HOTEL LEX - FLOOR 6 (3/?) (Patreon)

You tell Emmett to save his energy as well as the thread. You're not sure if this body can hold out much longer.

"B-But—" Emmett protests, still very clearly invested in your well-being.

You shake your head and he reluctantly puts the thread away. Instead, you have this strange feeling that someone has been nudging at you for quite a while now. You tell Emmett to empty your pocket and the pocketwatch tumbles out. He picks it up and you immediately recognize the feeling came from that. You tell him to pop it open and he does so with a gasp.

"The arrow! I-It's pointing in a direction!" he exclaims and hurriedly shows you.

You watch the needle point at you curiously and instruct Emmett to test its accuracy. He stands up and walks along the circular desk while looking at it.

"Huh?" He walks back to you, "The arrow is pointing..." He circles you and confirms both your suspicions. "The arrow is pointing at you!"

You nod. The pocketwatch has been with you all this time, and once it got a taste of your soul, it locked on. It was just as the Timekeeper said; it only needed something to remember and now, you are its bearing point. You tell Emmett to hold on to the pocketwatch instead since it would be redundant to hold it yourself. He nods excitedly, glad that there is some sort of safety net between the two of you if you get lost. You groan slightly as you tilt your head back against the wall. You look up at the flickering light and take this moment of calm to relax. You were almost on the 7th floor, though there is no saying what horrors await you between this floor and that floor. As much as you appreciate and enjoy Emmett carrying you, you want to fend for him and yourself should any conflict arise. You tell Emmett you are ready and he lifts you onto his shoulders once again.

"W-Where to?"

You peer around, hoping for some signage. You spot one that looks the most ideal to your situation. You tell him to investigate the greenhouse. He nods and sets off away from the light.

The entrance to the greenhouse is dimly lit with an aqua blue glow. Emmett attempts to enter but the keypad rings out: "Security protocol in effect, administrative override required." You tell Emmett to use the keycard he found and it opens with a beep. It's warm inside and there are many kinds of plants surrounding the wall. There are also some plants behind glass panes that indicate their species as well as oxygen, humidity, and temperature levels. Emmett touches a few leaves as you both walk by. Unlike the previous rooms, the greenhouse is brimming with life. The thought creates unease: what happened for this spaceship to be empty? At the end of the room, a circular window looks out over a planet. Emmett approaches it in wonder and amazement.

"It's... beautiful," he manages to say in a whisper.

Indeed it is; the blue atmosphere surrounding the lush green and brown of the planet below reflects in both of your eyes. But just then, a beeping sound startles both of you. Emmett snaps around to the panel flashing yellow. He cautiously approaches it and looks down at a screen that reads 'incoming message.'

Emmett taps it. A hologram pops up and Emmett nearly drops you. It is of a female fox in a spacesuit. She looks past the two of you at a camera.

"Lonestar, come in— Lonestar. We received your report; please remain in lockdown until further notice. We have sent the requested backup but will take two lunar cycles to reach you. Under no circumstances should Lonestar interact with nearby company; Syndicate has requested the specimen to be captured and researched without contamination. Should any of these assets be compromised, immediately disengage and retreat to safety. We appreciate your cooperation."

The message ends and the vixen disappears.

You bit your lip. Of course there was some kind of breach of containment. Emmett shares this feeling as he nervously fidgets around.

> Try to reconnect with the fox.> Try to re-engage lockdown for the greenhouse. > Observe the control panel for information.

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