Chapter One - Where it all begins. (Or possibly ends.)
Chapter one -
Echo-1 had been staring into the warm hues of fire for God knows how long, its soft crackles and pops, which happened at uneven intervals.
Made him feel at peace, despite its comfy embrace. A storm which had been watering the lands around them for the last few hours, outside of the decrepit, and aging structure didn't show any signs of stopping.
“Echo?"
A female voice tiredly called out, to his right,
Glancing over, Echo-1 saw the creature to whom he saved the life. A unicorn mare, named Velvet Remedy. She had been stripped of all her firearms, the reason behind this was to save Remedy's life. From the Hunters and lone Strider, that would have mercilessly killed her if Echo-1 hadn't intervened.
Rubbing her eyes with a hoof to get the sleep out of them, she yawned and slowly continued to speak.
“Are you ever going to tell me how you speak Equestrian so well?"
The only reason why he was able to save her, was Velvet's profound ability to listen to others under that kind of pressure.
If she didn't follow his instructions to the letter, she would have lost her life and head, to a flechette round.
“It isn't a nice story to tell, Velvet Remedy. Believe me, I'm trying to spare you the gory details.” He informed her,
but she wouldn't take no for an answer.
“Come on. I may be still new to the Equestrian Wasteland for Celestia's sake, and despite that, I've seen plenty of death and blood on my travels. That includes all wounded creatures alike, so I think I can handle whatever that story has. I won't faint or throw up, if that's what you stress over, you have my word.” She reassured loosely, which didn't sit well with Him.
Giving a loud sigh, as a crack of thunder reverberated not too far from their current half-destroyed shelter, he caved.
“Very well, just remember you wanted this short story. Before your group came along, a few weeks back a group of Ponies and Griffins.
Had provoked a fight with us, the first group identified with a group mercenary organization of little value. I think their group name was, talons? Anyway.
The other half was also a part of a different idea altogether, and more related to lawless savages. Or better known as, ‘Raiders.’ The boss of this cluster didn't like the combine destroying a semi-important slave trade route.
And sent a group of 'soldiers' to fight us for control over this minor region. Yet those miserable excuses of soldiers didn't make it far. Yet their goals either planned or personal, were to raid for information, firearms, armor, the works. Needless to say, their pelts and makeshift armors didn't last long against Strider and Hunter patrols.
The firepower they pack is a lot bigger and better than my equipment. Those who survived were merely patched up, just enough to keep them alive, before having their brains 'Processed.'
Besides 50% of that party, had been more focused on their desire for new guns, Caps, and sex…Despite that useless info, they all were studied, and the second group proved to be far more beneficial. The information pulled, helped us understand this world just slightly better. That includes the language of this land, particularly.”
Disturbed by this, she changed the current laying position she was in as her tail protectively covered the underbelly of her stomach, and her ears twitched gently.
“Well, I can say for certain I have never heard somepony dying from getting their brains removed. How did you keep them unconscious during the whole procedure?" Velvet Remedy asked, trying to find a medical explanation. As a result, she allowed her alien companion to explain further.
“Nothing was used to keep them sedated if that's what you're thinking. It cracked open their skulls and sucked the physical brains out of each of their skull casings. Like a straw in a martini, Turns out that Ponies and Griffins can not lie when their brain is liquified into a red soup.”
Echo-1 didn't want to tell her the whole truth but to build a better partnership. He told her it, she did after all state that it wouldn't affect her.
He shuddered at the memories of hearing the sounds of skulls being opened and the vital organs being slurped out by something.
While the still very much alive Pony or Griffin next to their dying comrade begged for mercy, none of which ever came. While that gorey recollection flooded his mind, Velvet Remedy. However, had fallen quiet.
'I did warn her.'
He sat there appreciating, the soft pops of the fire even the constant fall of rain, to the rumble of distant thunder. While the situation shifted, Echo-1 couldn't explain why the air around them just felt so dense.
‘Ah shit, did I just scare her or break her?’
Echo-1 reflected, trying to find a way to make this right. How better, than telling a lie?
“Hey; Don't worry Velvet, they weren't conscious during those procedures. If anything, they hardly felt it. Getting knocked over the head with Combine-made metal would do that to any creature if you think about it. Trust me, I've seen my fair share of violence and that was merciful."
Echo-1 lied, hoping to preserve what was left of this uncertain alliance.
‘I just blew this, didn't I?’
Looking over towards her, he expected to see Velvet holding down vomit or at the very most silently dry heaving. Yet fear and dread were very much plastered over her face.
Releasing an internal sigh of relief, Echo-1 whipped the theoretical sweat from his brow.
'Phew. I saved it somehow, thank god. But why is she still terrified? Maybe a light joke could help ease the mood.' Clearing his throat to warm up his robotic voice box, Echo-1 spoke up.
“Cat got your tongue Remedy? Or were you imagining it? Trust me, it's worse to listen to it happen. ” He asked, trying to ease her out of the gory past events Echo-1 had to endure.
“You could say something like that.~”
A majestic and regal voice called from behind him.
"But enough about you abomination, it seems we have found you once again, Velvet Remedy. All alone without the company of your friends.~ Rather, you have this, this thing. In your company? How far your standards have fallen."
Getting up to face the new arrival, Echo-1 discovered it to be three female Ponies, all of which were both horned and winged. Two of them were of a bluish tint, the one in the middle a green pigment all of which had been female.
“Friends of yours?”
Echo-1 inquired, not allowing either of them to leave his line of sight. While they seemed amused at his alertness, over this trio of death. Opening her mouth to speak, Velvet Remedy tried to explain just what they were to him. She just couldn't locate her voice, her mouth silently moved up and down to compel her vocal cords into working.
However, The Green Slender pony who Echo-1 assumed to be the leader of the odd trio spoke on her behalf.
“We are not companions. Merely Sompony she and her friends have tried to and failed at killing, time and time again.” The middle started before the one on the right resumed.
“But the past is the past. And we will deal with her accordingly in a moment, but What sickens us greatly, is your continuing existence.”
The left one merely lowered her head horn aglow with a spell, ready to blast him. A faint smell of sulfur was detected by Echo-1's helmet. Besides ash and soot, the middle one took up the mantle in speaking.
“Now tell us why should we even spare such a dirty abominable beast like you from being cleansed by our blessed magics?” The green one spoke.
Making Echo-1 move away cautiously. Backing up while keeping them in his line of sight, he moved around the medium-sized fire toward Velvet Remedy.
