“An’ not a moment too soon, either!”
Rusty’s standing at the train station, clad in a heavy coat, gloves, and work boots. Any passer-by wouldn’t have given him a second glance if it weren’t for the goggles perched atop his forehead or the stand-out red of his shirt collar beneath it all.
“Sorry won’t cut it for the work cut out for us both, pardner. We’ve tried sticking it out ‘long as we can, but a few weeks and we’re already breakin’ down a bit.”
Has it truly only been a few weeks..? That can’t be right. Either way, his boots are now crunching against the frost-laden concrete. Whatever happened, he’s here now to help. And the other Engineer has a look of hope and relief written across his features, creased and tensed by evident stress and exhaustion.
" Right. " He lazily smiled and gave a nod as he stepped down from the train.
He never really liked being stationed here — the air was too thick, the weather was unpredictable and a constant hassle. The nights felt strange, and the buildings were rotting, creaking with age. The risk of death was higher than usual, especially since the respawn system wasn't functioning properly. That's why he was here. Things were harder to manage than at his previous station — maybe the purple woman thought he was experienced enough to handle all this, or maybe she sent him here to die. He couldn't tell, nor could he question it. It was a job he signed up for and a contract he agreed to. At least the team was tolerable enough to keep him from completely losing his mind.
" C'mon, time's not gonna wait for us. " He gripped his yellow helmet, readying himself to move. " I brought the blueprints... for the respawn, I mean. " With that, he started walking toward the base.
He'd traveled 16 hours from ██████, getting the urgent call at 2 in the morning. They said it was an emergency, and the pay was good. So, he packed up and set out for Mountain Lab without much hesitation.
Dressed in a thick winter hoodie and sturdy boots, he stood on the ground, waiting for Rusty to catch up. His mind was elsewhere — he wasn't much in the mood for small talk. But curiosity got the better of him, and he glanced at the other engineer, voice low.
" So, where have you been lately? "
It didn't make sense. He'd been coming back to the base regularly, and then one day — nothing. The place was completely empty. It felt like some kind of simulation. The base looked functional, everything in place as if nothing had changed, but there was no one there. Not a single soul.
The respawn system? That was the strangest part. It seemed to be working, but something felt… off. Or was it working? Couldn’t really put a finger on it. There was something in this place that messed with his memory, he swears. It didn’t make sense, but he reported it anyway. Sent the details up the chain and went home.
