URI:
   DIR Return Create A Forum - Home
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Unknown Frontier
  HTML https://unknownfrontier.createaforum.com
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       *****************************************************
   DIR Return to: Canterlot
       *****************************************************
       #Post#: 2901--------------------------------------------------
       The File (Sona & Lifeline)
       By: Sona Nocturne Date: July 4, 2017, 6:49 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       It was the height of the lunch hour in the cafe, and servers
       bustled about. Sona entered and told the hostess, "Two seats,
       please. I'm waiting for someone." She was directed to a small,
       quieter corner booth, and the navy mare frowned slightly. "Do
       you have anything anyplace louder?" She was met with a surprised
       look, but the hostess nodded and took her to a central table
       surrounded by multiple loud conversations. "This is perfect,
       thank you," she said politely and sat down. "Your server will be
       with you in a moment," the hostess said brightly, leaving Sona
       with a menu.
       Sona didn't look at it as she waited, her thoughts elsewhere.
       She was in a good position to view the door so she could see
       when her contact came in. She wasn't surprised that the other
       mare wasn't there yet- Sona was more than a little early. But
       this was a rather important meeting, and she couldn't risk
       something last-minute happening and causing her to miss it. She
       just hoped her contact would come through with Sona's rather...
       peculiar request.
       #Post#: 2902--------------------------------------------------
       Re: The File (Sona & Lifeline)
       By: Lifeline Date: July 4, 2017, 6:55 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Lifeline limped in on crutches and looked around. She was in
       street clothes for once before her eyes met Sona's and she made
       her way over. She placed a manila folder and a large brown
       envelope on the table.
       "Sorry I got here as fast as I could. Ms. Nocturne nice to see
       you and everything... but I had to pull a lot of strings and
       risk my job getting you these. On such late notice too. Why do
       you even care this much about Dr. Valentine?" The medic did owe
       Sona a lot of favors though and she wasn't called upon often,
       but the files Sona needed were pretty classified.
       #Post#: 2905--------------------------------------------------
       Re: The File (Sona & Lifeline)
       By: Sona Nocturne Date: July 4, 2017, 7:42 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Sona nodded. "I know, and I greatly appreciate you taking that
       risk to help me." She paused at the question, before she spoke
       carefully. "Let's just say I'm looking into funding a personal
       project of a scientist of my choosing, and I want to look
       carefully into each and every candidate I am considering." The
       truth was, Valentine was the only candidate she was
       considering... she was the only one that looked even slightly
       promising. And Sona wasn't going to lie- after that kiss, she
       may be a bit biased. But that didn't mean she wasn't look very
       thoroughly into Valentine before even thinking of taking her on
       as a research partner... or anything more personal.
       She refocused on the conversation. "As you know, I have a
       reputation among the scientific community to uphold, and I can't
       afford to fund a project that's going to be a failure or
       embarassment." She folded her hooves in front of her. "Now, what
       can you tell me?"
       #Post#: 2906--------------------------------------------------
       Re: The File (Sona & Lifeline)
       By: Lifeline Date: July 4, 2017, 8:08 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       "How the heck did you get Dr. Valentine wanting to work for
       you... I mean I know you have connections, but she's really bad
       news." Lifeline has a worried look in her eyes. "That's not
       exactly a mare you want working for you... She's one of the most
       dangerous ponies in the world."
       Regardless the IA soldier turned the files over and presented
       her with a paper that had a serious looking military picture of
       her and all of her information. "Dr. Valentine, a military
       scientist who specializes in gases." She slid the paper over so
       Sona could look at it clearer.
       "University of Canterlot Graduate. "Her real name is Cassandra
       Tesla. Super smart pony. Never got below an A in her life."
       Lifeline pulled out some more files and a picture of her from
       her younger days. Both eyes were a crystal blue and she had a
       big cheesy smile. "She had her hooves everywhere around the
       science community actually winning a lot of award... You even
       funded one of her projects where she developed a much more
       sustainable way to dispose of trash in Canterlot. Back then... I
       will admit, I was a huge fan of her."  There was a lot more but
       Lifeline allowed Sona to look over what she had so far.
       #Post#: 2907--------------------------------------------------
       Re: The File (Sona & Lifeline)
       By: Sona Nocturne Date: July 4, 2017, 9:06 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Sona didn't bat an eye at Lifeline's comment about Valentine
       being bad news. Sona knew that if others knew about her own
       little... project, they would think the same thing. She studied
       the paper as it was presented to her, keeping her ears perked as
       she listened. Her eyes found the picture of young Cassandra, and
       she couldn't help but smile at the innocent grin the mare in the
       picture wore. Sona did look up in surprise when she heard that
       she funded one of her projects. When she thought about it, the
       scientist's real name did ring a bell. She was quiet for a
       moment before responding to Lifeline's last comment. "But now
       you view her as dangerous. What changed?"