Arriving at her side, he tried to ask Velvet Remedy an inquiry,
“On a scale from one to ten, how far up shit creek are we Velvet?” Echo-1 tried to whisper, but Vocoders never really had that option as the green one merely giggled wickedly, before speaking a second time.
“If you want our input, We say far more than ten~,” The middle one said almost devilishly. As both blue ones giggled wickedly in complete unison, at the dark green ones half joking, and half-truthful, statement.
'That's just a tad bit fucking creepy if you ask me.'
Disturbed by this, Echo-1, tried to maintain his composure. “How are you three even managing to accomplish that? Better yet, don't answer that. Let's start simple, what names do you three have?”
Echo-1 negotiated, however, all three mares said one simple word.
“Unity~”
Dumbfounded even further, he asked again. This time more directly, “You're all named Unity? Who names their three kids with one identical name.”
Seeing that he wasn't figuring out what was right in front of him, the Green-furred Alicorn began walking forward. While her blue counterpart ceased the deadly spell she was going to smite him with.
The green Alicorn's movements had a certain grace while she walked, which reeked of energy and power. While beginning her verbal fury.
“How dare a filthy creature question the name of us?! And our Goddess!”
Arriving at a respectable distance, Unity merely gave him a wicked snarl as she beared her flat and oddly straight teeth towards him, her voice though regal was dripping with what Echo-1 assumed to be acid. Needless to say, if she could spit acid. Echo-1 would have been Flatlined.
“Sompony must teach a lower life form like yourself, manners.~”
Without warning, her large horn glowed a sickly green color, and Echo-1 was lifted off his own two feet, and slammed into an old brick wall with a loud *CRASH.* And inevitably pinned there, not to mention being strangled.
During his short trip through, Rag Doll Lane. Echo-1 had dropped his SMG. As it clattered across the room, it merely landed against Remedy’s tail. Who on her part was too petrified to even move, As she wasn't on any good terms with the hivemind.
So even Velvet couldn't work something out with Unity, regardless of her lack of proficiency in this matter. Echo-1 had an abundance of bargaining chips, he just needed to play it intelligently. His vision, though enhanced by his helmet was slowly getting foggy and even blurry. Clear signs of a lack of oxygen.
‘I need to play this smart, but first on the docket. Focus on breathing, or getting air into my lungs!'
Currently, the Green one was choking the life out of him to prove her point.
“I should just break your offending neck for even slandering our name.”
While Echo-1 struggled to breathe, he waved his hand toward the green Alicorn who seemed amused, by his struggles for oxygen.
“He needs Air, Let him breathe!” Velvet Remedy pleaded, but Unity didn't seem to be listening for mercy pleads.
One of her blue puppets merely blocked the choking from her vision with a blue feathery wing.
“Quiet, the grown-ups are speaking.~”
Despite it being a different Mare, the voice seemed merely identical to the green Alicorns. And this action silenced Velvet Remdy into submission.
Seeing his dwindling chances, Echo-1 decided to go for the hail mary so to speak. By playing this classic card, licking his lips. Echo-1 spoke out the single sentence, that always started any negotiation.
“I-i’m worth more to you alive! Then dead.”
He croaked out thanks to him having his vocal cords removed and replaced by a vocoder, Echo-1 was still very much able to speak. Even with the added pressure on his neck,
Unity wasn't anticipating him to still be able to speak if the shocked expressions on all of their faces were any indication. Recovering quickly, the green Alicorn responded by strangling him harder.
“And tell me, why is that so? To us, you're nothing more than a weak inferior life form.”
Echo-1 could feel the bones in his neck reaching the point of being broken even the synthetic voice box could no longer withstand the magical force being put against it as it started to glitch and even click. Before it could shut down on him.
“S-stop crushing my neck, and I-i’ll tell-”
She just stood there, watching him struggle for breath. Was Unity enjoying this? Watching him struggle to breathe, gradually she moved closer not saying a single word.
Each hoof step was slow and deliberate as it took its sweet time to get ever closer to Echo-1.
He knew damn well as to what she was doing and Echo-1 was on a strict time constraint before being asphyxiated. 'For god's sake, hurry up! I don't care about you being the bad guy moment. I'll be dead before you even fucking speak!' Echo-1 thought, as his vision grew darker and even darker.
Gradually his strength left him, as his arms fell limp to his sides. Echo-1's vision almost fully left him, as a Green flowing mane filled his vision.
Then eventually an equine face appeared in his fading vision, being held there at eye level for
What felt like an eternity, with her studying his mask.
She finally released her magical hold, allowing him to slide down the brick wall as he sat there panting and coughing for the much-needed oxygen. Unity kept a close eye on him and Velvet,
"Echo! Talk to me, how are you feeling tell me how you're feeling! Do you have sensations in your limbs, or do they feel heavy?" Velvet tried to assist medically, but again the blue Alicorn didn't allow her to move from off the flooring.
As like before, a blue wing hushed Vevlet. Allowing the green one to speak.
“You have exactly five minutes to convince us, as to why we should allow you to walk away alive. And unharmed,”
Looking over at Vevlet's slightly covered form, he merely gave a thumbs up. "Oh, Like someone who nearly just got strangled half to death...That's how I feel Vevlet..." Echo-1 stated his dry humor shining through.
Meekly glancing back up at the tall Equine, Echo-1 continued through his rapid breaths.
“I don't know...If you haven't gotten a good look at me, but... I'm not from around here,”
This did not entertain her in the slightest.
“We can gather as much.”
‘Smartass.'
Was the only word he could think of before continuing.
“You are telling me...with all of your collective mind bullshit...You don't know what we are? Or what we are doing here...Or even what I am?”
Ignoring his comment, the left-blue one spoke up. “That is of little matter. We have seen your Bastion of metal, and magic, but that won't stop us. If we wanted your fortress, we would have already taken it.”
‘Are they shitting me? They think Combine shields are powered by magic. Something from a fairy tale? I think I was being strangled for too long. Magic isn't real, it's just an illusion.' Having mostly gained control back over his breathing, Echo-1 could now speak normally, if only slightly.
"So what you are signifying to me, is you not at all concerned at how we just suddenly one day... Showed up? And here I thought, my planet had it rough. At least we knew the Combine was coming, we at least tried to fight back."
Giving an exhausted chuckle confused the three mares including Velvet Remedy. Slowly the confusion turned to rage,
“What is so comical of us, and of our Goddess?!” Both blue ones shouted, Horns aglow with different life-ending spells. All of which pointed at him, Ready to obliterate him.
