........&& &&.&.&.&&&
.......&.. .&&&&&&..&
......&&.& &.....&.&&
.....&.&&. &....&&&.&
....&&&.&& &...&..&&&
...&..&&.& 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. ......&&&.
&&&.&..... .....&..&&
..&&&..... ....&&.&..
.&..&....& ...&.&&&..
&&.&&...&. ..&&&..&..
.&&.&..&&& .&..&.&&.&