PA52 is the PLACEHOLDERth level catalogued by the M.E.G. It takes the form of a vast expansion of corridors with locked doors.
Currently the only photo of the level.
Description
PA52 is a vast suite of relatively modern hotel corridors that seem to stretch on forever. Each corridor is segmented into numerous others, all similar. It's therefore easy to get lost, given the lack of landmarks.
The level has numerous elevators and staircases that can take a wanderer to lower or higher floors. In view of all the numbers, and the fact that they change between elevators, it is not possible to give a definite number of floors, which have not yet been explored. Therefore, caution is advised if it becomes necessary to venture into the level.
The doors are all locked, making the rooms impossible to access. Each door is numbered, but the symbols are sometimes cryptic or even unknown. They also tend to repeat themselves, making it impossible to navigate by landmark.
Corridor lights seem to go out at irregular intervals. These episodes of darkness can last from a few minutes to a few hours. As they make navigation more complicated, it is advisable to enter the level with a flashlight.
Entities
No entities have been found within the level.
Bases, outposts and communities
No base or outpost have yet been set. It is possible, however, that campments exist in the level's corridors that haven't been found yet by the M.E.G.
Entrances and Exits:
Entries :
- It is possible to enter the level by opening a black door in the Level 5
- No other entrances have been discovered yet
Exits :
- It is possible to noclip in one of the doors to return to Level 5.
- Taking an elevator and pressing a button without a number will take you back to Level 0.
. . .
That's… That's it???
What do you mean "that's it?"
You spent TWO DAYS there and didn't find ANYTHING ELSE to mention??? Are you KIDDING ME????
The level is just lame as hell! There's nothing to talk about, there's LITERALLY nothing interesting about it!
Each. Level. Is. Unique. By the Pantheon and to think I trusted you with this-
It's not my fault if it's the blandest hotel level ever! And look at how we formatted documents four years ago, it's just as barebones! But of coooouuurse you're blaming ME in particular!
The difference with entries from 2012 is that You spent SIX MONTHS at Base Alpha getting trained for exploration. You're supposed to have the experience to log things, and you DARE tell me THIS to my face?
Oh my god, I keep telling you there's NOTHING to see there!
You are the disgrace of this outpost. I don't wanna hear about it, you're getting back there tomorrow, and this time you write me a COMPLETE and DEVELOPPED entry, do I make myself clear?
Are you kidding me??? You're sending me back there???
… Do I look like a clown Mr. McCalister?
…
That's what I thought. And I better not see you back here before I see an ACTUAL article from you! Do I make myself clear?
Yes… Sir…
. . .
It has been barely ten minutes since he entered the pristine white-grey corridors of PA52, but Rey was already dragging his feet, diplaying obvious bad faith. He knew this place all too well already, and if there was something the previous two days of explorations told him, it was that this new mission would be purely useless.
PA52 is a sprawling, endless complex of white and gret hotel corridors, its monotony sometimes broken by the occasional brown wooden door, although these cannot be opened by any mean.
Rey sighs. Even with some fancy wording, his draft was still as bland as the previous one. It was a running joke within the archivist circles that many level notes of operatives could be summarized as a "place that is weird". Yet, PA52 wasn't even anomalous let alone remotely strange. Simply corridors, over and over again.
Still, the teenager intended of putting as much bad faith as humainly possible, just to spite "His Royalty" Mr. Rowan Olson. With a shuffling step, he headed to the nearest elevator, ready to document as many useless physical properties as possible.
Like many other indoor levels, PA52 is comprised of several redundant floors. Added to the labyrinthic nature of the level structure, this can prove to be disorienting to wanderers who are less experienced when it comes to the exploration of repetitive liminal spaces.
The different floors can be reached by the use of elevators scattered around the map1. They are mostly as simplistic as the rest of the level, safe from the presence of far more buttons than usually possible, scattering the entire wall, each of them corresponding to a specific floor.
Rey knew about these lifts far too well already. Pushing a random button, the teenager was reminded of the nonsensical order of the floor buttons there, as if the floors weren't created in order. He shrugged. Classic Backrooms weirdness. Not even worth pointing out, even with how desperate for information he was. Or maybe he should make a whole advice block on how to push buttons? Perhaps "His Highness" Rowan Olson would be pleased by such a showcase of writing literacy, he ironized as the elevator continued moving up.
With a faint bell sound, the metallic carcass stopped its course, finally opening its doors. To Rey's surprise, however, the corridor in front of him looked… Different. Eroded hall colors and weak light panels replaced the pristine corridors he left just a minute ago.
Numberation confirmed it was still the same level, yet the change in aesthetics wasn't something he witnessed last time. Rey rolled his eyes, already thinking of the irritating smirk "His Honor" PLACOLHDER would display, all too happy about showing the operative how wrong his assurance was. Yet, all he could do was write down. At least it wasn't that big of a deal.
Some floors showcase signs of age, such as the fading wall colors or the light panels sometimes flickering. It is currently unknown if this is linked to how high a floor can be, or how decrepit it can be.
As he continued walking around the new floor, an thought started to emerge in his mind. If the floor bare differences with the ones he visited some days ago, could the structure also be impacted? Split between the thrill of discovery and the dread of looking like a rushy idiot to Rowan Olson, Rey approached the nearest door.
Surprisingly enough, the door did open. However, the most destabilizing fact was what it led to. In front of the teenager was another corridor, emerging into what looked like a Northern French or Belgian landscape of the 1940s.