Echo-1 however, waved off their threat of total obliteration.
“I never said I was laughing at her, more about the idea of magic being factual. That stuff is from fairy tales. And children's books,”
"And yet, we strangled you with it. So how can you deny its existence further?" Unity reminded him, slightly irritated about his ignorance of magic.
Both blue Alicorns gave Echo-1 a scowl of contempt. While the spells slowly gave out, as the sorcery left their horns, sparks shot off of their magical conduits and elicited, soft popping sounds. As a result of the non-fired spells,
‘Then again, Velvet Remedy did float a shotgun towards me. So maybe that hivemind is correct, and this magic stuff is tangible here.' He was amused internally.
"Eh, I guess you are right about that. Duly noted, thank you organic Equine Collective. For the insight to a once false fantasy."Echo-1 drly replied, this however annoyed the Pony who strangled him, her reply was less than comical.
“You're wasting your time personally given by the Goddess, to persuade us from Sparing your ratchet life. And so far, you've wasted two whole minutes doing none of which she seeks,” The green one said unbothered by Echo-1's current state.
Rolling his eyes behind his mask he replied.
“My apologies, I nearly just got strangled to death, I'm sorry for wanting oxygen to keep myself stable.” Echo-1 snapped, but she was more than ready with a reply.
“The Goddess does not accept your apology.”
Was the only retort from the insane green mare, making Echo-1 facepalm. Shortly afterward he began to rub his mask, more specifically his lenses.
‘How the hell did this day go from me trying to be a good guy, to me more or less pleading for my life?’ Echo-1 mused internally.
"Have you ever heard of sarcasm? It's a great thing to look into. Maybe you'll learn a thing or two." He said as that sparked another almost abrasive response.
"Why you little-." The green one started, but she quickly closed her mouth as an invisible force stopped it from trying to attack him.
'Mmm, Saved by the bell I am; god I miss Star Wars.' Echo-1 reminisced as his body.
Finally got his blood and oxygen levels to optimal levels, Echo-1 finally started his late case toward Unity.
**A few hours prior**
Inside the Equestrian Wasteland, a typical sight had been its destroyed terrain, compared to its pre-war self. It had become truly damaged and beyond devastated,
Yet, in the distance.
Far northwest of a mountain covered in pink gas that held the ruins of an old, demolished capital ruin. Sat combine-occupied territory. Or what was better known as the very edge of the Red Zone,
The point of the 'red zone' was to warn Combine units of the lack of support they wouldn't receive if the threshold was passed.
Of course, this was subject to change, as the outpost grew in size.
From what he could remember after being released from the medical ward, his cause for being there was simple. Deactivated Striders weigh a lot, he almost learned this the hard way, when one nearly crushed him.
Even with his medical absence, the higher ranked combine lifeforms in this constantly being assembled installation. Released a mandatory notice, for the lower combat units.
Due to them being the most fundamentally human, on the combine controlled Outpost. Overwatch decided to keep their role as cannon fodder, for example. If one or a hundred Flatlined. There would be one or a hundred more to replace them.
In short,
Grunts were easily replaceable. Yet, were the least challenging in any kind of fight. Especially in one-on-one fights. So they were commanded to do manual labor instead.
If Echo-1 flatlined, there wouldn't be a second chance. Not to his knowledge anyway, so his plans for this hellish planet were simple.
'Plan one, Survive. Simple enough right?' Echo-1 prayed,
However, the alien empire was claiming more, and more, ‘Regional control.’ In this region every day, sadly the surrounding regions weren't so easy.
Then again they weren't actively trying to take over the dead planet yet. The solar system, however, had far less competition. But from what he saw through terminals, they had far less valuable resources.
'So we're here to just mine, excavate and extract what's left. After whatever bombed them back to the Stone Age? Not my call but whatever.'
And the combine wasn't afraid of committing mass genocide on this whole planet's ecosystem. They however had something else in mind, something that was out of Echo-1's clearance levels.
Despite that fact, Echo-1 didn't comprehend why they just couldn't use a different planet or hell even the moon as a staging area. At least there were less contentious life forms on it, because there weren't any.
And he wouldn't be nitpicking his orders if only they gave Grunts better gear, especially something like body armor.
‘Overwatch is fucking insane, I've caught a glimpse of some of the wildlife here. And it's downright terrifying, I mean come on! For starters, the alligators outside of the outpost. In the southern swamps. They are tough, and my SMG just barely puts a dent in their hides.'
He was only given the following in terms of gear.
Two hazmat units worth of clothing, class B quality.
Bodyback, and mask. Of A class quality.
And accompanying, SMG with zero modifications. Some hand grenades, and accompanying three dark energy power cells for his firearm.
A single HK USP Match handgun. That wasn't made with bonding technology, in short, nearly anyone could use his handgun, just not his primary.
Finally, four small pouches for pistol magazines. His SMG ammo, however. Needed to be stored on the side of his waist,
And lastly,
A very small list of personal items on his person, regardless of his struggles the announcement seemed important enough to read, so he focused on reading its contents.
‘You are not on earth anymore.
If that isn't any more clear to you now, then congratulations. Overwatch has informed you of the truth.
You are on a planet designated, “98-76-88-B.” Respect that fact, every second of every day, the time needed to be served is sixty months. Only after that amount is recorded, your punishment of off-world relocation will be reviewed for a possible rotation back to earth.
Every living thing out there, beyond the metal and combine shield walls and AirWatch-patrolled lands. No matter if it flies, crawls, or hides in radioactive water very much wants to kill you, and eat your eyes like Jujubes.
So from now on here are two regulations to help aid you in the upcoming deployments. Rule number one, keep your helmets, and bodypacks on or within reach at all times. Failure to do so will result in fatal consequences. So do not leave your assigned barracks, or atmosphere-controlled installations without it.
The air on the planet is breathable, but in some areas is completely contaminated with unsafe compounds and untested pollutions. Until more information is discovered, wear, and protect those two items with your lives.
Regulation two,
All battalion leaders have been equipped and familiarized with how most situations should be handled. So do not disobey them,
There is notable intelligent life on this planet. Besides local mutated wildlife, the IQ of said lifeforms is of little significance.
Finally, if you are deployed and you do not have any safe food or water do not touch anything you may find. As it may cause sickness or even an agonizing expiration, so make sure to keep those two items on you. When being deployed,
More rules will be added as time progresses, in the meantime continue original directives unless informed otherwise.’
Glory to our Benefactors.
