@@@^:..... .....:^@@@
@@@@@$^~:. .:~^$@@@@@
##@@@$^~:. .:~^$@@@##
@@^:...... ......:^@@
@@$~~~~... ...~~~~$@@
@@@$~~~~:. THEY BUILT THE FINAL NIGHTCLUB ON TOP .:~~~~$@@@
@@$$$~::.. OF AN UNDOCUMENTED RESEARCH SITE. EACH ..::~$$$@@
@@@$~..... FLOOR CLOSER TO THE COLLAPSED WARP .....~$@@@
@@@^^~::.. PROTOTYPE. DID THEY KNOW AT THE START? ..::~^^@@@
#@@@@$^~:. CLASSIFIED MAPS HAD GONE MISSING SOME .:~^$@@@@#
@@@^~~~~:. YEARS BEFORE. .:~~~~^@@@
##@@@$^~:. .:~^$@@@##
#@@@@$^~:. THE DEEPER YOU DESCEND, THE STRANGER .:~^$@@@@#
@@@@@$^~:. THE ENVIRONMENT - FIRST MORE .:~^$@@@@@
#@@@@$^~:. ENTHRALLING AND INTRUSIVE, THEN SEEDY .:~^$@@@@#
##@@@@^~:. AND PREDATORY, BUT PIERCE DEEPER AND .:~^@@@@##
@@@$~..... THERE WILL BE MORE PECULIAR EFFECTS. .....~$@@@
#@@@@$^~:. YOUR SENSE OF SPACE WILL SEEM TO .:~^$@@@@#
@@@$$~~... DISTORT (IT'S ACTUALLY THE SPACETIME ...~~$$@@@
@@@^:..... ITSELF THAT IS BECOMING FLUID), THEN .....:^@@@
@@@^~..... YOUR BODY, AND FINALLY YOUR SENSE OF .....~^@@@
#@@@@$^~:. SELF. .:~^$@@@@#
@@@@@$^~:. .:~^$@@@@@
@@$^~~~:.. # # # # # # # # # # # # # # ##### ### ..:~~~^$@@
@$$$~..... ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ##### ### .....~$$$@
@@@@@$^~:. ### ### ##### ##### ##### ##### ##### .:~^$@@@@@
@$^~:..... #### #### #### #### #### #### #### #### .....:~^$@
@@@@@$^~:. ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### .:~^$@@@@@
@@@@@$^~:. ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### .:~^$@@@@@
#@@@@$^~:. ###### ###### ######## ######## .:~^$@@@@#
##@@@$^~:. ######## ######## ######## ######## .:~^$@@@##
#@@@@$^~:. ######## ######## ######## ######## .:~^$@@@@#
@@@$~~.... ######## ######## :::::::::::::::::: ....~~$@@@
@@@$~~~~:. :::: :::: :::: :::: :::: :::: :::: :::: .:~~~~$@@@
#@@@@$^~:. :::: :::: :::: ...... ...... ...... .:~^$@@@@#
@@@@^~~... ...... ...... ...... ..... ..... ..... ...~~^@@@@
@@@@@$^~:. ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ....... .:~^$@@@@@
@@@@@$^~:. ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... .:~^$@@@@@
@@^::..... ....... ...... ...... ...... ...... .....::^@@
#@@@@$^~:. ...... ...... ...... :. :. :. :. :. :. .:~^$@@@@#
#@@@@$^~:. :. :. :. :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: .:~^$@@@@#
##@@@$^~:. :: :: :~ :~ :~ :~ :~ :~ :~ :~ :^ :^ :^ .:~^$@@@##
#@@@@$^~:. :^ :$ :$ :@ :@ :@ :@ :# ~. ~: ~~ ~^ ~$ .:~^$@@@@#
@@@@@$^~:. ~@ ~@ ~@ ~@ ~# ^. ^: ^~ ^^ ^$ ^@ ^@ ^@ .:~^$@@@@@
#@@@@$^~:. ^@ ^# $. $: $~ $^ $$ $@ $@ $@ $@ $# @. .:~^$@@@@#
#@@@@$^~:. @: @~ @^ @$ @@ @@ @@ @@ @# @. @: @~ @^ .:~^$@@@@#
@@$^~:.... @$ @@ @@ @@ @@ @# @. @: @~ @^ @$ @@ @@ ....:~^$@@
@@@$^::... @@ @@ @# @. @: @~ @^ @$ @@ @@ @@ @@ @# ...::^$@@@
@@^~:..... #. #: #~ #^ #$ #@ #@ #@ .....:~^@@
