Chapter Text
"Wha-"
You sat up, rubbing the sleep from your eyes- What- Huh -
In front of you was an Overseer. Bright red. You knew this. You…
"Suns?" But how- How did he know you… But- No, wait, hold on-
Your train of thought was cut off by the Overseer's- By Suns' - Response.
"Grey- Oh, thank the Void below, you're okay- What happened? Your Overseer turned up with this footage, and… This isn't even possible - You are alright, are you?"
"Suns- Suns, calm down, I'm alive. Alive, and- And reasonably well- Your messenger found me, thank goodness."
Though the Overseer was still, you could feel the tension break. You were okay , you're alive- Somehow, despite everything. Sometimes a little more than okay, actually- The exercise has certainly been… Something.
"Alright, then- But… Grey, what are you doing all the way out here? You've never struck me as the… Adventurous type, yet here you are- Where do you even think you're going ?"
Where are you going? You never thought about that, actually- It just felt like the logical course of action. You're outside, so you move. You never had a plan, really, did you?
"... I… Would you be disappointed if I said I don't know?" A muffled sigh from Suns. "I just- It felt right, I suppose."
"Well-" There was a brief pause, before video feed flickered to life. There they were, clearly worried, but right in front of you- In a sense. "What's done is done, and-"
"... Suns?"
"Grey, there's a lizard behind you."
You whipped around, snatching up the broom that laid beside you- Only to be met with a scaly white snout pushing its way past your legs, coming to a stop at the Overseer. It blinked its eyes separately, curiously sniffing at the construct.
"... Ah. That beast thinks I have food. Hasn't left me alone since yesterday- It doesn't seem aggressive?" You watched Needles try to nudge the creature aside, away from its creator's camera. The lizard, though snapping at the messenger, made no move to strike it.
"Curious. Just… Be wary, I suppose? But I digress. If you're not intending to stay put…" A deep breath, turned to static by the distance the feed was travelling- "Could you at least make your way to me?"
You weren't expecting that. Maybe a stay put or a go somewhere safe , but not a come here . You weren't complaining, though. Some direction was nice.
"Of course. I… I figured that was where your messenger was taking me. They've been incredibly helpful- I, ah. Suppose I'll see you there, then?"
"No."
"Hm?"
"Grey, this is unprecedented. I simply can't take my eyes off you until you're safe- If you get hurt, I-"
"I'll be fine, Suns. I promise."
"Alright. Just… I'll only be gone for a moment, to set up an Overseer relay. Please, stay safe."
You nod- "Of course-" And watch as the feed fizzles to nothing. Silence.
… Well- You've got a lot of walking to do, now. If you're heading for Suns, you'll have to pass through your greenhouses- Everything inside is likely dead by now, so as long as you can find enough food, all should be good. But for now, well… You've got to get there.
Down the stairs, out the door. Back on the road. Void Below, you never realised just how uneven your industrial sector was until you had to climb it. It's a wonder your legs haven't given out yet…
… Ah. There. In the distance- The greenhouse. Looming over the horizon, sheets of metal glinting in the clouded sunlight. The source of everything your citizens ate, now long abandoned… And hopefully unexciting.
"Well, Needles?" The piperat tilted its head. " That's where we're going. Would you mind leading the way…?"
You don't exactly trust yourself to find a safe path on your own. Barely been out here for, what, a dozen cycles? As strange as it may sound, coming from an Iterator… You'd rather trust the animal, here.
And trust the animal you did- The little purple beast weaved a trail through the complex, and you followed close behind- The occasional glance backwards proved that, no, your scaly companion hadn't lost interest yet. How odd.
This went on, and on, until… They stopped. You looked up.
There it was. Right in front of you. Surprisingly intact- It was almost… Ominous. Unsettling. The structure creaked in the wind, but otherwise was holding sturdy. Very, very sturdy…
Taptaptap. Your attention was drawn to your companion, who then directed said attention to… A pipe, coming out of the wall. Blue batfly pupae dangled from beneath it- As did your Overseer, regrettably…
"No." You are not eating bugs. The squidcadas were different, those were livestock . You are not eating some wild, grimy, who knows where it's been-
The symbol for gluttony was projected over it. A quiet huff came from Needles.
