>A dull hum of computer monitors, stale air accented with chemical sterilants
>The largest light source is a fluorescent fixture with one functional tube
>Twilight was collapsed over her desk, eyes bloodshot from being awake for over 72 hours trying find an answer to a problem that refused to reveal itself.
>The Canterlot settlement was running low on supplies
>Currently, there was enough food to last them a few more months assuming rationing protocols were upheld and the Directing Authority came through
>Medicine was dwindling though; a plague hit the town when some traders passed through a few weeks ago
>The Authority said they were sending an agent to determine both the validity of the settlement’s reports and to perform an environmental survey
>If the Agent didn’t get a full report on arrival of the settlement’s situation, then the Authority would dismiss the request for assistance and the settlement would be marked as a lower priority for Emergency Response Services
>Suffice to say, this was going as expected
>Twilight rises from the puddle of drool and paperwork
 
>3 hours until the Agent arrives
>Oh how she despised her predecessor for their neglect of the archives
>So much of the information was outdated and piecemeal at best
>Blinking a few times to rehydrate her eyes, Twilight downloads the information onto a micro-drive and makes her way out to the vertical train port
>A few weeks ago the smell of burning plastic and flesh would’ve bothered her, now it was just one more unpleasant thing in this town
>2 hours until the Agent arrives
>There is a permanent shroud of embers and blackness over 2/3 of the town’s overhead
>Metal walls block off the sections of town that are condemned to quarantine
>According to reports, the plague disables motor control and renders the victims catatonic
>… Sometimes things can be seen moving in the smoke
>1 hour until the Agent arrives
 
>Twilight sits on a bench, the vertical train port, she takes a bite out of a Day Stick
>Amphetamines, amino acids, nutrient cocktails, and food dyes make up the morning breakfast
>Kinda sweet, kinda savory, with a smoky after taste
>One more for good measure
>Stories she heard about Authority Agents tell of them having biometric scanners in their eyes
>Last thing she wants is to have the Agent second guessing her mental state
>Echoes of metal grinding on itself getting louder as the train lowers to a stop
>Ear raping, that sound
>