The building was old and decrepit. The sign on the front was faded, and one of the letters was missing. There was a flag, tattered and worn, waving proudly in the wind with an hourglass shaped logo and the word: Pendulum. The building was covered in vines and parts of the concrete structure had crumbled to the ground. In its prime, it would've been pristine and state of the art. The doors into the facility were barred and locked. It wouldn't be possible to enter by any normal means. Izuku noticed that there was a low roof, allowing access to the top of the facility. Utilizing the mechanics of his LEAF suit, he leapt up to it, and was immediately beset by another amrita swarm. Their purple glow was easily distinctive and the small groups of mosquitoes which dive bombed Izuku were quick. However, Izuku had honed his ability to take these on. And it was pacified quickly. Looking around, he saw a route up to the highest point, and so he jumped up, then turned and ran, using the Icarus boost to get to the top of another roof. Looking over the area, Izuku spotted a possible entrance. Using the slanted roof for acceleration, he was able to jump over to the higher ceiling. He also used his momentum to run to the next one, landing on the steel roof. Looking ahead of him, there was a beam-like structure which connected to another, and a ventilation shaft-like structure that appeared to lead inside, underneath large glowing tanks. Is that how they stored Amrita? Interesting... Running down the beam, Izuku leapt when two thirds down and landed next to the vent, the steel of the tunnel screaming as Izuku slid. Turning, he noticed that the vent he thought would lead inside didn't. It had collapsed, as it collapsed only a few feet from where he stood. There was really only one way to go, that being forward, as he could see a roof on the other side of the sheer drop. Tensing his muscles, Izuku ran forward as fast as he could, and jumped. Flying through the air, he considered if he'd need to spend the Amrita to double jump and decided he wouldn't need it. Landing onto the platform, he was about to walk forward when he could feel gravity pulling him back. He was slipping! Trying to double jump, he found it unresponsive as he fell back... plummeting off the building... And then he woke up. As if it was a daydream. Shaking his head, Izuku tensed his muscles, ready to bolt ahead. He'd use the double jump, just to be safe. He didn't want the daydream to become reality. Running, he jumped just before the drop, and double jumped for the extra height. Landing safely, he walked forward. It was strange to him that he even had that daydream in the first place, but he continued on... Maybe it's a side effect of the suit? I'm not sure... However, he was interrupted from his thoughts by another Amrita Swarm... however this one was different. Instead of the unnatural purple, this swarm glowed a sickly green. It had noticed him first, and so attacked him. The first group hit him, and he swatted them away in response, but the damage was done. Two charges were stripped away, but there appeared to be a kind of venom, continually draining the Amrita storage in his suit. This one is far more dangerous than normal swarms, as they can drain it faster over time! He was relieved to see that they took the same quantity of Amrita to pacify. Panting, he felt drained just like the suit was. It was dangerously low in charge. "Whew... That... was tough..." Analyzing the situation, he noticed that the roof nearby was just as damaged as the roof right before he found the Viper Coil. Hm... how to break that? It was then that he noticed the Deadeye target. I could use that... Jumping up, he latched onto the target, tossing himself into the air before landing directly onto the crumbling roof, which couldn't take the blunt force. It collapsed, but he was ready to land, so it was just fine. After landing, he looked around. There were a few shipping crates, and a large glowing blue device. A note was next to it: General Notice to all staff: Amrita Batteries can be drained for Pathfinder Use. They will recharge on their own, so there is no need for concern. "Amrita Battery?" Izuku checked his power level: Only 4 charges left... I should take some from the battery. Not like anyone else can use it right now... He aimed the god-hand, and extracted as many as he could. It filled 8 charges. These hold two whole cells of energy?! And they come back over time? He waited and it only took 10 seconds for them to recover one charge. This tech is amazing! The door was deactivated, and he was forced to look around before finding a dormant amrita generator. Firing an orb, he then extracted another two cells of energy from the battery. He was now fully charged for whatever lay inside the facility. As the metal door grinded slowly upwards through the power of Amrita, Izuku found that the next door was stuck and crushed by random debris. However, there was a set of stairs to the right, heading upstairs. Walking up the stairs, careful to not crush them with the weight of the LEAF suit, he could see the sky through a broken hole in the roof. It was clearly sunset, with the clouds stained a gentle orange color as the sun had disappeared over the horizon. It started to get chilly, and so he zipped up his jacket. Brr... I'm glad this jacket is very well insulated... He zipped it up fully to shield himself from