"I am NOT eating that. I'm sorry, but there has to be something else-"
"Grey Wind, it is not in your best interest to be picky. Please ."
Swivel- A red Overseer. Suns is back. Suns is back!
"Ah- Suns, hello- You've set up the relay…?"
"Please don't change the topic. Again, you can't afford to be picky out here…"
Grumble. "Alright, I'll eat it…" A sigh- They're right. You remembered that those first cycles- You do not want to go hungry again. So, you cave, plucking a pupa off the piping and reluctantly biting in.
… Surprisingly, not as bad as the centipede . Almost tasted sweet- If you didn't know any better, you'd have guessed it was some kind of fruit, not… Bug mush.
(Un)fortunately, there were only a couple hanging there. Not enough to fill up on… You'll have to scavenge in the greenhouse, if there's even anything still alive in there.
"Anyways-" You turn to Suns' Overseer- "You set up the relay? Your connection certainly sounds more stable…"
"That I did, sister. Hopefully there won't be any connection issues… I got some footage of this area in the process, and…"
"And?"
"... It doesn't seem pleasant."
Ah. Well. That's a problem. "I… That's unfortunate. We don't exactly have any other option, though- Do we?"
"Unfortunately, no. The only path across the ravine is within those walls."
Right. The ravine. Cuts clean across that side of your facility grounds. Source of all your groundwater. That ravine.
"No time to waste, then…" Gripping the broom handle tightly, you stepped through the threshold, into the dark.
The first thing you saw was nothing. Darkness. Your eyes quickly adjusted, internal systems pumping up the light sensitivity. You didn't know you could do that.
The next thing you saw was life .
It was a jungle in here. Wide, dark leaves sprawled out from spindly stalks, catching every smidgen of light they could from tiny gaps in the plated roof. Orange mold crept up metal and fibre just the same. The occasional flitter of something insectoid between what used to be crops.
"Incredible", you muttered.
" Worrying, " Suns replied.
Needles was the first to proceed- The messenger seemed uncertain. Ears twitching, spine-tips poking out from the cavities of its tail. If your guide was nervous… Maybe you should be.
The lizard, of course, did not care. A large, blunt snout pressed against your side, snorted , then pulled back. Looking for food, you assume. Hopefully it won't see you as a meal.
Once you were past the door, all light fell away. All light but…
"The Overseers are quite useful here, aren't they?" You struggled to keep your voice steady. It was dark . Only the faint reddish-pink light of your combined biocameras shone ahead of you.
"Quite… Sister, stop- "
You stopped. Something shaggy and dark reached towards you, stopping just a few paces away.
"Eugh." Close one. "That would be… It's one of the disposal-organism descendants, right? Living ferns? The… Carnivorous one?"
"You'd be correct. It can only reach so far- Step around it."
You did just that- Had to step up on the soil-mound of what, presumably, used to be a planter, but you got through.
"I was expecting it to be a wasteland. This… This is incredible." So much flora, going without light for who knows how long- And so much of this used to be food crops, it's unrecognizable .
You followed the path of your violet companion, overseers spaced out to light your path just as well as theirs. Further into the dark, every skitter of cluster-spiders and flash of lantern mice giving you a start.
So why was it, that when the forest fell silent, you were so afraid…?
"Something's wrong." Your eyes scanned the shadows- Suns said something, but you couldn't pay attention. A glimpse of white from Needles. A growl from the lizard.
Clackclackackclitter.
Something was coming. You brandished your makeshift weapon.
The faint silhouette of something red . A missed spear throw.
Clickclatterskitter.
"Grey- Grey, RUN -"
Pthhhew.
Something hit you- Pain- You yelped- Fangs and spines and something lunged and-
It all went dark.