>You need to get a hold of Hexferry and Actias.
>... The only problem with that is, you don't know if either of them are free to talk right now.
>You assume Actias definitely isn't, considering Tarkin and the cyborg both went that way.
>Hopefully, they're both too worried about each other to notice her.
>... So you'll try to call Hexferry first.
>-Call: Hexferry-
>...
>"Snake! How are you? I-I mean, not that I care..."
"... I'm fine. I have the ArmsTech President with me, but we don't have a way back anymore."
>"What do you mean? What happened?"
"The room behind me is completely collapsed, and Actias stayed behind that room, so I'm cut off from her as well."
>"Is she okay? Where are you?"
"I haven't called her yet. Hopefully she's fine. The President and I are stuck on the other side of a tower of wires."
>"That thing? Then... That's bad. You don't have any way back for quite a while."
"So what? I'll have to go forward?"
>"It looks like it. I'll meet you as soon as I can."
"Hexferry, I need you to go back and check on Actias."
>"Snake, I can't get there. You know that, I don't have a Level 2 Key Card."
"..."
>"Don't worry about her, Snake. I'm sure she's fine. We'll get her out of here."
"Right..."
>"Just keep going forward. I'll meet with you soon."
"Soon..."
>-End Transmission-
>Now you have to make sure Actias is safe.
>-Call: Actias-
>...
>...
>-No Response-
"... No..."
>Everything just got a little worse.
>In the best-case-scenario, she's simply hiding from Tarkin and the cyborg right now, being completely silent.
>That's the best possible reason for that.
>You need to meet with Hexferry.
>Now.
>You awkwardly pick up the six-legged mothpony and carry him on your back.
>If there are any guards ahead of you, you'll have a difficult time.
>...
>Absolutely nothing.
>Hallway after hallway, there's nothing at all impeding your progress.
>It's... nerve-wracking how empty it all it.
 
>You went through a few different hangers and down a giant vehicle lift, yet you encountered no one at all.
>The surveillance cameras weren't even functioning.
>Currently, you're in a warehouse-like room much like the one you left Actias in.
>... You tried to call her again, but she still didn't answer.
>Most of these doors are Level 3 or Level 4, and the Level 2 doors you got into didn't even have anything besides full darts for your tranquilizer and some ammunition you can't carry.
>... One was ammunition for a Sniper Rifle.
>That's a bad sign for what's in store.
>Hopefully, you won't go that far in.
>... As you press past the warehouse, the moth on your back moves.
>Good.
>"Where..."
"You're Pepper Dust, the President of ArmsTech, right?"
>"Yes... Who are you?"
"... Snake. I was sent here to rescue you."
>"That's... Ah... great."
>... It sounded like he was about to sneeze.
>"We... just left the warehouse. That means we're close."
"I'm afraid not."
>"Wh-what?"
"We're farther in that where we started. The tower room collapsed in, and I brought you through the closest door... the wrong one."
>"... We're..."
"Nowhere close to freedom."
>... There is a period of silence as you carry him through a few different hallways.
>They all look like they should have guards in them.
>Some rooms have specific posts for guards.
>Still, there is no one.
>"What's going on here? Where is everyone?"
"I don't know. It's been like this the entire time."
>"It doesn't... Ah... make any sense! They took the buildings with practically an army, yet they leave the path barren?"
>You turn a corner and see... something to stop your progress completely.
>Your path is blocked by a Level 3 door.
>You curse under your breath.
>"... What's wrong?"
"I only have a Level 2 Key Card."
>"What? How the hell did you get this far like that?"
>... Well, it hasn't been too difficult, honestly.
>A hoof goes over your shoulder, holding a Level 3 Key Card.
 