"Emerging" was the word of choice here. Looking at the corridor from outside revealed that it was coming out of a verdant cliff, yet the rest of the hotel wasn't to be seen anywhere around. Just like in the Terror Hotel, it was as if PA52 pierced into New Flanders.
As Rey went back into the hotel corridor, the thrill of discovery only increased. If two levels already were connected to this place, perhaps more thresholds could be found, where the corridors pierced into other pocket dimensions like 5 or 44-FR. This could mean PA52 could serve as reliable access to some other Backrooms levels. Perhaps Mr. Olson wasn't so wrong after all. Maybe all levels could have something interesting within them.
Expecting another corridor leading to another level, Rey opened another door. To his surprise, however, all this corridor led to a dense cloud of blue mist. While the teenager never saw the Blue Channel with his own eyes, it was obvious it was what was in front of him. Carefully walking into the passage, he started to distinguish something far away. While the corridor was cut short, Rey could make out a fluctuating landscape of tunnel hallways and corridors.
Rey didn't have to be a genius to put the clues together. PA52 created its own thresholds by extending into the Channel, breaking into other realms, and connecting its concrete appendages to it. Similar to The Hub, The Endless City or even The Great Outdoors, it was clear that his thought from a few minutes ago was right. This place could be used as an efficient trading route by the M.E.G.
With his excitement overriding his pride, the teenager ran back to the exit to the Terror Hotel, eager to present his discovery to his superior.
. . .
> User @Nyx created the room.
> User @Nyx entered the room.
> User @VorKhos entered the room.
[Nyx]: Hi Anthony
[Nyx]: What is a PA52?
[VorKhos]: What
[VorKhos]: Well huh PA stands for Pending Aproval
[VorKhos]: They're M.E.G. level drafts that are waiting to get aproved, kind of like what I did with 523-FR some time ago
[Nyx]: But why is it a 52?
[VorKhos]: It's their 52th major draft I guess?
[VorKhos]: Why do you ask?
[Nyx]: What is a Remodeling Co?
[VorKhos]: … I assume the context has no-clipped into the Blue Channel
[Nyx]: No it's the corridors that do
[VorKhos]: That's an expression Nyx
[VorKhos]: Wait wait wait a minute what did you mean by corridors into the Channel
[Leslieye]: I got a an email from Loiseau, he said there was a PA52 that was hotel corridors that extended into other levels from Blue Channel
[VorKhos]: Oooooh
[VorKhos]: I mean that sounds pretty cool?
[VorKhos]: The M.E.G. will get their Silk Road project done after all
[Nyx]: Well he said it was bad, because it was made by the Remodeling Co
[VorKhos]: Ah
[VorKhos]: These guys again
[VorKhos]: How bad exactly?
[Nyx]: Well they said the PA52 could break levels and kill them
[VorKhos]: What??? Where does that come from what's the full thing
[Nyx]: Ad
[VorKhos]: What ad
[Nyx]: Come to Loiseau with me he has it he said
[VorKhos]: Maxilillien's office?
[VorKhos]: Like, right now?
[Nyx]: He asked for me to come
[VorKhos]: Gaaaaaah I don't like this guy
[VorKhos]: Sure I'll assist you I guess
[Nyx]: Thanks
[VorKhos]: Well, see you in ten minutes there
[Nyx]: See you
[END OF ARCHIVED CHATLOG]
. . .
OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE BACKROOMS REMODELLING COMPANY
True order comes through furniture.
Dear clients,
Seven days ago, we started constructing a new Highway at coordinates 0,0,0,375,72,8,0,33,246,0,216 of the Blue Channel, in order to improve the efficiency of our future operations. Our devoted workers have been able to develop and use our cutting-edge Liminal TechnologyTM, in order to allow the Highway to spread to other levels, which will eventually enable us to work more quickly and efficiently in each one. As of today, the Highway is now developing on its own, guided by a central computer system.
Please note that over the next few months, it is possible that some levels will be destroyed by the inefficient corridors of the Highway, piercing the arrival zones and creating rifts in the Blue Channel. This can cause the onset of Disintegration, and total destruction of the area, if not of the entire level. We apologize in advance for the inconvenience, but we can assure you that it will be well worth it for our future operations.
If you wish to temporarily stop the development of the Highway for any reason, you can stop the proliferation of corridors from the central computer without the presence or authorization of a Backrooms Remodeling official.
We apologize again for the potential logiscial issues that may arise, and wish you a great day!
. . .
Operation "Remodeling Shutdown" - 19/06/2017
Due to the risk of PA52 breaking level structures and causing them to disintegrate into the Blue Channel, it has been decided that the M.E.G. will shut down the central network of the level to avoid further spreading, found within a Remodeling Company control room in the level.
External Collaborator "Nyxtlr’a" from Team Hermes, due to their skills in alien engineering and anomalous engineering, has been tasked with permanently stopping the computer system of PA52, as well as stabilizing the level. They will be led by Housekeeping operative Rey McCalister, as he is the only one to have ventured within the level so far, and assisted by Team Hermes scout Katya Hall, who possesses more experience in navigating indoor liminal spaces. Base Alpha operative Ale Venrick will supervise the entire team due to his leadership abilities, allowing two different group cultures to collaborate on this important mission.
M.E.G. — Bettering Humanity
. . .
Once more, steps could be heard in the parasitic hotel corridors. The Ariane Circle duo made headway to the meetup point, eager to finally start the searching with the M.E.G. operatives.
