The Artificer left the chamber, the green glow still stinging its eyes, knowing that some files are better left unzipped.

"It is a bypass," Pebbles realized, his voice trembling. "Someone attempted to unzip the very fabric of our reality to access the 'Downpour' without the permission of the Great Cycle."

The Slugcat known as the sat amidst the rusted pipes of the Garbage Wastes, turning a strange, shimmering object in its paws. It wasn't the usual white or blue pearl found in the troves of Scavengers. This one flickered with a sickly green light, and etched into its surface were the jagged glyphs: GOLDBERG.ZIP .