the cold. At the top of the stairs, a fuzebox sparked with electricity as it was heavily damaged, but still functional. Around the corner, there was another crate. This had another power upgrade, bringing his total to 6 power cells with 24 energy slots. The note stowed inside was from a guard: "I'd give anything to be a pathfinder. There's no way I'd be eligible unless I suddenly lost 60 pounds. But that'll never happen. Too bad. I bet you could pick up a ton of girls in those things." Izuku laughed at the humor the guard had put forward. This thing is amazing, so I can sympathize with the man... What brought his attention forward was the boxes in the light. One had a clear label: Andrew Fisher Audio Logs. Andrew Fisher... he was the head of this whole place! I could learn so much from him! Taking the box, he slotted one in. The distinctive voice of the doctor could be heard: "September 17th, 1942. My name is Andrew Fisher, Leading Physicist and head of Project Pendulum. Pendulum is the research and development project by the Army Corps of Engineers..." Well, that much is clear... "...in order to produce a weapon of mass destruction in order to bring an end to the war through the unconditional surrender of our enemies." Wait, WHAT?! Superweapons?! Like Nuclear weapons, which were all destroyed during the mass disarmament of 2240? That kind of weapon?! Izuku continued to listen. "In response to the spy-ridden efforts of the Manhattan Project, headed by my cohort Robert Oppenheimer, Pendulum has been founded under utmost secrecy. Funds, pride and soldier's lives are all on the line in a race to win the war, thus giving rise to the name: Pendulum." The first recording ended on that note. Manhattan Project... if my research is correct, that is the name of the nuclear bomb project. Pendulum competed with Manhattan, and Manhattan is barely remembered. Looking back at the pile, there was another amrita generator, buried under cardboard. Powering it, a door at the end of the room opened, screeching upwards as the ancient mechanisms whirred to life. The pathway ahead had collapsed. Whether through erosion or natural life is unclear, but the drop wasn't far. It was into the main warehouse of this facility. Shelves filled with old things rose high into the room, and a single amrita generator sat in the spotlight, as if inviting any charge Izuku could give. And he had plenty to spare. After powering it, lights sprung to life, highlighting the room and showing just how vast this place was. Walking forward, there was another generator... but also another green swarm of amrita mosquitoes. This time, he was prepared, and swiftly ran, while aiming. One, two, three shots before the swarm was pacified, like the previous ones. Then, he aimed at the generator and powered that as well. In the middle, below the swarm, was a cargo elevator. The sides had signs proclaiming: "SOMA REACTOR ACCESS". Well, if the military found a way to use it, they'd probably stick it into the reactor... now how to get to there? Looking around, he saw an open ventilation shaft, big enough for him with the LEAF suit. That's my best bet. Running up the ramp, Izuku ran around and jumped across the platforms to the vent shaft. Walking through it was short. When he reached the other side, the suit played a tape from Fisher, "As a precaution to Nazi and Soviet espionage, Pendulum's location and purpose are unknown to the outside world. Taking a cue from the Manhattan Project, few know of Pendulum's purpose, operating under the guise of an alternative energy project. As it came to light that Manhattan had been plagued with espionage, it was agreed upon to shroud Pendulum within the government itself. All those who know of Pendulum's true intent are here. Though, admittedly extreme, we can ensure an ironclad umbrella of secrecy. Information can only come in, and never go out. As far as anyone outside this valley knows, Pendulum does not exist. This valley does not exist." No wonder this place isn't remembered. If nobody knew about it when it was active, of course they wouldn't know about it now... it just makes the discoveries here even more important! Looking up, he noticed a crane target. The only way forward was up. Landing on the floor above, there was only a ventilation shaft as the path forward. I hope this leads to where I need to go... It wound right, then a drop down, then into a room with a bunch of defective deadeye targets for the Viper Coil, right, left and finally into a large open room... the reception desk of the facility. There was only a single amrita generator in the room, so Izuku powered it, turning the lights on and highlighting a statue of a pathfinder. In its glory, the user was confident and proud while utilizing the same suit Izuku did. Just like Greek ruins... A female voice called out, the same requesting verification on the elevator ride up: "Welcome to the Pendulum research and development site. All personnel must report to the front desk with appropriate security clearance." Brisque and on point as usual. Seeing an amrita battery in the back of the room, he took the chance to refill all of his energy bars to max charge. The only door that opened was the one on the second floor behind the statue, and there was only one staircase to the right. Leaping to it, Izuku then walked up, then ran as he saw the gap, and cleared that with ease. Continuing to follow the