While Katya glanced at his feet, uninterested by the landscape surrounding them, Nyx, unlike her, was looking around with excitement, trying to understand the purpose of the human-looking structure they were still not fully familiar about.
"How does M.E.G. knows it's the PA52 is different place than the Hotel of Terror?" They eagerly asked their teammate.
Katya looked surprised by Nyx's question. Remembering Anthony wasn't here to answer their cultural question, she tried formulating an answer.
"Well— It's mainly about the aesthetics. The Terror Hotel looks far older, something like the 30s I think." The operative embraced the corridor. "But here, it's much more recent. It's something about Level Evolution, I think. You're gonna have to ask Anthony for this to be fair, he's a Backborn, but he did study that stuff."
"I miss Anthony." The alien only responded, mimicking regret.
"Oh come on Nyx it's been barely two hours! I get you two are very close but… It's only one mission. Not even a dangerous one. I guess we could have insisted for him to come but… You know him. He's still easily scared."
The duo took a turn, heading to where the two M.E.G. operatives were waiting.
"I don't like being away from Hermes. Reminds me of things." They quaked.
"Yeah I know. The hivemind thing." Katya responded with a caring tone. "I get you don't know the meggies, but you'll see, it's gonna be fine. I'll be here to help if needed."
As she spoke of the other half of the team, Katya discerned two yellow figures waiting at a T junction at the end of the corridor. She sped up, waving at them.
"There we go! We find the computer thing, you deactivate it or something and we save a bunch of levels. The usual y'know?"
The Alien didn't answer, still unsure of how to feel about the mission. It's only been a few months since Nyx discovered the Ariane Circle— Or rather since they came to their level. Since then, they slowly adapted to dimensions that were not designed after anything their home planet had. Cut from the conciousness of the other Stixians, it took them some time to feel at home with another species.
The mission didn't make them feel at ease. Charlie, Katya and Anthony were good people to spend time with, but it would be a lie to say everyone at Team Hermes was this nice. Most of them, even after several months, were still looking at them with a mix of distrust and curiosity. The "chair incident" of their first interaction at Level 523-FR constantly reminded them to not provoke them. Yet, gossips about "the alien" were still rampant across the team, despite their good will.
And now they had to cooperate with people they had never seen before in a place they were still unfamiliar about. Katya was here to help, but who was to say the M.E.G. operatives wouldn't showcase the same disguised animosity as some Hermes members?
Sensing their concern once again, Katya repeated the same words as before, trying to appease them as they closed up to meet the rest of the team.
Perhaps things will go better than expected.
. . .
"Nobody told me the engineer would be an… entity. What even is that?"
Nyx sighed as Katya started in disbelief at Ale. Things did not, in fact, go better than expected.
"The… "entity" as you named them is our external collaborator Nyx. They're like, the only person able to fix whatever mess you discovered and couldn't comprehend. You know, as usual." Katya retorted to Ale, ignoring Rey who tried to greet the Ariane Circle agents.
The alien, speechless, stayed in place as Katya continued to argue with the person who was supposed to coordinate the entire mission. While they weren't surprised by Ale's apparent speciesism, the repetition of the gossip they could hear in Team Hermes still affected them more than they wanted to admit.
"Are they a Remodeling Company Employee or something? They're blue-grey and all. Are you sure it's a good idea?"
Before Katya could even speak up again, Nyx finally took a step, getting closer to the M.E.G. operative. With a growing anger, they retorted: "I, for starters, am not from Backrooms. I am a Styxian."
"So the ocean on Level 7? Miss Hall, liste, I understand that's your coworker and all but have to seen it? It has sharp teeth and twisted eyes. I am NOT trusting that."
With only a meter separating them, Nyx could easily heavily harm him if they desired. Perhaps it would prove his viewpoint right, they thought. They looked at Katya to try to calm down, but they only found a feeling of pure disbelief within her, which didn't help them cool down.
"Okay, I don't really want to ruin your showdown or something, but we have some walk to do. You don't want to ruin the mission, Ale? Then do your job." Rey finally shouted to his acolyte, with a teenage assurance that surprised both of the Hermes operatives.
"Very well." The leader conceded. "Miss Hall, I'll let you assist Rey in finding the route. Nyx can go behind you okay? I'll close the march to… make sure we don't get sneaked on. Yeah, sneaked on, that sounds fair. Works for everyone?"
Katya simply nodded, getting to Rey's distance as the team started moving. As Nyx started to walk behind the two scouts, however, they couldn't help but feel like Ale wasn't behind them to watch for exterior threats.
. . .
For almost half an hour, the group walked in single file, with Rey leading the march as Katya occasionally gave directions with the Crimson Map. Nyx, walking behind the Hippocrates scout, was surprised to see her anxious, sometimes hesitating as Rey was progressively outwalking the rest of the team. Such behavior coming from someone who was quite resolute just an hour ago took them off-guard. Was Ale so strange it kept bugging her long after the meetup?
"Is anything fine?" The alien asked, to which Katya responded by making a sign for the group to stop, before hailing Rey:
"Hey, kid, we shouldn't walk so fast. Did you see the environment? Rushing in tight corridors like this is the best way to get ambushed by an entity. Frvyo jade is only helpful if you take the time to check its light variations, after all."
Rey rolled his eyes as Katya mentionned being careful. "Yeah sure, I'm curious to hear how you're planning to check every angle before going in it. Wanna play peek-a-boo with the imaginary monsters?" The teen taunted, annoyed by her remark.