>"Lucky for you, I always have a spare one of these. They may have taken my Level 5, but they certainly didn't think to check for others."
>You stare at the card for a little bit.
"Why did you have an extra?"
>"One of the guards we had, before the invasion, kept losing his. He was a pretty good guy, before he defected to their side. I heard he had to guard the Prisoner's Deck in the front building. Serves him right."
>... Prisoner's Deck...
>That's where Hexferry escaped from. That means...
>You take card from Pepper Dust and go through the door as you piece together the information.
>... Another hallway.
"Was he a white stallion?"
>"... Yes. How did you... Did you see him?"
"I saw what was him. He was covered in tranquilizer darts; he isn't whoever he was anymore."
>"What? Do you know how many it takes to destroy memory?"
"Yes. Believe me when I say he won't know anything at all when he wakes up."
>"... Maybe even he didn't deserve that."
>The journey continues as you enter an office-like room.
>The center is a few steps lower than the outside, and the outer parts have a few small rooms branching off them. That center part has a few computers and desks in it.
>"Hey, let me down there, I need to sit for a while."
>You place him in one of the chairs and scan the room again.
>There are four doors off this room; a 3 Door to the side, a 4 Door next to it, the 3 Door you came from, and a 3 Door leading to the next part of the building.
>On the side without side-rooms are a few lockers.
>Certainly, no one will mind you taking anything.
>You make your way over to them and open the first one.
>... It's completely empty.
>What a great first try.
>The rest, as you find, are either locked or have similar sets of ammunition you've found previously.
>... With the exception of one.
>The last one you check has a few generic womanizer products in it, like body spray, hair gel, breath mints and a mirror.
>... One of those personalities.
 
>You close the lockers and head over to the other side and open the 3 Door.
>It's another office room.
>You look through all of the drawers and cabinets, but there's nothing of value to you.
>Ever since you passed the tower, you've found no resistance, yet you've found no help.
>You've found nothing.
>... It's not something you want to want to think about.
>You move a box from under the desk and...
>... Actually, this box is completely empty.
>It feels empty, anyway.
>You unfold the top and open it.
>A dark figure flies out of it, straight at you and you jump back.
>It... looks a bit larger than you, so it's definitely not a pony.
>Yet... it flies above you.
>Its wings look... leathery.
>Despite being in the light, it's completely a shadow.
>It... presumably stares at you for a few moments, then fades out of existence.
>... You aren't sure what you saw, and you don't know what to say.
>Was that real?
>You peer back into the box.
>... It's completely empty.
>Upon closer inspection of the box, it's has an odd pattern on its side.
>A masquerade mask.
>... You take the box with you.
>Somehow, it fits perfectly into your inventory, without taking up any actual space.
>This weird, backwards world will never make sense to you.
>... As you leave the room, Pepper Dust greets you.
>He seems rejuvenated.
>"Anything good?"
"Just an box and a hallucination."
>He looks at you... well, with a confused expression. You didn't expect anything different.
>"What?"
"Tell me, does ArmsTech or DARPA have hallucinogens?"
>"No, why would we?"
"... No reason. Did you look anything up on the computers?"
>He looks at the monitor sitting on the desk he's at.
>"If I did, they'd probably notice my account getting use, and that'd bring them all here. It's probably best I don't. Now, if we wanted to actually find something out, we'd have to ask our tech specialist. She's still loyal to us, she's just being forced to keep working on the Mothal Gear."
 
>... That's right, Mothal Gear...
>Wait, didn't Actias say they only needed his password to activate it?!
"Hang on... Did they get your password?"
>His eyes grow wide at the sudden subject change and he looks away.
"Answer me!"
>He visibly recoils from the aggression in your voice.
>"I... I couldn't resist. Their leader, or whatever it is, isn't mortal; it only takes our shape. It's... It's some monster made of... darkness, or thorns, maybe needles. It pierced my skin, and I saw my flesh rotting away! I can't even imagine pain worse than what I felt..."
"You certainly don't look damaged!"
>"It felt me right as I gave in... Please, have mercy on me; there's nothing I could do!"
"Thanks to you, they have both passwords!"
>"Wh-what?! They can't! Actias would die before giving up that information!"
"You certainly didn't."
>"... She's stronger than me, in that respect."
"You thought she was, anyway. Now she's missing and we have to get both of you out of here."
>"If they really have both passwords, they have Mothal Gear."
>... Silence takes the room, and you decide to notify your back-up team.
>-Call: Colonel Minty-
>...
>"Anon! What's wrong?!"
"They have both passwords; they have Mothal Gear."
>"... No... Snake, where are you right now?"
"Some office room way below everything."
>"Are you safe?"
"For now."
>"What about Pepper Dust and Actias?"
"The ArmsTech President is with me, but I was separated from the DARPA Chief a long time ago; I haven't been able to contact her since."
>"Everything's in chaos! Actias is out of contact, you're stuck in there, Mothal Gear is active and Cejire is missing!"
"... Cejire?"
>"We caught her contacting someone else in that base a while ago, and we were going to interrogate her about it, but we can't find her now! Everything's going to hell!"
"Calm down, Colonel."
>"... Anonymous, I'm afraid I have to ask you to do one more thing."
"..."
 