room in a clockwise direction, he eventually reached the door and walked through. There were two paths. One had a fallen shelf, obstructing it slightly, and the other one had a chest in the center. It was empty when he checked, but a note on the table made up for it: "Note from Private Reilly: I've been ordered to patrol the Soma Facility today. I've circled the same room 30 times since noon. At least I get to smile at the cute scientist in the pressure chambers each time. She hasn't smiled at me back... I hope she doesn't find me creepy." I know what you mean... I can't even talk to a girl properly... However, he turned around and went the other path, leaping over the fallen shelf. It led to another wide open room, where two swarms had taken up residence. Quickly defeating them, he didn't choose to explore this room, as there wasn't anything of importance. However, when he went into the next room by going up the stairs, Fisher's voice interrupted the silence. "I... I can't believe it. I'm almost at a loss for words!" Him? Almost at a loss for words? I can't believe it either. "This is the discovery of a lifetime, no... no, of the 20th century! Have I found Shrodinger's cat? This is beyond my wildest imagination! As a result of the reaction between amrita energy and the Pathfinder's own life force, they experience a phenomenon which I have dubbed "quantum death"." Quantum Death?! "When a pathfinder dies in the suit, their consciousness branches into another reality, unharmed. They achieve immortality!" Izuku thought back to the supposed daydreams... the fall from the bridge, the fall from exploring the top of the facility... it was then that he realized: "I actually died... I've died twice... And that reality... Mom will never know that I died..." Holding a hand up to his mouth, he choked back tears. He stood there, sobbing quietly. I abandoned her there... and she'll never know... Oh god... A few minutes pass before Izuku collected himself. Even if I abandoned those two... I will not abandon this one. I have to get back. I have to be careful as I do so! I have to move onward! This next room was a cafeteria. The entrance he'd arrived through was the debris of what used to be a wall, so it could've been a shortcut. However, as he went through the areas, he could see the distinct use of each. It was when he got to a testing site when the next recording played: "To produce bombs of an unparalleled yeild, we rely upon the lifeseed housed far beneath the Soma Facility. By harvesting the high energy yield orbs found within the valley, we pass their energy through the lifeseed, which acts as a sort of amplifier, magnifying the energy to unprecedented levels! The explosives we create here will dwarf anything the Manhattan project could possibly fathom!" Well, that confirms it's location... and that Fisher is motivated by jealousy and pride... He passed through a room with silos, with an obscure purpose. If he were to return, he would definitely go through every part of this place with a fine tooth comb. Two swarms had made their homes here, and had to be dealt with. Weaving through the projectiles, Izuku managed to pacify them both. The door at the end of the room went into a hallway which led to another research lab. All of these places look the same... it's a shame I just don't have time. It was when he arrived at the end of the room where he had to pause. The walkway had given way to deep pools of water, impassible for him due to the suit's heavy weight. Fortunately, there was a deadeye target for the VC, so Izuku stepped back a few paces, ran, and shot the VC out. Latching onto it, he used the momentum from the VC's retraction to launch himself all the way down the hall to an empty elevator shaft. Another target was set up at the top of the shaft. When he landed, Izuku was pleasantly surprised to hear the voice of Virginia King, "The valley... it's suffering. The natural life seems to be slowly dwindling. Edwin thinks I'm crazy, but I see it becoming... quieter. Are we gradually killing this place?" Before he could think, Fisher chimed in on another recording, "That self-righteous anthropologist is stirring up trouble again. Her moral objections to this project are the last thing I need on my mind. If it weren't for the isolation policy, I'd have her removed and sent back home!" Inner conflict... the people here were killing the valley... something isn't adding up. If using amrita like this is killing the valley, then what has been my impact for dying twice? As he strode through the place, part of the hall had given way to a pit filled with water. Leaping over it, he found another acorn door in the wall to his right. They must've built this facility into a natural cave... because this seems... oddly placed... However, he continued on. Another drop down, which looped back to the warehouse... or more specifically, the warehouse control room. Finally! Looking over the controls, the one that stuck out to him was a large red button. He thought: Can't go wrong with this, can you? Before pressing the button. Alarms blared as the large lift doors opened. Two green amrita swarms flew out from the gap, and the door to Izuku's right opened, allowing him access back to the warehouse. These ones flew erratically, remaining hard targets, but were able to be pacified. After that, he looked down the pit before falling down, ready for whatever was next.
