//------------------------------// // Part 17: Manifold // Story: The Transporter: Second Gear // by Unit_ZER0 //------------------------------// As they hustled back up the surprisingly well-lit passageway, Trixie took the rear position, and began a conversation with their new companion. It wasn’t quite right to call her a friend – not yet, but the strange changeling hadn’t proven to be hostile, so that was a point in her favor. As they drew near to the Optima, Cole retrieved his remote, and unlocked the doors. At the same time, Gossamer found herself questioning the strange machine, but having quickly figured out its purpose, kept her questions to herself. As they opened the doors, both the ponies took a moment to check for any damage, but the entire area was strangely deserted. At the same time, Cole retrieved a master key from the trunk of the Optima, and placed it in a scabbard behind the driver’s seat. “Is that some kind of magic tool?” was the first question out of their new companion’s mouth. “No,” Cole replied. “It’s just a tool. Maybe one you’re not familiar with, but anyone can learn to use it.” “Planning on showing off a little?” Sergeant Stormcloud asked, indicating the master key. “Not really, but if the Ark is where I think it is, we’ll probably need it, and like my captain used to say-“ “It’s better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it, right?” “Glad to see that particular bit of advice transcends worlds.” Trixie had been watching the exchange with what Gossamer sensed was a sort of long-suffering familiarity. “Hmph, why am I not surprised…” “Does this happen often?” the Changeling asked. “Not really, but the two of them seem to bond over the strangest of things.” “I’m Gossmer, by the way. But just call me Goss.” “Trixie Lullamoon. But just Trixie is fine.” “I sensed a pulse earlier, was that search magic from you?” “Yes, I use a mapping spell, and scanning spell at the same time. It’s a variation of my own design.” As the Changeling and the Unicorn got acquainted, Cole had taken his seat, and started the engine. Goss jumped slightly when the rumble began, but she expected this strange carriage to have some form of self-propulsion, if the black streaks that led directly to the conveyance’s wheels were any indication, and Trixie took the opportunity to send several more pulses out ahead of them down the corridor the Optima was facing. She moved up between the front seats, and pointed out the front windshield, and slightly to the left. “That way.” The human and the Pegasus shared a look, and nodded. After closing the doors, Cole threw the Optima into gear, and they made their way up the passage at a rapid pace. Goss found herself practically glued to the window on her side as the corridor walls of the hive blurred past. Cole had both kept the Optima’s headlamps off, and made it a point to avoid going so fast that he couldn’t corner, but they raced past several groups of Changeling patrols, all of who opened fire, but barely managed to even warm the Optima’s armored shell, as they were simply moving too fast. Trixie had used the pulses she had sent out earlier to project a partial map of sorts of the surrounding corridors, and placed a dot on the map where the Ark was relative to their current location. It pulses a cheery green, as the blue arrowhead indicating their vehicle drew steadily closer. The industrious magician had even colored all the changeling responses her spell had revealed an angry red, and it was clear that the squads they had passed were rapidly filling in the surrounding passages. Goss found herself fascinated by the softly glowing map, and the other lit instrument and screens that partially surrounded the human’s driving position. “Well, it’s clear they know what we’re after.” Sergeant Stormcloud commented, after observing the groups of guards they had passed regroup, and take off on hoof and in the air after the speeding vehicle. “Miss Gossamer, what did Earth Mover tell you when she escaped?” “She said she was going for the Ark, and wanted you to pick both her and it up, I’d guess.” “I assume you were assigned to watch her?” Here the Changeling looked away, embarrassed. “I was wrong. I thought that we -my queen and my hive- were in the right. I had a life in the pony lands, and I liked it, I was happy. But this, I supposed it was duty, so I returned, and did as I was told. And then, I wasn’t, it wasn’t the same! I’m not expecting to be immediately trusted, but still, it hurt to be seen as a burden, all because I didn’t take part in the queen’s earlier scheme, and maintained my cover – despite that plan having failed…” “Can’t really say I blame you,” The Pegasus replied. “It’s one thing to follow orders. It’s quite another when they’re bad orders, and will cost your unit, and your commander.” Cole offered his own input; “I won’t pretend to understand what’s going on inside your head, but I do know that rejection is a stressful thing, and your actions today were a tough decision. I can tell you want to come back with us, so I won’t object. Are you sure you can face your former comrades if it comes down to that?” “I guess I’ll have to…” came the shaky reply. Trixie gave Cole a look, and then took a breath as she realized what the human was doing. All too soon, the corridor ahead of them stopped at another T junction, one side of which led toward the hive outer passages, and the other at a set of sturdy looking doors. There was a brief discussion as Cole pulled around the corner and slowed the vehicle, while the three invaders considered whether or not they should pull the same kinetic ramming trick as they had used to obtain entry to the hive in the first place, but the human vetoed the idea, saying the inner walls likely couldn’t handle the force, and since they couldn’t know what was on the other side for sure, It’d likely do more harm than good… The Optima’s speed had bought them roughly four minutes, so the decision was made to dismount, force the doors, and retrieve both Earth Mover, and the Ark, as Trixie had sensed the other proto-queen’s presence, and added her to the map as a golden dot, also converging on the green dot of their intended target. "We're here," the unicorn announced. As Cole brought the Optima to a halt, he left the running lights on, but shut down the engine, while everyone dismounted, and Cole retrieved the master key. Sergeant Stormcloud was the first to