>"Deactivate Mothal Gear. That's an order. There's a split up ahead; the center door will get you there the fastest. And Snake?"
"What?"
>"The world is counting on you."
>-End Transmission-
>You look toward Pepper Dust, who seems to have calmed down.
"Are you fine to walk on your own?"
>"Ye- Ah..."
>He sneezes, quite violently, away from you.
>"... Yeah, I'll be good."
>That looked... painful.
"... Right."
>You both head out the exit and through another hallway.
>There's... something odd about this hallway, though.
>There are paintings on its walls, and all of them are upside-down.
>You look toward Pepper Dust, but even he seems baffled by the design choice.
>"It wasn't like that before we got taken over, that's for sure."
>... How bizarre...
>"By the way, there is a split ahead. The left path is toward an aircraft hanger. I suggest we go there and escape."
"I'm going through the center path. I have to disarm Mothal Gear now."
>"You can't be serious! You don't stand a chance against it! We have to get out of here, and I need you in case the left path is guarded."
"I have orders to deactivate Mothal Gear, which I wouldn't have if someone hadn't given their password."
>You glare back at him.
>He avoids your eyes and continues.
>"Well, you can still bring me through the left path. It isn't as direct, but it'll still get you to where Mothal Gear is being stored. Even the right path will get you there; the center path is just more direct and... quicker."
"I don't have time to waste."
>-Incoming Call-
>... It's Hexferry.
>You kneel down and take the call.
>"Snake! Thank goodness you picked up!
"Hexferry? What's wrong?"
>"I... There was this weird, invisible robot thing! It came from behind and tore everything to pieces!"
"It's still here..."
>"'Still'?! Have you seen it before?!"
"Twice now. It cut through a tank, a steel door and a metal tower rigged with explosives. It's why I'm stuck on this side, actually. Are you alright?"
 
>"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Th- Thank... Not that you care! Anyway! Wh-where are you now?"
"We're almost to a path split. We just passed an office area."
>"Perfect! Take the right path."
"Right?"
>"Yeah, I'll meet up with you in another connecting room through there."
>-End Transmission-
>... You slowly stand up.
>Certainly, things don't have to be this difficult.
>"Well, Snake? Are we going left?"
"... We may be going right."
>Pepper Dust's expression twists to one of indignation.
>"The opposite direction of safety? Genius."
"You aren't the only one here I'm looking out for in this mission."
>"... Right. Still, it might be better to get what you can, in this situation. I'll follow whichever path you take... especially since I don't have a choice."
>You mumble and get to your feet.
>Both of you pass through a door, and you see three more; one to the left, one straight ahead and one to the right.
>The left will get the ArmsTech President to supposed freedom, but it won't be the fastest path to Mothal Gear, and you won't meet up with Hexferry.
>The center is the fastest path to Mothal Gear, but you won't see Hexferry, and Pepper Dust will be forced to stay with you.
>The right path will bring you to Hexferry, but Pepper Dust won't be able to escape, and getting to Mothal Gear will take more time.
>... It's time to save.
>-Call: Amata-
>"... You wish to save, Snake?"
 
>-Game Saved-
 
>"You'll make the right decision, Snake. I know you will."
>-End Transmission-
 
>Current Inventory:
>Tranquilizer(46/46)
>Pistol(46/46)
>"Book"(1/5)
>Stun Grenade(5/20)
>Remote Explosive(3/16)
>Level 2 Key Card.
Level 3 Key Card.
Mask Box.
>Codec Options:
>Colonel Minty.
>Cejire.
>Amata.
>Hexferry.
>Actias.
>Current Objectives:
>Get Actias and Pepper Dust to safety.
>Deactivate Mothal Gear.