Nyx could feel the blood of their teammate instantly boil. Unlike Ale, she wasn't standing in disbelief by the operative's words, but rather feeling provoked by them. Helpless, they watched their friend respond to the provocation:
"You have a Scaraback don't you? Make it check the corners before going there, genius." She spat, her anger gradually flowing.
The idea didn't convince Rey, however, who continued with the same tone:
"Oh yeah suuuure let's lose several minutes every time we take a turn by using it! Last time I checked, the mission was supposed to be urg—"
With a colliding sound, the operative was cut short by a figure running on him at full speed, making the two fall onto the floor. Katya, still at a reasonable distance, took her Organigun out and pointed it to the two fallen humanoids, mumbling an "I told you so" as she did.
The figure glanced at the pistol and immediately put his arms up, yelling to not shoot. As the tension fell, the rest of the team managed to recognize a human being rather than a murderous creature.
"Identity yourself." Katya defied, still pointing at the unknown person with her gun as Rey was trying to stand back up.
"Dan Abbolt, liminal photographer for the Daily Rooms. I apologize for the unfortunate ambush and can promise you I mean no harm." He immediately responded, briefly checking his camera for potential damage.
"Where did you learn about this level's existence? We didn't make anything public yet…" Ale cut, ignoring Nyx who was still standing between him and the rest of the team. "Did you enter through Level 5?"
"Oh no I came from The Hub." The journalist immediately answered, eager to clear any misunderstanding. "Camp Amber reported seeing a weird hallway piercing through a tunnel, and here I am, gathering some info." He continued, pointing to the direction he came from.
Nyx, who before this mention stayed outside of the conflict, immediately understood what the fact implied. While Anthony was far from an expert of the Backrooms' structure, the alien managed to do enough research on the topic by themselves to understand how the anomalous physics of this dimension worked.
Coupled with their experiments on 523-FR, they learned that the Backrooms were a fragile place, merely a clunky assembly of pocket dimensions within the bigger realm of the Blue Channel. Breaking a level could very well break another, and so on. The Blue Consumption could lead to devastating chain reactions.
It was the worry the M.E.G. had. An unstable artificial level that could tear a hole in reality inside the Terror Hotel. However, what they had here was much, much worse.
"That is no good." Nyx finally spoke up. "If the corridor that broke in Hub disintegrates, it means Hub disintegrates too. And if hub breaks, then everything connected can break too."
"See? We need to worry." Rey simply responded, glazing at Katya triumphally.
"No need to taunt our teammate man." Criticized Ale, before turning to Dan. "You, can you go back to The Hub and tell them to contact Housekeeping? There's no signal here, but once you can talk to them they can figure something out. We'll stop the level as soon as we can."
The journalist seemed to weigh the choice for an instant, before nodding, running away where he came from, as the group hurried up to find the Remodeling Company control room.
. . .
ADDENDUM: This audio retranscroption is CLASSIFIED, and only accessible to the involved members of Team Hermes. Leaking of said information will be met with serious consequences.
Name: Hermes_MEG_Remote_Meeting_001
Date: 19/06/2017
Involved personel: Maximilien Loiseau, Anthony Kelvin, Rowan Olson
Context: Discussion around the newfound information about PA52, given by Camp Amber
Rowan Olson: Hello Maximilien, I apologize for the wait, I connected to the meeting as soon as possible.
Maximilien Loiseau: I appreciate your time, Rowan. Don't worry, this won't take long. I'll let Mr. Kelvin tell you the full context.
Anthony Kelvin: Thank you Mr. I'm far from an expert in Backrooms physics, but Nyx told me enough for me to do my own research in the meantime and what I found i—
Maximilien Loiseau: No need for excuses, please be concise.
Anthony Kelvin: — Yeah right, apologies. Soooo… It all ties to the phenomenon of Blue Consumption. In case you're not familiar with it, it's basically an event where the Blue Channel tears through a level, making it unstable, eventually breaking it. Sometimes the remnants sink into the Bottomless Blue, sometimes they reform into something else. It's a natural phenomenon, which occurs rather rarely on natural levels.
Maximilien Loiseau: Mr. Kelvin what did I say about being concise.
Anthony Kelvin: Apologies sir, I'm getting to it. The issue with PA52 is that the more it develops, the more unstable it will become. And if it breaks, then it will create rifts in the connected levels, which leads to the Blue Consumption. That's already REALLY BAD, but at least we can evacuate the levels in question. When the PA52 fully break, the levels connected to them will move away, which avoids a domino effect.
Rowan Olson: And how does it tie to the Hub?
Anthony Kelvin: Well, levels cannot disconnect from the Hub. That's why the Hub connects everywhere and always will, despite levels moving constantly. But since the levels can't go away… Then we have the domino effect.
Rowan Olson: And in practice this means…?
Anthony Kelvin: When PA52 breaks, it will also break the levels it entered into, which includes the Hub. And when the Hub will break… Every. Single. Level. Will be torn off from it, because the entrances are "hardcoded" in a sense. And as said before…
Rowan Olson: … This creates a rift, and the levels die.
Anthony Kelvin: Exactly! See the problem now? The Remodelling Company created an unstable evolving level that they knew could break SOME levels. However, they didn't think of the Hub, for whatever reason. But if the Hub falls, EVERYTHING falls with it.