To an outsider like Echo-1, you could have told him the planet was a ‘tomb world.’ Or one on the verge of becoming one, and he would consider it to be true.
With its glum appearance, and unwelcoming view from space. Not to mention, radiation nearly everywhere.
Life forms seemingly everywhere, wanting very much to kill or loot your stuff.
There wasn't much information out there in the current database on the planet, but due to Echo-1’s low clearance level.
He was deemed not important to review the more vital and ‘juicy’ information, and so Echo-1 was deep in thought.
Trying to give himself a rough grasp of the shit show of a planet the combine wanted to occupy. He had forgotten about the current card game round of Go Fish.
“You got any threes?” Asked Romeo-2, to Juliet-9.
“Negative. Go fish,”
Was his only reply.
Making the grunt grumble, as he drew another card into his seemingly even larger hand of cards. His SMG rested beside his leg on the metal crate he currently was using as a chair. Irritated, he called over to Echo-1.
“Echo-1, your turn.”
That didn't seem to shake him out of his thinking state,
And Romeo-2 decided to shake him out of this.
Grabbing onto Echo-1 he began shaking him violently, which in turn snapped him out of it.
Looking over at the fellow grunt he gave a soft chuckle, his goldish lenses not showing an ounce of human connection, but there it was, in the robotic voice.
“Are you still with us Echo-1? Or are you still going down memory lane, or are you trying to think your way into a promotion? I've been there myself plenty of times. But you're knee-deep into scheming, aren't you?”
“Uhh.”
Was the only current word Echo-1 could produce, proving Romeo-2's point.
“Damn Echo-1, You must have been in there! Snap out of it. Overwatch doesn't just hand out upgrades unless something massive is going down.” Juliet-9 added, the shit-eating grin undoubtedly being displayed behind his emotionless mask.
“You both are utter assholes.”
Echo-1 said, earning a few muffled laughs from his human companions before looking over his hand of cards and selecting one.
“Romeo-2, do you have an ace?”
The once laughing grunt, became pissed, as he slammed his cards against the large metal crate the three had been sitting around.
While the cards flew nearly all over the store room Romeo-2 stood up in a huff before beginning to speak.
“This game fucking blows, why do we always play it!” Romeo-2 huffed, grabbing his gun and getting his bodypack on.
Echo-1 wouldn't have antagonized him further, but Juliet-9. Being the calmer, and more level-headed one spoke up first.
“Romeo-2, we've been playing this game for roughly a month, and you're already bored of it. You're also not even trying to win, the moment we say that we don't have your named card, you shut down.” Juliet-9 started, but Romeo-2 instantly shot down the smaller grunt's attempt at reasoning.
“Shut it, Juliet-9! I am done with Go Fish. That game is ass, period. We should have grabbed a deck of UNO instead,” Romeo-2 grumbled, clearly showing how much of a sore loser he was.
'You think go fish is bad? You'll fucking shoot us if we played UNO.' Echo-1 thought while he Rolled his eyes behind the mask, the action itself only known to him before spoke up.
“If I knew the big baby, wanted UNO. I would have grabbed both, instead of one deck of cards, out of the incineration vaults, Before leaving Earth.”
Giving an annoyed grunt, Romeo-2 stormed off leaving the smaller storage room and heading into the depository proper.
“I don't think he realizes just how valuable a simple game like UNO is, after the war that game’s value is on par with gold. Maybe even more so These days,” Juliet-9 said before commencing the grueling task of cleaning up the thrown card-filled mess, picking cards up and putting them away into the little box they had been packaged into.
Echo-1 assisted as best he could, with gathering the thrown cards and placing them into the sealed metal container slightly similar in size to a cigarette holder.
“Damn, I didn't know you smoked? Wouldn't that deteriorate your lungs?” Echo-1 lightly joked,
Juliet-9 however shook their head in disagreement, “While you are correct about that. You are very much incorrect about this item's other use. I only have this, to protect the cards from water damage, or most other elements.”
“It was a joke. *Sigh,* same time next week, Juliet-9?” stated Echo-1, before offering his gloved hand for him to shake.
Reaching over, Juliet-9 shook his hand in good sportsmanship.
“Most certainly, I love seeing Romeo-2 mentally try and bend metal rebar in half.”
“I swear we should have him play Chess! I Bet you my food rations someone in a different regiment has a full chess set.” Juliet-9 enunciated,
Giving a light Laugh, Echo-1 grabbed his SMG from the metal weapon rack on the other side of the room, before opening the two-way door to leave.
“Hah! Now I would pay good money to see that, see you then.”
Giving a light farewell, before departing. Echo-1 walked down the metallic corridors of the chilly atmosphere-controlled building. His boots were the only audible noise to him over the stiff silence. Echo-1 soon found himself before a window, looking through it he found the massive garage of combine vehicles and trucks.
Some had been undergoing upgrades, for unknown reasons. Others had been experiencing repairs, or just routine maintenance.
Moving towards the familiar door of the airlock, and entering it. He found his oxygen tank still in its rack, where Echo-1 had left it.
Hooking it up, and locking it in place on his back. Echo-1 connected it to his mask, Afterwards, he gave a few test inhales and exhales, to see if it was connected. Subsequently, receiving the necessary clean air, He was very much ready to leave the safe, and sterile indoor environment.
Entering the airlock, and after sealing the heavy door closed the outer one disengaged itself. Allowing him into the garage, the reason why they installed airlocks. Was to keep outside pollutants from getting inside of the recently sterilized indoor environments.
Looking around him, Echo-1 merely watched his fellow Grunts working on Trucks like CPTs, and APCs. Even a few Helicopters.
The Grunts here were very good at repairing things, but shooting things; however, that was a different story. Echo-1 wasn't an insane shot, Civil Protection training had its perks, but he and a whole regiment were the only ones who could accurately shoot something.
If needed, the others mostly had been doing some form of manual labor, guarding, or repairing.
Hell, most of the more ‘human’ Grunts were doing what Echo-1 had been doing. No matter what their fix was,
Echo-1 strolled passed the more hands-on workers, avoiding bits and bobs. As Echo-1 walked past the two grunts, one had been kicking, a combine barrel. That some pink cloud gas from the wasteland packed inside.
"Why, is it dangerous?"
Inquired a grunt, who was in radio contact with Overwatch.
"Prepped for off-world extraction?"
While Echo-1 walked, he listened to this scene playing out now behind him.
"I don't know."
A few seconds later, the same grunt repeated himself.
"I don't know."