notice the bulky device. “So, what’s with the weird shotgun?” “The shells in this are loaded with powdered aluminum, and the muzzle attachment makes sure the barrel is always the correct distance off the door.” The human explained as he closed his door, and hefted the weapon. Goss looked at the weapon askance, surprised at the switch from nonlethal weapons the human and his companions had used before, to something considerably less so. “That’s only for doors, right?” “Absolutely,” Cole replied, racking it with a sharp Ka-KLACK. “I doubt it could do more than scrape up a changeling’s chitin at more than a few feet away anyways…” As Trixie watched their backs, Goss watched the human approach the door, press the end of the master key to the closest hinge, and pull the trigger. The weapon turned tool barked sharply, and the hinge disintegrated, as the blast of powdered metal chewed a fist-sized bite out of the door and frame. Moving quickly, Cole shifted to the second and third hinges, and finally the central lock and latch, obliterating each in a single blast. Once the last mechanism disintegrated, the human spun away from the door, and the Pegasus sergeant swooped down, and slammed his hooves off the door, knocking it inwards. As the door flew into the room beyond, Cole had switched back to his MP7, and darted diagonally across the room, sweeping for targets. The lone changeling in the room had been watching the door while off to the side of where the door had flown, and as she saw the human, lit her horn in a golden glow. “Cole, over here!” Earth Mover called. The human looked her way, and allowed himself the briefest of grins, before he spoke. “Glad you could make it, I was worried we’d need to track you down.” “Really, Cole, that’s the best you could come up with?” Sergeant Stormcloud asked, as he swooped past the human, and landed to one side of the bipedal changeling. “You have any issues getting here?” “Not too many, actually… This room isn’t a commonly used one. To be honest, I’m actually surprised the Ark is even here, the passage I took to get in has a hidden door on its far side… I’d have figured they would have at least put a guard on it, like they did me…” The conversation trailed off as the trio approached the objective of their mission, the Ark of Queens. The chest had been placed on a side table, and was surrounded by various other objects of either artwork, or moderately ornate furniture. The room was also well lit, with lanterns containing a sort of glowing stone set into the ceiling, the same as the corridor they had drove here was outfitted with. In the steady light, the unassuming onyx construction seemed to almost glow faintly. Out in the corridor, Trixie had taken the time to levitate the rear of the Optima, and drag it to one side, then levitate the front end, and repeat the process. After a few more back and forth evolutions, the unicorn had rotated the vehicle so that it faced back the way they had come, and the corridor they would use to escape. Panting slightly, she looked over at the changeling who had stayed with her, and raised any eyebrow. “Any idea what’s on the other end of this passage?” “If we’re where I think we are, the passage ends at the outer wall, and at ground level… We’ve been ascending slightly this entire time, but the passage drops back to ground level, since all the outer ring passages are at ground level, in case the hive needs to be evacuated-“ There was a susurration coming from the side passage they had exited, and Gossamer took a step backwards. “Trixie… we need to go. Now.” The unicorn erected a shield across the passage without a second though, and the changeling sprinted awkwardly to the destroyed door. “Everyone, we need to go now!” Cole and sergeant Stormcloud shared a glance, and the Pegasus headed back towards the Optima. The human, meanwhile, got a solid grip on the Ark, and lifted. The artifact was surprisingly light, and Earth Mover lit her horn, and followed him out of the room. Outside, the far passage was filling with black forms, glowing eyes staring unblinkingly at the lit up human vehicle. All four doors were open, and Trixie was crouched behind the passenger side door, maintaining the barrier she had erected. The Sergeant and Gossamer had opened the rear doors, and assembled a transport cradle for the Ark. It had been a few moments for the Pegasus to show the changeling how it was supposed to fit together, and her fingers, while clumsy, had made the job go much faster than if he had attempted it on his own. As Cole approached at a fast walk, Earth Mover stopped him with a tap on one arm, and gestured Gossamer over. The two changelings took either side of the Ark, and eased it into the rear seat cradle, as Cole took his position in the driver’s seat, and closed his door. Making an effort to move quietly and deliberately wasn’t easy, but the two changelings got the Ark secured, and closed their doors with a turn of speed that suggested they could have only gotten faster if they had practiced. Lastly, Trixie slowly backed into the passenger seat, and slammed her door, maintaining the barrier as she did so. As it shut, Cole engaged the locks with a “thunk”, and reached for the keys. It was the work of an instant, and the Changelings at the end of the passage startled visibly when the Optima growled to life. Cole grinned tightly, and revved the engine a few times. “Seatbelts”, he stated sharply. Earth Mover and Gossamer buckled in immediately, their positions on either side of the Ark allowing them to use the side belts, with the younger changeling only struggling with the mechanism for an instant. Up front, Trixie and the Sergeant shared a look, shrugged, and pulled the passenger seat belt across the both of them. It was cramped, but it would have to do. Meanwhile, Cole also belted himself in, and took a firm grip on the steering wheel, as he put the Optima in gear, and put a foot on the brake, while resting a finger on the high beam control, and taking a deep breath. “Ready?” “Ready.” “Yeah?” “All set.” “Let’s Go.” And in a smooth motion, the human pressed the accelerator until the engine began to howl, and released the brake, while simultaneously flicking the high beams on full, and pressing down on the horn. The tires broke free from the floor, and began to scream, as the vehicle began to accelerate, horn blaring and lights searing the passageway in an actinic glare.