Maximilien Loiseau: As long as the level expands, it risks breaking. Now that it reached the Hub, the consequences are much, much bigger than anticipated. This was an issue with the connected levels already, but now, it is unprecedented.
Rowan Olson: What can we even do to stop it if the expedition fails? We can evacuate Level 5 and the Hub, maybe use some Reality Fresheners to slow down the rift, but this won't stop the destruction.
Maximilien Loiseau: Nothing more, I'm afraid. The exploration team is using our only Crimson Map. Without it, impossible to find the control room. Even luck won't help, seeing how big that level is. All our hope lies on them.
Anthony Kelvin: I would trust Nyx and Katya with my life. I know working with other groups can be hard for them sometimes, but I'm sure they'll find the control room before it's too late.
. . .
It has been an hour since the team went back on their journey after their encounter. Yet, despite the deep explanation Nyx gave on the risks tied to the Hub, the general ambiance was at an all-time low. Katya and Rey kept arguing over every meaningless detail. Rey was reckless, and Katya inefficient— Or at least that's what each said to the other. W
While the M.E.G. operative insisted on the need to sacrifice care for efficiency, Katya only seemed to see him as a fool, an agent too young to understand the true dangers of the Backrooms. Nyx couldn't blame her, as she saw countless M.E.G. logs ending in disaster already. yet, they felt like she would listen to the same advice if it was Charlie.
Collaboration was no better on their side. Ale, still behind her, glanced at them with a deep distrust he was barely hiding anymore, a feeling shared by the alien, who only identified him as a danger. Intimidating him would be easy, and perhaps make things easier, but Anthony vouched for them, and they didn't want to break such a trust.
The thought of their friend who stayed at Hermes-5 made their heart languish. Katya was a good friend, but while she appreciated her analytical mind and her truthfulness, the alien already missed Anthony's nerdy conversations and awkward behavior. Still, he trusted them with this mission, and Nyx was eager to prove him right.
"Oh… That's not good." Nyx hear their Hermes companion whisper, disrupting their thoughts.
Looking forward, the alien shivers at the sight of a huge crack in the ground, spreading to the nearby walls. While Nyx was aware this was bound to happen, seeing it so fast, so close to them caught them off-guard for a moment.
Rey looked the most impacted by the discovery, with anguish replacing his usually confident smirk. "This is bad. We need to hurry before that whole thing fucking collapses." He added, looking around for more cracks, before attemption to run.
"Absolutely NOT, running will only make the whole thing break faster." Katya retorted, grasping his sweat to stop him.
As the two started arguing again, Nyx relocated their attention to the actual crack, an idea slowly growing in their mind. Carefully approaching it, they whispered:
"I can attempt something to fix it. The cubes should—"
The alien was interrupted by a force from behind them, throwing them to the flow. Hitting the floor, they distinguished Ale, trying to immobilize them.
The shock made a cracking noise that both Rey and Katya perceived, making them turn back to see the M.E.G. leader and Nyx on the floor. With a brief feeling of surprise away, Nyx pushed on Ale, easily throwing him to the side.
"Ale this bad!" Nyx tried to formulate, as he also tried to stand up. His gesture was cut short, however, as the floor started to move unnaturally, before heavily vibrating. The alien desperately tried to stay up, balancing themselves to reach for Katya, but the ground was breaking, slowly lowering itself.
With a singular breaking sound, their end of the hallway detached and fell away below. As the rest of the team shouted their names in vain, Nyx and Ale fell into the deep blue abyss, which muffled their own screams.
. . .
Communication operator: Sir, the M.E.G. report just came in, the sensors are going insane. The level is becoming more and more unstable.
Maximillien Loiseau: Mr. Kelvin, any way we can break the connection between the Terror Hotel and PA52?
Anthony Kelvin: I check the G.P.D. and Nyx's notes, nothing. Even if there was, Nyx, Katya and the others need a safe way back.
Maximillien Loiseau: Kelvin, the level is slowly collapsing, chances are we lost them already.
Anthony Kelvin: Sir, you're gonna have to trust them. We said it before, we can't find the Control Room without the Crimson Map. I have faith in my friends.
Maximillien Loiseau: The journalist reported some collaboration difficulties between them. Mr Fixxt, tell Housekeeping and Homely Hotel to be ready for a potential evacuation!
Communication operator: On it sir!
Anthony Kelvin: Mr Loiseau, I know Nyx can have a hard time working with others, but I've been around them since they entered the Circle. They can do it. If it was hopeless, they would have come back with the Warpberries. If they're still there, then there's hope.
Maximillien Loiseau: May the Pantheon proves you right Mr. Kelvin, because there's not much we can do outside of delaying it.
. . .
The first thing Nyx made out after opening their eyes was the deep blue hut engulfing everything in the area. Then the remnants of the fallen corridor caught their attention. The detached segment had pierced through another section below it, breaching its ceiling before collapsing on its floor.
The new location looked more similar to the place they met the others in two hours ago, except the Blue Channel was tainting its otherwise grey corridors. Yet, Nyx could breathe normally, as if the air didn't escape to the blue void above.
"Grmblflrrrr…"
Nyx's thoughts got interrupted by Ale's grown. Turning to face him, the alien saw the M.E.G. explorer on the floor, collapsed.
It would be so easy to leave this nuisance behind, this so-called leader incapable of maintaining cohesion. Nyx would be far more efficient without him, yet they knew Anthony would disapprove of such a decision.