*KICK*
Seeing that it wasn't a native sound of the Depo, Echo-1 looked back to see the second Grunt. Kicking the sealed barrel, his companion did not like this action. And so reported it,
"He's kicking it."
*KICK*
The Response from Overwatch was instantaneous.
Looking towards his childish friend he spoke up.
"Overwatch said stop kicking it."
Seeing him stop, the grunt informed Overwatch, of the rapidly changing situation. While a few fellow grunts chuckled at their companion getting Disciplined.
"He stopped kicking it."
Shaking his head, Echo-1 kept navigating through the organized chaos of the human vehicle depo.
'Fucking squealer, those two are like two school kids, I swear to god. Plus, why did they begin storing that pink gas, what are they planning? Sometimes I just wish I had, increased authorization to know what's going on. Most likely going to use it their next great conquest,'
Walking through a large shield door into the outside of the human storage building, while the first few droplets of rain began peppering his helmet and hazmat-protected body.
These first few droplets of drizzle, that landed on his helmet's lenses, made him pause.
“Is that; rain?”
Echo-1 looked like a deer in headlights, he seemingly enjoying this simple and natural act of nature, never mind the validity that it contaminated his outer sterilized suit.
“It's almost magical, isn't it?”
Asked another fellow Grunt who went outside and joined Echo-1, this one having oil and other car-related fluid. splotches, on the protective suit he also wore.
While the radioactive rain washed away the stains, Echo-1 turned to face this newcomer.
“Apologies, I thought I was alone out here.” Echo-1 offered while the grunt beside him dismissively waved his hand,
“Your good mate, everyone who still has most of a brain missed this. Even those who despised rain, have now come to relish in its simplistic, and soothing. Embrace,”
Seeing that was all that needed to be said, between the two slightly modified humans, they both opted to just stand there in stillness, just letting the downpour fall onto them.
Soon a distant crack of thunder grabbed both of their engagements, but after seeing that it wasn't an active threat just resumed recalling home.
“What do you think… Never mind, forget I said anything.” Said the overly tired Grunt,
Earning a grin from Echo-1.
“What? Do you mean, what I think life would have been like if the combine didn't show up? The same I bet, just with more Dickheads who hate each other for little to no reason.” Echo-1 stated, watching a Strider walk through the Main Gate.
The gate itself was a combine shield door, that admitted a soft cyan glow. Surrounded by metal walls, that acted as a sort of underpass for all manner of land relative combine vehicles.
While the giant and alien war machine stomped by and moved through a second shield door. Not opposed, the somewhat living war machine released upset, and distressed calls for much-needed, repairs.
Making both of them study its battered appearance.
"You seeing what I'm seeing?"
Asked the more repair-driven, and more maintenance-focused grunt.
"I see it. That Strider had gotten, into a fight with something, but I can't guess right now in this storm. Nor is the dim lighting helping me see," Echo-1 responded.
"It reminds me of an old pal of mine who would stumble into my flat, after ending a fight, completely shit-faced."
This bad joke made them both chuckle at this grim joke of home. No one wanted to admit it, but they were sick with a bad case of homesickness and it circulated like the plague.
"I would kill for a drink, on the rocks or not. I don't even care how strong it is." The mechanical grunt winned, shaking off the built-up of radioactive water droplets.
Looking left then right, Echo-1 piped in. "It's not much, but I was able to smuggle a decent amount of certain, 'seeds' in. If you catch my drift."
"Look I understand everyone has their fixes in life, but don't become a weed pusher mate." The new grunt accused.
Insulted, Echo-1 responded.
"I'm not forcing anyone to smoke! It's still just seeds, if it bothers you so damn much, I'll burn them."
"Nah mate I'm just fucken with ya." Said the grunt who began laughing his ass off.
However once the mechanical laughter died down, the joker of a grunt spoke up again. This time, changing the subject to home.
“It's not the same on Earth anymore, you know? it will never be the same. Maybe we can have a fresh start here, Aye? It seems peaceful here, it makes a big difference compared to Earth. I don't even recall, the last time it rained on Earth after the water levels drastically dropped.”
This allotted a nervous chuckle from Echo-1, after that, he spoke up. “True, but Earth didn't have monsters that batter up an APC or CPT pretty good, nor make Striders lose a limb. And that's even if they come back.”
"If I know one thing about us Humans, is we are a very stubborn people. For a quarter of a million years, all we've done was kill. And Butcher our way to the top of the food chain, so I think we could live here. If we follow in our ancestor's footsteps,"
'If we go down that route, we have plenty of abnormalities or animals to butcher.' Echo-1 pondered, before rubbing the back of his neck, working over what the fellow grunt said.
"Ok let's play that through for a second, Let's say we somehow manage to live here. What are we going to reproduce with, if Overwatch permits such an action? Because I don't want to state the obvious, but there are no female humans on this outpost. Nor, the war fleet occupying the solar system." Echo-1 remarked,
Before the mechanic Grunt could argue further, the Outpost alarm began to blare.
“ Stabilization Team Alert! A ‘647-E.’ Reading (Hostiles detected.) has been reported. In the Red Zone, Response code. Inoculate, Shield, pacify.”
Overwatch's cold robotic voice, crackled over the installation's PA system.
Looking over towards his fellow Grunt he seemed defeated by this. “Again? I thought they understood the first time. *Sigh,* you tagging along to watch them get slaughtered by Hunters? Or skewered like shish kabobs.”
Shrugging Echo-1 agreed, thinking it was going to be similar to the gathering of mutant Alligators he saw getting impaled by a Strider.
"If only we had cold beers to drink, that would have made that experience a whole lot better." Echo-1 offered making the Grunt laugh.
"Damn straight! Come on lad, let's watch these critters get slaughtered!" the grunt said, pulling his own SMG off his belt and heading for the lightly, Armored Personnel Carrier.
Disengaging the safety, Echo-1 trekked after the grunt to the closest and functional CPT. Before hopping in followed by a few others eager for this entertainment.
It took roughly fifty minutes to get there by CPT, but once they reached the lockdown sector, they discovered that some kind of wildlife had been messing with the Scanners. The entities had been Equine in essence, yet. From this distance, they couldn't tell if they were the normal gun-wielding type. Or the feral meat-eating kind,
“Native life has been documented, commencing unlawful mutilations. Of Combine tech, Response code. Pressure, Sword, Sterilize.”
‘Damn, they pushed Overwatch's buttons with that move.’
