Access Denied

While gray dragon Asver was having breakfast, green dragon Zalen brought a cardboard box with seafood and a carafe of water: "It's last of our supplies. As soon as you eat, come out. The water purification filter pump has stalled, from the inside, it cannot be repaired by software methods. You'll have to try on scuba gear. You're more waterproof than I am," Green pointed to the neurointerface connector inserted in his head. "Don't we have a good morning ever?.." smiling, the gray one quickly finished his portion of food. "Then lead the way, show me, explain how it works! Especially since I've never been particularly interested in scuba diving before. We don't have much underwater equipment, and most of it's installed above water". Asver was exaggerating a bit, as he had done two scuba dives. There was no figure-fitting wetsuit here, nor a face-fitting mask, so Zalen gave Asver the most versatile set: a backpack-mounted tank with a flexible tube and a biteable mouthpiece, fins, and a mask with adjustable straps that fastened to the back of his head and heels. Asver was lucky to have a short mane instead of a crest, like some dragon subspecies. Zalen twirled an oblong shiny tool with buttons on the handle in his paws, but, not seeing recognition in the "trainee's" eyes, handed him a familiar tool suitcase with a basic set. "Do you need a weapon? A knife, a harpoon, a repellent?" "How to spray it underwater?" Asver wondered, putting the tank on like a backpack, snapping the straps at the base of the wings. "It will get into the gills of underwater predators - they will not be up to you. It doesn't work on sentient bullies for obvious reasons". "Give, then, just in case. And it would be nice to know where this pump is installed and in which part to look for the cause of the engine shutdown?" By and large, there could be only two reasons for the engine to stop - or there was no power, it is electric or on the energy of souls, or something prevents the rotor from rotating. In the first case, it would have to be restored or oxidized wires or energy lines. In the second - remove the lid of the "snail" and clean out all the debris from there. Or just remove and clean the coarse filter, if there is one. Zalen brought the scheme of the external systems, marking the gateway and water intake: "The minimum flow is provided by the water pressure at depth, the pump creates the required pressure. The pipe is wide, but be careful". After carefully examining the diagram and memorizing the location of the airlock, water intake, and external power switch, Asver double-checked the straps of his scuba system and followed Zalen to the exit. "As I understand it, the minimum pressure in the system is maintained, but the pump motor is not working. So, I'll check the power supply, and if there's still air in the tank, I'll clean the coarse filter and return to the base". The gray dragon had a good idea of what to do, but just in case, he wanted to get the most comprehensive instructions possible. What if there were different maintenance and repair standards for this equipment? "It's not working. And strangely enough, there's no pressure at all. Either it's completely clogged or there's a sabotage", Zalen observed as his companion put on the fins and bit into the mouthpiece, then opened the airlock door. "Use the pass to get back in, it won't get wet." "Well, let's see what's going on in there," thought Asver, turning on the valve. The small room of the airlock quickly filled with water. When the water had displaced all the air, the ash-scaled dragon turned the handle of the outer door's locks and pushed it outward. Slowly, the door began to open. Once it was wide enough, he pulled the handle back, releasing the bolts from the hatch frame. This ensured that the door wouldn't accidentally slam shut. In a few swift movements, Asver emerged from the airlock and swam towards the pump. He placed the tool case under his webbing, and the repellent canister in one of the pockets on his chest straps. He reached the water intake pipe quickly. There were no obvious debris plugs outside, and Zalen had turned off the engine power in advance, so Asver carefully entered the water intake pipe. As he swam through the dimly lit water, he noticed a movement in the shadows and felt a disturbance in the water flow. As the tentacles, which had previously blended with the gray metal, reached out to him from the technical tunnel, Asver not only retreated but also pulled a spray canister from his pocket. The repellent had a bluish tint - as long as it didn't contain vitriol, I didn't want to harm the environment, even with its aggressiveness! Nevertheless, the result was excellent: three octopus-like creatures jumped out of the pipe and, pulling themselves up on the bottom rocks, retreated, unable to keep up with their own changing colors. When Asver climbed deep into a very cramped area for an ordinary dragon, but quite comfortable for him, the reason for the anger of the underwater fauna became clear. The blades of the injection turbine were filled with fresh invertebrate meat. "Of course, I would also blame the surface aliens in their place," Asver mused, cleaning the water intake and carrying the remains outside. In the end, when the pump started working again, I had to help myself with the wings, resting them against the walls of the pipe. As he returned to the airlock, Asver was considering whether to take the seafood as his first trophy or not to desecrate the poor man's memory, but he completely forgot about it when he saw that the airlock door was closed. "I couldn't have done it myself... Someone must have come in or gone out," Asver said, pulling on the gate's handle without success. Then he noticed a sign on the wall near the lock, similar to the one on an elevator, and remembered that Zalen had mentioned something about "pass-based entry." Still puzzling over whether the electronic lock could have closed on its own due to security protocols, Asver removed his pass and placed it on the reader. The screen displayed a red rune stating, "This employee is already inside." Trying to suppress his nervousness, Asver looked at the pressure indicator on his tank. In terms of native units of time, only seventeen minutes had been spent out of the available hour. Inhale, exhale, hold your breath for eight seconds, inhale and exhale again, count to five, and then decide how to proceed. The technique developed by the healer of the Clan was as simple as a copper coin and just as reliable. "Option one. Surface, since the depth is only about thirty or forty meters," Asver quickly considered the options. "There are definitely some above-water utilities, such as ventilation systems. Or even residential levels. The execution time is two to three minutes. Option two, try to pass through one of the nearby locks, as