Nyx remembered how surprised the historian was by their resilience before he told them humans were much weaker biologically. "Death" was still an abstract concept to the alien, but they knew how terrified Anthony was of it. Could Ale experience "death"? It certainly looked unpleasant.
Yet, Anthony trusted them with working alongside the exploration team, and Nyx didn't want to disappoint him. With a sigh, they started walking to Ale's location, ready get help him get back up.
As they approached him, Ale slowly opened his eyes. Identifying who was approaching him, he tried to back off, frantically looking for a weapon in his pocket.
"I not wish harm, stupide. Nyx can help you." The alien muttered, annoyed by his behavior.
Finally standing up amongst the rubble, he tried adopting a defensive stand, whispering:
"No… You won't get me… I can't… join them already…"
Nyx expected anger, yet they only felt fear emanating from him. True terror. In many ways, his reaction reminded them of how the Hermes operatives acted the first time they met.
In an attempt to calm him down, Nyx tried to smile, but his sharp mandibles only made the situation worse, with Ale almost falling back on his back, slowly backing off. The alien sighed again.
"Ale, you scared and hurt. Not good for mission. When I try help, people scared sometimes. But Hermes men went through it, so can you."
"How can I be so sure?" He responded. "So many creatures tried to decieve me in the past. I lost friends to these things. I…" He hesitated. "I won't get fooled by another Backrooms monster."
"I not from Backrooms, I said." The alien retorted. "I from Styx. Different Frontroom. I saw Yellow Halls. You know Yellow Halls?"
The M.E.G. operative seemed to hesitate again.
"Entities can't get to Level 0… I think. I mean, we're in the middle of nowhere and everything is breaking. I guess I can't do anything but trust you." He conceded.
"Good." Nyx smiled again, before turning to the giant hole in the ceiling. "Now we wonder why air didn't escape to Blue Channel. Do you know Blue Channel?"
The question caught Ale offguard. "Well… Not really. We don't have a lot of knowledge about it, and the one we do have I never really bothered learning. Science isn't really my stuff you know?"
Ale slowly approached the hole, although they stayed at a reasonnable distance from Nyx.
"All I can say is that there's a weird conduit… energy thing above the ceiling. Like, before the void, there's like a transparent shield or something."
Nyx concentrated, looking more deeply into the anomalous force field. It seemed to envelop the entire corridor from the exterior, separating it from the void of the Blue Channel. Looking through it revealed the same phenomenon on other concrete appendages visible from afar. While it looked different tha, the ones Nyx used to work on, its purpose was obvious to the alien.
"This a matrix. It's exterior skeleton. It guides growth."
"Well, it moves to the right. Does that mean the control room is somewhere in the left?" Ale questionned.
"Perhaps. With no map, is only track we have. So we have to walk." Nyx concluded, before starting walking to the opposite side of the room, following by a slightly relieved Ale.
. . .
The travel had been through in the last hour. With the entire level progressively crumbling, Nyx and Ale had to be more careful than ever to avoid falling again.
Sometimes, they had to hop over fragments of walls or ceilings, with the holes around them letting them see the translucent energy coat outside, guiding them to its source. Some other times, entire parts of the floor were missing, forcing them to either perform risky jumps or take a different road.
The duo was barely talking. With Ale still staying at a reasonable distance from Nyx, discussion was barely an option. The alien didn't mind the silence, however. They agreed to help him, but only by the bare minimum, not bothering to slow down or engage in a conversation. All that mattered to them was finding the Central Network, saving the day, then getting back to Hermes-5 to finally reunite with Anthony.
Yet, the alien could feel Ale's fear of being alone gradually replacing his fear of them. Even if he didn't trust Nyx, they were his only chance of survival, and he knew it. With a pressing step, he approached them, trying to start the conversation.
"I hope we'll find the others soon. I kinda miss them now, despite their constant arguing."
"I hope Katya alright." Nyx responded. "I know she good at exploring, but alone, in dying level, can be hard alone for humans." They added, worried.
"I'm sure she will be fine." Ale tried to cheer up. "She looks very capable, and I don't think she would go on her own without Rey. Hard situations can create bonds, after all."
The parallel Ale was making was obvious, but it did reassure Nyx. If Ale could go beyond his fear, if Nyx could try their best to work with foreign humans, perhaps Katya would too.
"Thanks, Ale." Nyx simply nodded.
The moment was interrupted by the heavy sound of a part of the ceiling collapsing onto the floor, breaking into pieces in front of them. Without a word, the duo accelerated, both aware of what would happen if they didn't find the control room in time.
. . .
"Well… That no good."
After half an hour spent walking in increasingly unstable corridors, the duo was now facing a dead end, the elevator and its track having collapsed before they came. Instead, a makeshift mountain of rubble and concrete surfaces was in front of them. Nyx groaned.
"We no time to take other roads. Building dying. But tall pile here is flat enough to climb."
"Maybe you're agile enough, but I don't think I can go there safely." Ale objected.
In response, the alien advanced towards the concrete pile. "Then I go alone."
"Wait!" The operative shouted immediately, making Nyx turn around. "I'll try, just… don't go too fast, okay?"
The alien sighed but nodded, hoping the operative wouldn't slow them too much. "Come, then. We can't wait too much, level still in danger."
Ale hurried up, joining Nyx without adding a word, as the alien started climbing.
. . .
The ascention was no easy task. Despite Nyx's species having higher strength than humans, they were an engineer, not an athlete. Yet, Nyx was still doing better than Ale, who, despite their explorer training, struggled to keep up.