“how much you willing to bet it's the rotting horses again?” asked the driver, making Echo-1 disagree.
“Fuck that, I wager it's actual horses this time,” Echo-1 grumbled as he drew his HK-USP match. And left his SMG on the dashboard,
Echo-1 merely ejected the currently loaded magazine and then racked it back, the live bullet surprisingly bounced off the side window, and rolled into his lap.
Looking over towards the driver, he seemed stunned at that one-in-a-hundred coincidence.
Shrugging Echo-1 spoke up, "I couldn't do that again, even if you paid me."
Once disarmed, he placed the empty handgun into his lap, holding the not-filled magazine in his left free hand.
He picked up the recently ejected bullet, with his right. And loaded the slightly glowing bullet back into his Pistol magazine with a soft click, Then he merely placed the fully loaded mag into a magazine pouch. Afterward, Echo-1 simply began playing with the slide of his pistol.
Echo-1 figured it would have been easy to dispatch a pack of feral ghoulish Ponies, or even a small group of raiders with a simple 9mm.
Needless to say, the Grunt was incorrect.
Arriving on the scene, their vehicles were fired upon forcing Echo-1 and the driver to duck down. Into the dashboard, resulting in Echo-1 dropping his pistol in the mad drop for cover.
The handgun bumped against his leg. And skidded under the seat, regardless of that lack of fortune, he stayed in cover. Echo-1 in the meantime had made a brief strategy.
‘We need shadow!'
Reaching up, he paged the two grunts in the back of the CPT. “Echo-5! Victor-6! give us a direct covering fire, so we can get out. Of this, tin can. We're taking heavy fire and are pinned down!” Echo-1 yelled through the built-in radio.
“10-4! Open the rear and we both will cover you!” yelled Victor-6.
Reaching over, Echo-1 slammed the button to open the troop hold.
He stayed low until he heard the sounds of Pulse, SMG covering fire.
“Echo-1! Victor-9! Get out now, we got you covered!”
Retrieving the SMG from the dashboard then jumping out, followed by the driver, their group along with the second support team dug in for a heated firefight.
Echo-1 had tried to create a battle solution against these gun-wielding ponies, but it was rather difficult to think with bullets flying all around you.
“Incoming missile! Take cover!”
'Shit! Do they have RPG's? Since when! If that's the case, these aren't normal raiders or mercenaries. Possibly?'
Tackling the soggy quicksand-like mud for cover, which was behind the combine vehicle. Thankfully the missile roared over him and exploded in the sky, giving Echo-1 and his combine group time to repay the failed projectile attack, with shots of their own.
The horses were shouting things at one another, things like. ‘Load- Rocke- saddle!’
And, ‘Aim at land carriage!’
However, three members of his group had flat-lined. Making him the last grunt, as the beginning of panic started to set in, yet. Thanks to combine alterations to his fight or flight response, it had been disabled for the most part, so fear wouldn't be in too much control. But it had in the past clouded Echo-1’s decision-making.
Echo-1 had run out of ammo 20 shots ago, and so the only one left with bullets. Was a blue-eyed Grunt, who without question. Reached up, and began talking to the always-listening A.I. unit.
“Overwatch, We have zero sector containment. And multiple active hostiles, Advise preparations.”
There was a faint reply but other than that it seemed like they were fucked.
“Echo-1 Back down!” Commanded the blue-eyed Grunt,
‘Is the one who had agreed to have a decent amount of their brain being fried. Ordering me around? No way boss. I think I’ll stay behind my cover, Thank you very much.’ Echo-1 mused before removing a grenade from a dead grunts satchel and activating the countdown.
Throwing it over the truck it landed somewhere before exploding. But they returned the explosion in kind,
As if on cue a loud, *BOOM* proved Echo-1’s point. A missile had struck the second CPT, and the more robotic grunt was standing beside it,
The force of the missile made the heavy vehicle lean over just a bit too much to the point its suspenders couldn't keep it grounded, before crushing the poor soulless husk into mush.
Seeing the last of his company being blasted made him just a tad more on edge. As Echo-1 thought this was the end of his life, he simply reached up and radioed for Overwatch one last time.
“Overwatch, Echo-1 is the last Responder! Requesting immediate shadow. The Ground Response team is code: sundown!”
“Standby. For Replacement.”
‘I’m Royally fucked.’
The soft flapping of wings grabbed his instant attention as a pegasus landed on top of the still-operational CPT.
‘Shit, Shit, Shit, shit! I need a dark energy cell quickly!’
Digging through the satchels of his dead comrades, he didn't uncover what he wanted to Find, and their SMGs had no juice left.
‘God damn all of you for your fucking Stormtrooper aim! It's the lack of any kind of proper iron sights. Maybe if they had them on these guns, those who never held this firearm before could shoot with the thing! Was I the only one who brought a fucking sidearm?!’
Then he overheard the last thing Echo-1 wanted to hear.
“Found the last one! Poor bastard doesn't even know he's dead yet.”
The mercenary stallion piped up, as he began loading shells into his semi-auto shotgun before cocking it, practically taking pride in hearing, the gun being cocked. Echo-1 had been shoved into level five panic mode before scrambling for more secure cover.
‘God damn it Overwatch! I need backup now. Not fucking standby orders!’
“Are you sure you got that one? Dust. He seems slippery,” A mare shouted from their primitive trenches.
“Nah, these low-ranking shits are easy pickings! The more heavily armored ones are the ones you need to worry about!”
Giving his fellow mercs a nod, he merely trained his iron sights onto Echo-1.
“Enjoy becoming food for bloatspirites!”
Dusty shouted, before taking aim and preparing to fire, when the time came Dusty did shoot but a golden magical aura had taken hold of his firearm and forced it into the air.
Making him miss entirely,
Echo-1 had by this point, dove behind a rock that just barely covered himself. And keeping one hand on his empty SMG, if the pony dared approach.
Echo-1 would have used his empty firearm as a bludgeoning tool. While with his other free hand, he started checking himself for any leaks, or holes. Even a bullet wound; and after finding none, Echo-1 released a sigh of relief. 'Thank god I'm not hit. Or flatlined for that matter.
Seeing that he was ok physically, an argument between two Ponies ensued.
“What the hell are you doing, Velvet?! He's one of them! They kill wild creatures for the fun of it!” the stallion hissed as she tossed his weapon to the metal roofing that both of them had been standing on.