@@^^^~~... THE CEILING IS COVERED IN ACTUAL STARS. ...~~^^^@@
#@@@@$^~:. EYES ABOVE .:~^$@@@@#
@@@@@$^~:. FADING INTO SILVER FLAKES AS THEY FALL .:~^$@@@@@
@@$~...... BUBBLES IN DRINKS ......~$@@
@$~....... .......~$@
@@@@$$^~:. DRINKS WITH A SECRET INGREDIENT, THAT .:~^$$@@@@
@@@^::.... MAKES YOU SEE THE STARS EVEN WHEN YOU ....::^@@@
#@@@@$^~:. CLOSE YOUR EYES. .:~^$@@@@#
@@@@@$^~:. .:~^$@@@@@
##@@@@$^~: AT THESE DEEPER LEVELS IT CAN BE HARD :~^$@@@@##
@@@@@$^~:. TO REMEMBER WHO AND WHERE YOU ARE .:~^$@@@@@
@@@$~:.... (WERE). NORMAL STAFF IS AS TRANSFORMED ....:~$@@@
##@@@$^~:. AS GUESTS. INSTEAD, CARE AND PROTECTION .:~^$@@@##
@@@@$$^~:. ARE OFFERED BY (OVERLY FLIRTY) .:~^$$@@@@
@@@$$^~::. POOL TOYS AND OTHER SUCH AUTOMATONS. .::~^$$@@@
#@@@@$^~:. .:~^$@@@@#
@@@@@$^~:. IF YOU STAY ABOVE ABSOLUTE MADNESS, .:~^$@@@@@
@@$~~..... THERE IS SOME SORT OF CONTROL TO BE .....~~$@@
@@@@@$^~:. HAD. YOU COULD SLIP INTO YOUR IDEAL DOG .:~^$@@@@@
@@@@@$^~:. BODY THERE, EXPLORE THAT. YOU COULD .:~^$@@@@@
@@@^:..... DRINK POISONOUS AMBROSIA AND NOT BE .....:^@@@
@$^::..... BURNED AWAY. YOU COULD EXPLORE .....::^$@
@$^::..... TERRITORIES JUST AS MAPLESS AS THOSE .....::^$@
#@@@@$^~:. CLOSER TO THE CORE, BUT WITH A CHANCE .:~^$@@@@#
@$^:...... OF FINDING YOUR WAY BACK. ......:^$@
#@@@@$^~:. .:~^$@@@@#
@@@$$~:::. .# .# .# .# .# .# .# .# .# .# .# .:::~$$@@@
@@@$~:::.. :: THE HONEY IS A TRAP AND THERE'S A :: ..:::~$@@@
@@@@@$^~:. ~~ STING, A STING, A STING. ~~ .:~^$@@@@@
##@@@@^~:. ^. IT'S IN YOUR EYES AND IT'S IN YOUR .^ .:~^@@@@##
@@@@$$^~:. $: MOUTH AND YOUR HANDS, THEIR HANDS :$ .:~^$$@@@@
@@@@^::... @~ IT'S IN YOUR HEART AND IN YOUR ~@ ...::^@@@@
##@@@@^~:. @^ MIND AND THE MINDS OF THOSE AROUND ^@ .:~^@@@@##
@@@@@$^~:. @$ YOU, THEIR HEARTS, THEIR BODIES. $@ .:~^$@@@@@
#@@@@$^~:. @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ .:~^$@@@@#
@@@^~::... AND IF YOU'RE LUCKY, YOU'LL NEVER GET ...::~^@@@
@@@@@$^~:. OUT. DON'T BITE THE OTHER GUESTS. .:~^$@@@@@
#@@@@$^~:. (OR DO) .:~^$@@@@#
#@@@@$^~:. .:~^$@@@@#
@@@@@$^~:. THE DEEPER THE FLOOR GOES, THE MORE .:~^$@@@@@
@@$~...... EXPENSIVE THE DRINKS. THIS IS NOT ......~$@@
#@@@@$^~:. COINCIDENTAL. THE MORE EXPENSIVE THE .:~^$@@@@#
#@@@@$^~:. DRINKS, THE MORE LIKELY IT IS THAT .:~^$@@@@#
@@$$~~:... SOMEONE WILL BUY THEM FOR YOU. ...:~~$$@@
@@@@@$^~:. THIS IS ALSO NOT COINCIDENTAL. IF .:~^$@@@@@
@@$$^^~... SOMEONE BUYS YOU A DRINK, THEY ARE VERY ...~^^$$@@
@@@@@$^~:. LIKELY TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR NEEDS IN .:~^$@@@@@
@$$~~::... OTHER WAYS AS WELL. ...::~~$$@
@$$~:..... .....:~$$@
@@@@$$^~:. .:~^$$@@@@
@@@$$$^~:. .:~^$$$@@@
##@@@$^~:. .:~^$@@@##
@@@$$^:... ...:^$$@@@