The environment around them wasn't helping either. The duo was regularly going below other hallways, with their floors equally as unstable. Small projectiles coming from above were legion, and both of them had to watch out for them as they were climbing.
"I see top!" Nyx announced joyfully, relieved. "Hopefully we're close to-"
Nyx got interrupted by a heavy sound, far louder than anything they heard during the rest of the ascention. Looking up, the alien shivered, seeing a corridor junction slowly detaching itself. They had to hurry up and get to the top before it fell down on the middle of the mountain.
"Look up! Danger!" They shouted as small concrete rocks started to fall down.
But Ale didn't respond.
Expecting him to be paralyzed in fear, they turned but were instead horrified to see him knocked over the ground, unconscious.
The corridor above was about to collapse on them. Nyx could easily leave the area in time alone, but this would condemn the M.E.G. operative. Without a second thought, Nyx ran down to Ale's body, lifted it, and then started to climb the rest of the rubble mountain, hoping they would leave the zone before the corridor fell on them.
. . .
Each step was harder than the last. It had been mere seconds since they had picked up Ale's unconscious body, but Nyx was already shaking, their arms and legs burning as if they were holding steel plates. Their thorax was bending under the weight, despite them trying to ease up their back.
Ale might be a terrible leader, but he was still quite a muscular operative. While his weight wouldn't be an issue for Nyx under normal circumstances, having to climb the uneven concrete mountain while dodging projectiles made it far harder.
A dozen times they thought about leaving his body behind, but every time they fought the thought, determined to same the human from the crumbling level. If Anthony trusted Nyx with collaboration, then they would make their historian friend proud.
As Nyx approached the top, ready to access a sturdier corridor present there, they heard the one which used to be above them just some minutes ago falling, breaking on the side of the mountain, the shock almost making the alien fall over. Turning back to face their destination, they saw a light emerging from the hallway above, flying around before going back to where it came from. Nyx could recognize this shape from a mile away thanks to Anthony's Lost rants. It was a Scaraback. Katya and Rey were close.
With this newfound hope, the alien finally arrived on top, gently deposing Ale onto the floor before collapsing, their muscles tired from the climb.
. . .
"Wake up sleepyhead! You still have to save the universe." A familiar feminine voice called near them.
Opening their eyes, the alien witnessed a familiar face above them.
Katya… how did you find us? They asked, confused, as they gathered their thoughts together.
"Hey I'm here too!" Nyx heard Rey shout in the distance, as they approached them with something in his hands.
"Take this. I gave some to Ale too. Don't ask me where I got it unless you like the concept of stealing." He added, handling them a slice of Royal Ration.
The sight of food, even one they weren't used to, made Nyx realize how hungry the climb had made them feel. They bit into it hungrily, expanding their mandibles to chew the food better as Rey watched with apprehension and disbelief..
"How did you escape the breaking corridor place?" Nyx asked, still chewing.
"Well, first we yelled at each other for like five minutes, and then realized the whole situation was kind of our fault." Katya narrated. "Since we knew you'd find a way here, we used the map to arrive before, while Rey used the Scaraback to try to find you two. Which worked!"
"Way to here… What is here?" Nyx questioned, their meal finally fully eaten.
Katya smiled. "You didn't get it? We're at the center of the level! Which means…"
She stepped aside, revealing a seemingly unassuming door, safe from the words engraved on it.
"It's control room! We can stop level!" Nyx happily shouted.
"Not so fast buddy." Rey objected. "Ale needs to unlock it first."
Rey waved at the team leader, who had just finished eating his ration and was now gathering tools to lockpick the door. He then proceeded to move to the entrance, doing a shy thank you wave at the alien for saving him earlier.
As he started trying to unlock the door, the alien felt it. The heart of collaboration was helping their teammates so that they could help them in return. A mutual alliance, sometimes flowing in friendship, sometimes with grudges and fears to put aside. Katya and Rey let go of their different view of exploration to instead use their skills together. And just like them, Nyx accepted Ale as a teammate just like he did for them.
The bond wasn't as big as what they felt when they were working in Hermes with Anthony and the others, of course. Yet, in a situation where mistakes could bring up the doom of every living thing, collaboration felt even better as a consequence.
Perhaps they could work with humans after all. Perhaps they could understand this species.
"Aaaand we're good to do!" Ale announced happily as he opened the door for the rest of the team, who went through the threshold without hesitation.
Sealed away from the destruction of the rest of the level, the control room was pristine, devoid of the blue mist engulfing the corridors. Its contents were far from ordered, however, with messes of computer parts, notebooks and tools scattered around, as if the workers had left in a hurry.
The technology used was rustic and primitive, yet it took little time for Nyx to understand the purpose of the many buttons and screens all around them. They rushed to one of the consoles, smiling. It had been so long since they spent some time in their element.
With little time left before the level would inevitably enter an event horizon, they started working.
. . .
Hello?
[…]
Yes, we are aware.
[…]
In your skybox? Did it enter?
[…]
Yes, we know where these corridors come from, but did it break into your Skybox?
[…]
It STOPPED? You're sure it's not moving anymore?
[…]
Yes, we have one too.
[…]
I'll check with Housekeeping for their sensory reports. Please update me as soon as possible.
[…]
Thank you, have a nice day.
. . .