“Dusty, so do you! But look around you. They're beaten! The one who's left standing doesn't even have any ammo left to continue fighting us. Besides, that wasn't the reason as to why we came here.” This new mare named Velvet shouted,
“Well, that sucks for him! First rule of the Wasteland, always have plenty of ammo! And better quality guns!”
He moved to grab his gun from the roof of the transport, before a charcoal-black hoof stepped onto the old shotgun, stopping him in his tracks.
“We aren't like raiders, Dust! Sense you don't understand that memo. I'm exchanging my IOU for its life. You owe me after all,” she said, eyes narrowing, at the larger winged pony.
“You can't be serious, you're wasting and I owe you for something weaker than a starved slave!” Dusty persisted, however, Velvet didn't back down.
“I know what I said Dusty Bolts, Let. Him. Live.”
Echo-1 could almost hear the venom dripping from her angelic voice but in the end. Dusty Bolts released a growl of defeat,
'This Velvet character sounds like she's going to strangle him, man I wish I could watch. But for all I know it's just a ruse to make me stick my head out, before putting a new hole in my skull. ' Echo-1 mused but didn't move from his stable and rocky cover.
“Fine. Hear that you rubber-wearing freak?! The kind little mare doesn't want to see outside colts playing rough. Maybe if she didn't want to witness such things, she should have stayed in her bubble of a stable.”
Before Velvet was upset, but now she was beyond irritated.
As the argument carried on longer than it should have, Echo-1 peeked his head around the rock cover cautiously, observing the two ponies argue.
Needless to say, Velvet won.
‘Damn, this Pony surely has debating skills. I wonder if she is a natural at this, or was taught.’
Remedy was going to give him a final rebuttal when suddenly, she was interrupted by a Flechette round.
Which closed her ending statement, by burying its sharp ends into the skull of her pegasus companion.
The flechette beeped a few times but quickly increased the rates of the infernal beeping, but that itself was a warning.
Velvet remedy could do little to save the stallion named ‘Dusty Bolts.’ As his skull, exploded by a Flechette. Coating her face and mane with fresh blood, and skull chunks.
A hunter released a loud almost ghostly howl, showing it had found more hostiles to terminate. Before charging the group of Ponies from behind, having successfully flanked them. As another had jumped over Echo-1 going for a more frontal assault.
“Unit Echo-1, respond.”
Overwatch crackled over his radio making him reply.
“Overwatch, Hunters are engaging hostiles. Taking tactical advantage.”
Getting up from his makeshift cover he saw his rescuer a Female Equine, her charcoal coat was now ruined by her companion's blood and skull pieces. The bits of bone and blood clung to her once three-tone mane, it was now changed into a crimson red.
Panicking, she picked up his blood-covered semi-shotgun in a magical field before leaping down off the CPT and bounding towards the dirt trenches.
The second Hunter merely jumped onto the tipped, and smoking, CPT. It fired a few rounds before joining her in the trenches.
Now no longer being. ‘Pinned,’ Echo-1 got up and ran to the upright truck looking for any extra ammunition that might have been left inside, luckily there was a single dark energy cell on the dashboard.
‘How the hell did I miss that?’
In quick secession, he ejected the spent energy cell from his SMG and loaded the new battery into the single-cell chamber. His primary was ready for combat, afterward. Echo-1 began digging under the leather seat, to grab his HK-USP match. Once found, and acquired, he locked it back into its holster, Echo-1 was now back in the fight.
Sprinting across the muddy earth to the pony-made ditches, He heard the Hunters mopping the floor with them in the foxholes.
If screams of agony, and flesh being torn apart, And bones being broken. Were any ideas,
Echo-1 was about to jump in and assist them when his eyes caught sight of Velvet running into the nearby forest.
‘The hunters can handle the remaining Equines. I'll put her out as merciful as I humanly can, if Overwatch dosen't allow me to detain her.'
Moving around the ditches and connecting tunnel systems, he moved to follow her.
'Damn she's fast, I'm barely keeping up with her. I need to work on my cardio,'
He followed her through the dead forest as best as Echo-1 could manage, for this trouble. He almost triggered an old grenade trap, and was getting banged up by dead tree branches.
"Last, malignant entity is withdrawing. Response Code, Clamp. Sword. Sterilize."
This nearly made Echo-1 slam head-first into an old leafless branch.
His foot was less than lucky. Getting caught in an outstretched Root, Echo-1 slammed into the muddy soil for a second time.
"God damn it!"
Was the only words he could mutter, as he dragged himself up and onto his own two feet from the muddy ground below.
Reaching up, and with the aid of a dead tree as a support. Echo-1 contacted Overwatch.
"Overwatch, perhaps we should incarcerate the last life form. Instead of amputating?"
Echo-1 knew he should never question his mission directives, especially Orders that came directly from Overwatch. And surely he was taking a massive risk of being deemed,
'Malignant.'
He owed her for sticking her neck out for him, Echo-1 merely wanted to return the favor.
"Suggestion accepted. Hunters and Strider unit being shifted to non-lethal pacify procedures."
'No fucking way.'
This was entirely unheard of, Overwatch never accepted suggestions. Especially from grunts, this was uncharted territory for Echo-1.
'Now I'm very much fucked, because I'm not bringing her in.'
Velvet was galloping pretty fast, her lungs were burning. Her sides were rapidly expanding and compressing,
‘I need to get the Buck out of here! This is the last time I will take a job for a mercenary group for anything. All I'm willing to do is tend to the sick and wounded.’
She had been running for what felt like an hour, diving between dead trees and rocks, even almost dying to a rusty old boobytrap that was left out there for Celestia knew how long.
Yet as Velvet ran, Heavy metallic footfalls were making their way to her. And that did little to calm her nerves,
‘Where the hell is it?!’ looking around worriedly Velvet understood very well as to what those heavy footfalls belonged to.
Having heard the stories of three-legged creatures with skin so thick that only explosives, or even magical ammo could punch through. Killing groups of mercenaries and slavers,
As she ran, the wind whipped passed her ears. Velvet's head on the other hoof was on a constant swivel. She looked for the giant metal creature, glancing towards her right side. Velvet saw the thing that caused such fear.
A large metallic limb tried to skewer her, but thanks to her constant Galloping she dodged its physical attack.
Skitting to a complete stop, she merely looked up in worry as her eyes shrunk to pinpricks.
‘ We were bucked, the moment that dumbbell for brains Dusty Bolts shot that Sprite-bot look-alike down.’
Above her was a Strider, she was so focused on evading it. And yet, she ran head-first, into the heavily armed and armored three-legged tank,
The Strider merely released a loud call, Alerting the Hunters to her exact location.