       #Post#: 2909--------------------------------------------------
       Re: The File (Sona & Lifeline)
       By: Lifeline Date: July 4, 2017, 9:49 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       "She got involved in the military that's what changed." Lifeline
       pulled out numerous classified files. She did look around making
       sure no one was watching before sliding them over. At first they
       were harmless experiments and gases and potion that actually
       helped stallions. "I worked with her for a while during these
       times. It was all harmless... Then..." She pulled out more
       papers with her name at the top. "It went darker and darker...
       She was involved with creating some of the deadliest gases and
       was apart of some of the most despicable acts by any military in
       the history of the world. She tested all her gases on live
       ponies...." Lifeline took a moment and felt sick just thinking
       about it. The papers in front of Sona all described what certain
       gases did and how certain test subjects reacted. Some events
       Sona might have recognized if she paid attention to foreign
       news.
       #Post#: 2912--------------------------------------------------
       Re: The File (Sona & Lifeline)
       By: Sona Nocturne Date: July 4, 2017, 10:19 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       As Sona looked over the files, her eyes slowly widened. She
       noted that all the test subjects were stallions. Of course, "Dr.
       Valentine", Sona realized. She started to feel a bit queasy as
       she continued reading. She knew that Valentine saw herself as a
       villain, that she had done some bad things... but Sona had never
       imagined this. This was... cruel. Suddenly her eyes fell upon a
       page describing a certain gas that could isolate certain parts
       of the brain.
       Sona grew deaf to the world around her, ignoring Lifeline for a
       moment as her eyes closed and results from her experiments
       played on the back of her eyelids. Pictures of brain scans,
       descriptions of failed treatments and issues with containment,
       and all sorts of information crossed Sona's mind rapidly. And
       then... it clicked. Sona's eyes shot open as she breathed hard.
       That was it. That was what I've been doing wrong. And if she can
       isolate one part of the brain with her gases, she could
       potentially isolate ANY part of the brain. Of course! She fixed
       Lifeline with a desperate gaze. "What else? What else do I need
       to know?!" She said, her voice low and breathless. Before she
       had had a patient facade, but now that was gone. "What else,
       Lifeline?!"
       #Post#: 2913--------------------------------------------------
       Re: The File (Sona & Lifeline)
       By: Lifeline Date: July 5, 2017, 12:12 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       "Yikes! Ummmm...." Lifeline backed up in her chair. Sona
       Nocturne was one pony you do not want to **** off. She scrambled
       looking through more paperwork. "Goodness what happened? I'm
       sorry if you read some disturbing things. I can get you her
       psychological profile." She placed a packet in front of Sona.
       "The military worked and conditioned her to the point where she
       lost her emotions it seemed like. I saw it myself, she was such
       an energetic and funny mare to be around before.... She tends to
       have small melt downs when experiments don't go her way. She
       seeks a lot of comfort, but nopony gives it to her. That lead to
       her making this gas for herself. According to these reports they
       help keep her calm, but they make her feel a little bit of
       emotion which slows down her work..."
       Sona found another report. "She sometimes refers to Cassie Tesla
       like it's a different mare like she tries to repress her former
       self... Despite that, they also found that she decorates her
       offices with her past medals, pictures, and certificates from
       when she was 'Cassie' still." Lifeline sighed. "She's
       complicated, but still a bad mare. She had some bad break-up in
       college, ponies figure that's why she only chooses stallions to
       test on. All psychopaths have their little things they like to
       do."
       #Post#: 2915--------------------------------------------------
       Re: The File (Sona & Lifeline)
       By: Sona Nocturne Date: July 5, 2017, 12:33 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Sona listened carefully, although she already knew some of the
       information. However, her excitement quickly turned to anger,
       although she wasn't completely sure why. She felt oddly...
       protective of Valentine, and her eyes narrowed as she looked at
       Lifeline. Her tone was soft and dangerous as she spoke. "And
       tell me, Lifeline... what right do you have to call someone bad?
       Or emotionless? Or a psychopath? Have you tried to help her? If
       not, you don't have that right, you hear me?!" By now her voice
       was a snarl, but she abruptly fell silent and grew more composed
       as she straightened her shoulders. "Is that all you have?" she
       asked, her voice now emotionless.
       #Post#: 2918--------------------------------------------------
       Re: The File (Sona & Lifeline)
       By: Lifeline Date: July 5, 2017, 5:12 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Lifeline opened her mouth. "Well... For starters I help ponies
       in need and protect them from mares like her. I'm no murderer
       and... " She was gonna say more but looking into Sona's eyes and
       hearing her voice quickly shut her up. With every world Lifeline
       backed up slowly until she was almost leaning against the
       stallion behind her. She blinked, pushed up her glasses and
       cleared her throat.
       "So- I mean, Miss Nocturne....  I'm sorry I was out of line."
       Valentine certainly struck a nerve with Lifeline. "She has one
       of the greatest minds in the world and is pushing the boundaries
       of military science. Uhh.... Her medical record shows she had a
       botched experiment that blew up in one of her eyes causing it to
       change color. Tests have show she still can see fine in it
       though. That incident occurred early on in her career."
       She dropped one of the envelopes as one of Valentine's young
       pictures fell off the table as well. When Lifeline bent down to
       get it she winced and gripped the bandaged part of her body.
       *****************************************************
   DIR Next Page