In the blink of an eye, Nyx and the rest of the team no-clipped into the communication room of Hermes-5, the acidic aftertaste of the Warpberries still in their mouths.
Immediately, the alien noticed Anthony, who rushed to them before firmly hugging the two returning AC agents.
"I knew you could do it!" He shouted, overjoyed. "See? Checkmate Maximillien!" He then added, turning to face the Hermes higher-up, who rolled his eyes in response.
Nyx, first surprised at Anthony's boldness, reported their attention to Loiseau:
"Level stable now. Did corridors stop growing?"
He nodded in response. "I got contacted by Base Beta. They have identified one of them in the City's skybox, but it indeed stopped growing. The M.E.G. sensory captors near Housekeeping are straight as well: the level isn't at risk anymore."
"Yeah, Nyx redirected all the power or something. I this I can't explain." Katya retorted, giving a friendly hit on the alien shoulder."**
"Energy exoskeleton had two purposes. Growing and maintaining structure. I made sure all its energy would do second and stop doing first." They explained.
Anthony hugged Nyx tighter, with sparkles in his eyes. "I'm so happy you managed to pull this off. I always knew you were a true Hermes member." He smiled
"Not to break the moment, but you all still need to go through the checkup." A voice echoed behind Maximillien. "You know, for the Warpberry toxins."
Nyx recognized the voice of Dross, the Hippocrates doctor. Sighing, they started to walk to him before getting interrupted by Ale:
"Hey, before you go… I just wanted to say I'm… sorry for how I treated you at the start. And thanks for saving my life." He stammered. "I hope we can work together again in the future."
Nyx nodded. "I also sorry for thinking you were useless. You great teammate."
Ale looked around, unsettled by the remark, as Anthony stared at Nyx in disbelief.
"They didn't mean it THIS WAY, don't worry." The historian muttered. "They still don't speak English very well, you know. Francophonic group and all of that."
Ale simply nodded in respect, unsure of what to add as Nyx left to be the first to be examined.
. . .
M.E.G. Operation "Remodeling Shutdown" Report
To: Maximillien Loiseau, Team Hermes of the Ariane Circle
Although close, the mission was a success, and the exploration team managed to redirect the power from the expansion of the corridors to the maintenance of the energy exoskeleton maintaining the structure of the level. Thanks to this reprogramming, what remains of the level is now stable, and exits are not at risk anymore. Furthermore, the level won't grow further, meaning that no additional threshold could compromise the level.
The M.E.G. is currently undergoing heavy discussion with the Backrooms Remodelling Company due to the risks they took to create their highway level. While not officialized as of now, the offer to not bother their future endeavors in exchange for getting exclusive access to their former property is likely to be accepted. This would allow the Major Explorer Group to have access to yet another trading route, greatly helping our outposts located deeper within the Backrooms. If it becomes the case. A new, improved article for Level PLACEHOLDER will be created to be added to both the General Public Database and the M.E.G. Database.
We do, however want to point out the collaboration difficulties that occurred between the four members of the team. While it eventually got settled in the field, it is something both of our groups should watch for, as this issue persisting could very well create heavy consequences in the future.
M.E.G. — Bettering Humanity
PRETEND EVERYTHING DOWN THERE DOESN'T EXIST
REMEMBER YOU DID OUT A CLEAR DATE IN THE BACKDOOR BOX YOU IDIOT
- https://www.flickr.com/photos/37297440@N04/53953848191/
- https://openverse.org/image/d5397b0c-ccc4-431e-b18d-7809432f196a?q=hotel+corridor&p=16 corridor kinda like the first one
- https://openverse.org/image/c22191a8-4166-4a35-ba9e-9228b603f804?q=hotel+corridor&p=67 someone walking in corridor
- https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/714030848525205555/1211170544590782566/IMG_0753.jpg?ex=67bca0b8&is=67bb4f38&hm=b9d31fa0442f427b0964728dd4622b0047ffe8f469577f2db8e505bfd1c61743& "not an exit" door
- https://www.flickr.com/photos/mike_elleray/3331126962/in/photolist-65mTZu-7i5AdL-aMLC2v-4mmVEG-f8kVr7-4roj81-bWidpY-9Mefe5-f8kWn1-f8kTBA-9ynsb9-8WhmHv-8WkyCQ-6MgBy6-8Whn9r-dh1avA-egHLnf-2oQuUhQ-832fyS-EdkSj5-2hqAv2B-2jktSrU-a1EyZn-2oQupjS-4jGGdc-2hN83UJ-4QiiEj-2oQps7x-6nwr7n-6wuakZ-iPDrwV-o7E4xR-brcvxH-8d4P43-8ey2jq-2hxMs77-iPDp3X-2mgMwxR-asZLK7-bRgWP8-iPDwTB-ez3Gm-sHQ5Vy-QM8Yi-P3M4oM-9mSvA8-oEWuT-oQu8mS-356GM-vLFrkd control room
Lore notes:
- Ale is a rather clunky leader, one who often struggles to lead diverving viewpoints and people together. Their experience and backrooms traumas also don't help, and they've been wary and cautious about Backrooms exploration for a while.
- M.E.G. asked for help to Team Hippocrates for studying the Disease, which led Katya to work at Housekeeping
- Ale was friends with Louie Sulphur before they met their fate in the Terror Hotel Casino LES DATES PRAETOR CEST EN 2023
- The Level 7 ocean is named Styx in Graph's (unofficial) rewrite draft. Too good of a coincidence to not highlight it don't you think?