981531.jpg
11247831
Yeah. When ya specified about the suit being too much for someone unaugmented it instantly clicked what you were going for lol
So, he's gonna become the equivalent of Captain America, right? That's what I got from hearing the words "serum injection."
11247838
Oh. My. Gosh. I love it.
11247868
I mean, he'll be like Sassi- sooooo close enough?
11247842
I wonder if Astral is going to get a complimentary BFG.
Astral's transformation reminded me of how horrifying and painful it takes to become a Big Daddy or Handyman in Bioshock (if you managed to catch the tiny lores scattered throughout Bioshock 2).
It is strange... the surface now can tap into the underground facility as long as it is near the escape tubes. But why can't they do anything more like sending a being or an object down? Is the threat of the skitters that great? The self destructs?
11247916
BFG + tight quarters = lots of dead things for sure.
There's just a lot of unknowns. In this case, there wasn't even time to consider transfers or any other resupply. (And, if we're going further, the escape tunnels are likely behind layers of camouflage and trap-doors.)
I was wondering if something like this was going to happen. It's going to be pretty interesting when he and Sassi meet again, that's for sure!
Ah, so Astral becomes Pony Captain America here. Nice! He'll need it.
Give him a set of MJOLNIR armor and he'll have no trouble at all.
11248000
11247962
Very much so!
Hrm... add a few extra organs, and Astral'll be praising the Empress on her Golden Throne soon enough. ;)
Since the escape tubes seem to shuttle back and forth, it MIGHT not even require any hacking to use them to insert some elite military. Of course given how many tentacles the Stairway Corp has, if the tube exit outside of Equestria, that might be a bad idea.
Also, I'm calling Chekhov's Gun on the 'use reactor overload to power a teleport with a 50/50 chance of success' trigger.
Whoo! Go Astral! Go kick some skitter hiney!!!
11248154
11248147
The tubes are a tricky thing- Astral didn't even have time to consider their alternate uses. (And the exits are likely well-hidden.)
11248142
Well, he's about to purge some Xenos for sure!
11248158
HE hardly needs to be the one to think of it. Twilight or some general in the room with her was who I was thinking of. Even if none of the scientists (including Vial) are feeling particular cooperative... in other fics, I've seen "Want It, Need It" used as an interrogation spell to exchange vital intelligence for teddy bears. The information doesn't need to be admissible in court to allow them to get the location where the tubes exit. If needs be Twilight herself can be the one to magically convince the system that there are more Ponies below needing escape, and that the squad(s) of commandos in the pods (or whatever) that run through the tubes simply don't exist.
Of course a hardwired system that floods the pods with flesh eating acid, then drains them before neutralizing the residue with an (equally nasty IF one can get the distribution even enough) base is only one possible counter to that.
Also, I wonder if Sassy and Astral will retire after this, or will be joining Twilight's elite strikes forces themselves.
Also, I think the rapist and his family from Astral's backstory are going to find the Justice of Twilight not so easily turned aside when it is Twilight herself taking an interest in things... And I hope you avoid the cliche of having that family involved with Stairway.
11248168
Well, there's a few factors they'd have to consider first. (The detonator, skitters escaping, etc etc.)
Noooo, wanted moar! Man, i just need to hibernate between these with an alarm or something so I'm not so angsty. Anyhow, I'm feeling sad that he's having to invest in such a gamble to go all doom mode on these fools. I like that he's getting power, full on! Get that shit! ...but I'm invested in his sweet character so i worry about him lol. This is gonna be a good revel in character development, plot reveal, and wordsmith artistry for action sequence, and I'm here for it. I hope life continues to allow you inspiration and time to create for this.
So, like, sterile sterile?
Or genetically incompatible sterile?
The same way Sassi is genetically incompatible?
With other ponies?
Other unmodified ponies?
An SCP-like organization, but instead of shades of grey is plain evil, and they not only created their own spartan program but the flipping amour!? How the hell have they not taken over the world yet?
...
Is there a Sargent Johnson pony?
11248449
Well, chapters release every week! I've written far enough ahead that I can keep up that pace pretty much indefinitely.
Well, there's only 2 sets of armor, and the first pony they tested it on dissolved into a puddle. So....that'd be why they haven't taken over yet.
...I need to add in a reference to him.
11248436
Sterile sterile. Similar to how the offspring between a donkey and a horse is sterile. In this case, DNA is just plain incompatible with anyone- modified or not. Every modification is 'technically' a case by case basis. Sassi, same thing. Well, she's got some other stuff that'll come up later. Short version? No foals possible. Which...in their case, is a good thing.
11248402
11248158
Heh, his mod appears to be similar to modded holy seed (sideeeffects even) from newer WH40.
11249657
PRAISE THE GOD EMPEROR!
(Good to know, actually. I didn't know the specific lore behind that!)
… uh, what? During that four hour window he will feel combat ready, if he survives the treatment? Or the effects will be permanent- he’ll be combat-enhanced- if he survives the four hours? This is really confusingly worded.
11277585
I agree- reworded!
One Hundred and Seventeen, Mark Two.
Hmmm... So Stairway's equivalent of the Spartan II program.
11280006
As soon as they started describing the armor, I knew what was going to happen.
The Skitters and their fake Queen are going to learn of a new Demon.
11322307
Huh, so that's a thing.
Heroic Rings of Death, go!
Reminds me of a Fate/Stay Night and Harry Potter fanfic, and a few other stories with versions of "Max STR, DEX, CON potion with Long Coma/Death as a crash side effect."
Ripe and tear until it's done.
11385974
Indeed
11376011
I hope Astral gets through the procedure on spite and love alone. That would be awesome.
11564908
Love and Spite....two great motivators!
[HEAVY METAL INTENSIFIES]