My lungs, eyes and legs burned as I careened around a blind corner. I stumbled over my hooves as I tried to regain my footing, thankfully I was saved by one of the Aero’s rusty docking bulkheads. My ears rang with the aftereffects of that flashbang grenade while my eyes streamed tears because of the acrid smoke affects. Behind me I could just make out the rhythmic thumping of Atlas Station’s Security Ponies. I quickly shook myself out of my stunned state then rushed to over to my ship’s airlock control panel and started hammering away at the keys. By the time the Security ponies got to the start of the station airlock I had already closed my ship’s airlock and started the release sequence. Fortunately for me the whole escape process went off without a hitch, which is the exact opposite of the earlier part of the day.
The obnoxious clanking and screeching of machinery coming from the shipyards would’ve deafened me but I was lucky. I had recently bought the X-200 Flight Helmet from the Flyer brothers, the only pair of certified Pegasi on Atlas Station who could sell various aftermarket parts. By default the X-200 was one of the top of the line flight helmets for space travel about 10 years ago but the Flyer brothers had doctored it and now it was mine. They weren’t to thrilled with giving it to me but hey I didn’t want to deaf, that’s bad for my health. Of course I knew where I was going because this helmet had a neat little map in the upper left hoof corner of the lense. I was going to 152 Industry Lane, home of Kit. And yes that is his full name.
The little guy showed up around twelve years ago saying that he had just gotten off a freighter from Canterlot Station and was looking for work. He found a small job as a courier for a local engineering firm, Wings United. They gave him a small shack at the edge of the hanger/shipyard that United owned. He was quiet and diligent, always turned his work in on time and never caused trouble. He subscribed to a few of the local antique print magazines, Space and Nano Engineering as well as The Celestial Courier. I always delivered them on every Tuesday of every week for the past six years and Kit always opened a slot for me to slid the magazines through.
So as I continued past the Shipyards and onto Kit’s property I noticed that the mail slot was open and small trickle of smoke was spiraling out of it. I couldn’t smell any smoke but as I drew closer to the front door I could start to make out the stench of burning rubber. I was right next to the front door now and I could feel the heat of a fire or something radiating off of the cinderblock walls. Not knowing which way the door turned I cautiously tried to push it open, that didn’t work so I pulled it and the door moved an inch then stopped. It felt like something was keeping it from fully opening. I set down my mail bag and clenched the door handle in my teeth, braced myself, then pulled.
I strained to open the door, my muscles were rippling and I was grunting with the effort, unfortunately for me, the amount of effort that I was putting into my plan left me completely unprepared for when the door suddenly gave way. I tumbled backwards and rolled down a small incline until I came to a halt in a small ditch filled with grimy week old water. Of course, the results of my efforts were apparent, Kit’s front door was wide open and hanging on by the bottom hinge. Black smoke was pouring out of the doorway then climbing into the sky, as my gaze drifted back to the doorway I noticed something on the ground of the doorway. Pulling myself up from the greasy water I went to investigate the object, as I drew closer the smell of burning items clawed and bit at my nostrils and I pulled my work shirt over my muzzle to try to block the smell.
It blocked the smell but it didn’t block what I saw. In the middle of the doorway hanging half in and half out of the house was a body. As my mind caught up with my eyes I saw that the corpse was an Earth Pony; Kit was an Earth Pony too and if this was him then- I was cut off by the sound of sirens wailing from the Shipyard. The unexpected sound caused me to jump back in alarm. I quickly turned away from Kits front door then trotted to his property line. I would wait for the authorities to arrive. Looking back I saw my bag and the mail inside of it, I couldn’t leave that anywhere near the fire, I still had other clients. I quickly walked back and picked up my bags, by the time I got back to where I was before the Security Ponies had shown up.
“Officers!” I said as I approached them. “Thank Celestia you’re here. I-I was on my way to-”
“-Did you just grab that bag away from the scene?” One Officer interrupted. Nodding my head I replied,
“Yes Officer, I did.” If there was anything that my mother had taught me it was to be kind and courteous to Officers and maybe they’d-
“-I’ll need you to drop the bag then lay on the ground for me.”
What. Did I hear that correctly?
“Sir,” I cautiously asked, “Am I under arrest?” I dreaded his answer.
He took a step towards me looking me in the eyes. His eyes were stone cold blue and they held no sympathy for me.
“Get on the ground now. I’ll not tell you again.”
I’ll admit it, I panicked. I backed away from him bringing a hoof up in an innocent gesture.
“Sir, I di-”
I guess he took that like I was going to run away because the next thing I knew he had tackled me then pinned to the ground while a pair of hoof cuffs were slapped on me. Despite my reluctance the two Security Ponies bundled me into their vehicle then started driving me to who knew where.