there are supposedly one or two nearby. This is a former military base, and such facilities are designed to have redundant systems for critical components. Breaking it by force is not an option, as it can be electrocuted simply by the volume of water, and it's a bad thing if it doesn't kill you. And the third option. Surely there are some "recreational" places where visitors go scuba diving. There is hardly such a serious electronic protection, I can try to slip through even with the visitors. Well, even if they catch me, they will detain me until my identity is clarified. So, first to the neighboring locks, if it doesn't work out, to the walking places, if I don't find it, I'll ascend. Go ahead!" Cheerful by his flimsy, but quite a working plan, the ash dragon quickly swam to the next airlock, marked on the Zalen's scheme. It was located a few levels above, just a little away from the entrance to the first floor, so Asver captured it with his eyes then, and now he was desperately rushing to it. But he didn't calculate his strength - already halfway, the body began to ache, as if after carrying heavy loads. And he still wanted to swim to the surface like that, without decompression stops! Squinting, the dragon stopped, holding on to the dome wall with its front legs, and hung there for a while, trying not to panic or enter a trance, before continuing its ascent at a slower pace. Eventually, he reached the second entrance, having expended almost half of its air supply. However, it was not worth the effort, as the upper airlock refused to let it in, just like the lower one. In such stressful situations, emotions shut down before the brain does - the rollback will come in the post, if he lives to see it. Asver frantically looked around, thinking where there would be more diving, and saw a coral reef adjacent to the militarized hotel. When the base was reformed, the entrance for tourists was probably made at it, in order to protect visitors from the gray-blue boring landscapes and attract them with bright colors. Asver darted there, scattering schools of small fish and swimming around the larger ones. A picturesque place for underwater hunting at some point in the future, but right now it's the last chance for survival, and there's no way the remaining twenty-eight minutes will be enough to reach the surface without passing out. Asver saw the dragons maneuvering over the reef - about five of them, wearing gray gear and even carrying some kind of long-barreled weapon, which he quickly identified as a harpoon gun, not very suitable for hunting intelligent opponents, but perfect for underwater creatures. After taking a few more breaths, he realized that the tourists would not have ventured more than ten or fifteen minutes from the lock, otherwise they would not have had enough time for the hunt itself. This means that he can swim directly towards them and use hand gestures to communicate, and the tool case with the hotel's emblem will indicate that the gray dragon is not a rogue con artist but a hotel employee. As a result, Asver, overjoyed, boldly approached them, pointing to his regulator and gesturing towards the base. While the language of hand gestures may vary across different planets, these basic concepts should be universally recognizable. Gathered around the technician, who had somehow ended up outside the base, the divers looked at each other. Judging by their expressions, they didn't particularly want to deal with him, but they didn't know what else to do, and they couldn't communicate with their mouths occupied by the breathing apparatus. The situation was awkward, as the dragons had apparently just emerged from their underwater hunting session, which had lasted for about ten to fifteen minutes, and they didn't seem inclined to interrupt it. Asver then tried to convey another message with his gestures: "Let one of you come with me to the base." With a short, peaceful gesture, he swept his hand around the group, then held up one finger, pointed to his chest, and then to the hotel. These gestures were accompanied by a "I really need this" expression, but without any begging or pleading. They listened to his pleas, but they didn't want to split up, so they decided to accompany him to the tourist lock together. When Asver's tank was down to a quarter and the needle started to move towards the red zone, the group led him out of the labyrinth of reefs and towards a wider lock. However, the lock was exactly the same. After a few minutes of contemplating the reasons behind the security system's reluctance to let him in, Asver placed his card on the reader panel. The result was predictable: the display showed that the employee was already inside. Then, after pretending to be annoyed by the imperfections of technology and waiting for the message to disappear, he caught the dragon's attention and pointed to the reading panel. The dragon shook its head in disapproval, but it still activated its card. The electronics finally worked, and the two dragons floated into the open hatch of the entrance airlock. As the water receded, Asver was finally able to spit out the regulator, remove his goggles, and relax his tail with relief. The rescuer also removed its mask and hood. It became clear why it was wearing such a thick suit - it was a shaggy dragon, and it was quite overgrown - with a beard almost a finger thick and a mane down to the waist while standing on its hind legs. It is immediately obvious that the dragon is unaccustomed to technical work - where Asver worked, such "licentiousness" would have been ordered to shave off long ago. "That's why you shouldn't trust technology," he nodded with his nose at the card, then, uncovering the feathered wing from the "sleeve", put it to his chest. "I'm Finist Rarog". "Asver Ashero," the ash dragon repeated the gesture, "I'm very glad that you decided to help. The equipment sometimes malfunctions, and the more complex the equipment is, the more unpleasant the consequences are. I have to repair it, which I do as best I can". -"What happened this time that didn't work out?" Finist casually asked what, in theory, was classified information for the guests. Fortunately, Asver didn't have to answer. Soon he got rid of the last of his gear than the airlock was opened from the inside. "Asver, are you here? And who's on the first floor? I'm announcing the alarm," Zalen frantically wagged his finger, leaning out from behind the door, and disappeared again. "In any case, I hope you don't get fired for this," Finist said, pulling his ears back as he gathered his costume and flippers. "I'm hoping so, too," Asver said in a barely audible voice, opening the suitcase slightly and pouring the water into the drain grate. After emptying the water, he closed the suitcase, removed his fins, shook off the remaining water, and stepped into the hallway.