Jumper

by KMCA

Interception

I felt a heavy body throw itself on top of me, I looked at the top of my HUD to the thin strip of imagery that gave me 360 vision, it looked like I had a really messed up tree on me. It wasn’t until I saw the tiny yellow flames that the reality hit me, Alex had thrown his weapon to try and hit the timberwolf, not me. It wasn’t enough, I could see it bare it’s teeth and tilt it’s head about to go for the back of my neck.

I slammed my head backwards I wasn’t lucky enough to headbutt it but it was enough to protect my neck, I could hear a god awful screech akin to nails on a chalkboard... times ten.

I reached for my baton, if I could get the handle portion between my armor and it’s chest I could pry it off me.

Empty thigh strap.

Fine, sidearm. I’d shoot the bastard off my back.

Empty holster, fuck. Slice it off my back?

Nope, can’t reach... Panic?

Yep, that’ll work.

“Get it off, GET IT OFF! Get this fucking thing off me!“ I could feel pressure on my left shoulder the bodysuit felt like it was about to tear. Normally I’d be collected enough to defend myself even if it was just by running a million volts through my armor (which would be a bad idea when laying on top of someone/pony you’re trying to protect) but between being caught by surprise, not being able to use my leg and almost having my head bitten off by an animated bundle of wood threw me into a panic. I felt the weapon Alex had thrown impact the monster, more the reaction to it than the actual impact.

I felt something like an explosion on my back, green cellulose covered the back of my helmet, camera and probably everything else too. I could feel my armor being scratched by shrapnel or whatever had hit me, I could also feel a faint burning sensation as some of the shrapnel punched through my bodysuit at the shoulder. The creature stopped struggling and I rolled it off my back before rolling the other way to get off the pony beneath me.

That timberwolf isn’t going to be getting up anytime soon, half of the creature is just gone. Pieces of wood and blood are scattered in a wide radius, it looked like somebody shoved a grenade inside the thing and pulled the pin. Suddenly a shape shifting knife was looking pretty damn good to me. Especially when I’ve only got one grenade and four stun grenades left.

There was green on Fluttershy’s legs but otherwise I seem to have covered her completely, looking first to me and Alex before looking at the corpse of the wolf beside her. I could see her anger growing faster than a storm in the Cloudsdale weather factory.

Just for saving my ass I decided to return the favour to my saviour, just this once.

“Fluttershy, I don’t see why you’re so upset with Alex, he just saved both of our lives. That wolf bit down hard enough on my helmet to dent it, if it had bitten down on my neck it would have killed me almost instantly.” I look over at Alex who seems transfixed by the exploded wolf beside us, a smear of green on his cheek.

“Thanks Alex, you saved my life, both our lives... Right?” His head drooped and he walked away, murmuring something about having to remember. Fluttershy looks conflicted as if she can’t decide whether or not her appreciation of me throwing myself on her to protect her should extend to the monster that just blew up a wolf.

“I... I’m sorry Alex for getting mad at you, but I don’t like seeing any creatures get hurt. This poor timber wolf was just trying to create a family, that’s all. I wish you could have stopped it without killing it.” She sounded sincere but Alex seemed to be in a world of his own.

“Huh? Oh, thank you Fluttershy. I have to go now, I just remembered something I have to do.” Something had hit him hard and out of nowhere, he looked like a man in some serious inner pain. I recognised the look on his face as the same one I had when I first looked in looked in the mirror after my first kill.

I don’t know how to describe it but I remember it being an almost numb feeling. You know you did the right thing and that if you hadn’t you or someone you know would have died, yet you feel guilty for it all the same. It was a sense of helplessness that everyone had to face in their own way, mine was to lose myself in a piano. As much as I want to be rid of him I can’t help but hope he doesn’t do anything stupid.

I hear a click as my calve plate miraculously separates, causing Fluttershy to jump. I give it a harsh glare and gently pull off the leg armor assembly and placed it beside me before undoing the bodysuit just below the knee joint and removing that too.

I could hear Fluttershy panting beside me as she saw the exposed wound. I had to take a deep breath before I looked at it myself. When I had last looked at the wound a week ago it had looked terrible, a gaping hole scabbed over by medical nano’s. They had kept it clean, dulled the pain and accelerated my natural healing rate so that instead of being laid up in a hospital for a month or two I was back on my feet within a week. I should only have a day or two before the skin healed over and less than a week before I am as good as new.

Now however the nano scab was gone and every gentle breeze touching the wound made me want to claw at it in pain. It was still clean thanks to the bodysuit but how long that would last was was sheer guesswork. As for the healing? It looked alot better but not as far along as it should be. The medical nano’s must be so busy that this was deemed a secondary priority.

“Oh my that’s horrible, what could possibly do that to somepony? Alex’s back was horrifying but that was just scars. This, this looks like it has you in constant agony. You poor thing! You simply must come back with me and allow me to treat you.”

“But-”

“You simply must, I can’t let you leave that to get infected. That would be just awful of me.”

“But-”

"No buts. You march back to my house so I can take care of you right now, mister. Just, don't march too hard.” I sighed knowing that Fluttershy wasn’t going to let me go without nursing me back to health first and started to gather my good leg beneath me only to be interrupted by Fluttershy rushing in.

“Oh, never mind, I'll just carry you." She lifted me off the ground with no more effort I would need to lift a cat.

“Okay, I’ll stay until my leg is healed... but that’s it, ok?”

“Oh, of course. I wouldn’t want to keep you away from everypony else if you’d rather spend time with them.” I reached over and gently took Fluttershy’s head in my hands.

“Fluttershy, you’re a truly kind and loving mare but I’m an independent man, that and I think Angel would get very jealous don’t you?” She giggled at the thought before flying me smoothly and gently to her home. I noticed a suspicious mint green unicorn horn sticking out of a bush. Apparently ponies are just that bad at stealth.

The entire trip to her home I could feel something in my shoulder starting to burn.

Comments

[Quantum_Shift]

Uh oh, I can smell a tracer-spell a mile away...

[SergeantShenanigans]

Yay, more Lyra! I like this Lyra.

[KMCA]

1417422 Don't worry, Lyra's going to come back, she's just slightly busy with other stuff to be stalking Matthew 24/7 right now

[shira]

Meh.

[Altoon]

Wow.
Epic Story (period)