“B-buck!”
She tried to continue fleeing again, in the dark gloomy forest. But a Hunter blocked her path giving a loud howl to show Velvet that they had found her.
‘T-those eyes.’
Looking at the abomination made her insides turn from fright, It had three legs. Two blue beady unblinking eyes. That expanded upon spotting her, and it slowly moved towards her watching Vevlets every move.
Shortly after another one joined its brethren, but on her left side.
Now with her heart drumming in her ears out of fear of perishing, Velvet Remedy did try to Run for a second time. But her overworked legs refused to work.
Her stopping allowed her body's exhaustion to take hold. And now she was screwed, even with the added adrenaline it just wouldn't be enough.
‘T-this is how I die? There were so many more lives to save. How many numerous Ponies and non-pony races? Would perish without my care, this can't be my end. I-it just can't be!’
Glimpsing around Velvet Remedy tried to think of a way she could escape, but either way, she would be too slow. Or not fast enough to evade the synthetic life forms, who somehow never tire.
Deciding to face her death with a little bit of dignity, She sat down on her haunches. Her ears folded firmly against her skull, eyes closed tightly, as she merely waited to get blasted,
'Is this my R-reward for trying to save just one life? Our home will never change if the creatures around us won't.’
Yet, a robotic voice shouted from behind her.
“Velvet!”
Opening her eyes and unfolding her ears, Velvet looked behind herself, she saw the creature she just not too long ago had spared.
It did have a gun of some kind, but it wasn't pointing it at her. Instead, his free paw was extended out towards her. In a peaceful manner,
Now that she was giving him her full attention he continued.
“Do you want to make it out of this alive?” it inquired of her, which stunned her.
'C-celestia’s mercy! He's giving me a way out? This can't be true.'
Seeing she had nothing else to lose now. She Gave him a shaky nod as he proceeded with his plan to get her out alive.
“If you want to live, you'll need to follow exactly what I say to the letter. Do you understand?”
Another slow uneven nod was his only reply.
“Turn around slowly till you're facing me, no sudden movements.” He shouted, loudly and clearly over the roaring rain storm.
She did so, still showing she had the semi-shotgun in her telekinesis.
“Give me your gun. Slowly! No sudden movements!” Echo-1 navigated, as it slowly began floating over towards him.
The air was full of tension, as the Hunters and even Strider patiently waited for the slightest hiccup, the slightest falter. To blast Velvet Remedy into the next plane of existence.
Eventually, the gun reached her intended target and he snatched it out of the air. Finally allowing her to stop using magic, as it also was boosting her exhaustion.
Storing the rusty gun on his bodypack, he continued to guide her to safety. “Now slowly walk towards me! You're in the home stretch Velvet. Just no sudden movements and you'll be fine!”
Shakily, Velvet began her trip across the wet earth her body felt heavy. And with each step, the feeling of being weighed down started to rise in her body.
“I-i won't make it! Please, I don't wanna die.”
Seeing her start to struggle, and not even a quarter of the travel back towards him. He grew; nervous.
“Why can't you make it?” he shot back, seemingly starting to shuffle in place.
“M-my Hooves feel heavy and sluggish. I'm suffering from running fatigue.” He studied her shaking form standing there, his emotionless glowing eyes just watching her. Which unsettled Remedy further, Before he gave her a solution.
“Sit down, or lay down, I'll come over to you. Just prioritize taking it easy, Ok Velvet?”
Giving a shaky nod, the ex-stable dweller began lowering herself into some cool damp mud. As her body strained to avoid being game ended, or torn apart limb from limb.
It felt like an eternity waiting for the creature she just a mere hour ago saved from being blasted, was now paying back the favor, in full.
Laying there she was peppered by the downpour, as it softly washed away the blood on her coat and body. Returning her to her old charcoal coloration, this nearly made Velvet Remedy forget why she was running in the first place until somepony had been standing over her prone form.
“How are you holding up?”
The heavily clothed creature inquired of her, his voice almost on par, with Steel Hooves but more mechanical.
Moving up a hand to silence her, he pressed something on the side of his head. "Overwatch, Suspect in custody."
Storing his gun, the creature lifted her into his arms, which stunned Velvet at how small and light he made her feel.
'What was that all about?' she thought but decided to save it for another time.
“T-thank you.”
Giving a Murthy laugh he nodded, as the unstoppable death machines gradually vacated.
“I am returning the obligation I owed you. For saving my life, this day.”
Looking around for a moment and seeing the more devoted synthetic's depart he tried to set her down, but instead, she clung to him.
“P-please I'm too tired to walk let alone run, I already know you repaid the debt. But I need to get somewhere there I have friends who I can get back into contact with, do you mind helping me get at least halfway?”
'Plus, this is extremely comfy.' She thought as a soft blush took to her dark cheeks.
Tilting his head slightly, he inquired of the location she wished to voyage to.
“Where did you want to go?”
“T-tenpony Tower.”
Giving a nervous cough he kindly told her the obvious. “I'm not from around here if you couldn't tell, so I sorta have no idea where the ‘Tenpony Tower' is. If you know, I'd gladly appreciate the assistance.”
“M-map’s in the yellow box. I bought a digital version, you would not believe how much that thing charged me. Velvet gestured, allowing him to take the map.
Holding her like a football in one arm, he popped the lid off and dug through her items with the other. Echo-1 recovered the map. After receiving the electronic device, he closed her yellow medical container. Turning it on, Echo-1 saw random locations that he assumed she had been to, but he had no idea where they needed to go.
“Just one question, How fucking far are we?”
Giving a grumpy and yet tired sigh, she ignited her horn and simply pressed a button with her magic which in turn calculated how far they needed to travel by foot.
“Thirty fucking miles?!” Echo-1 was flabbergasted at the insane distance. While she meekly grinned,
“If it makes you feel any better. There's a trading post halfway, as long as we trade something we can get a somewhat free lift to where I need to go. Also am I too heavy for you?" She asked, thinking he couldn't carry her.
Putting the map onto her head he merely used it to aid in traveling in the right direction.
“That is thirty miles too many into the non-patrol region if you ask me. And not at all, despite your size you're surprisingly light."
Providing him with an incredulous look, for using her head as a table for the old electronic map. And possibly calling her fat, made the mare annoyed, but she was still too tired to argue with him. So she just, *hrumphed.*
While Echo-1 traveled with her in his arms, she stayed Quiet. Which unnerved him. 'I think I should check on her.'
Looking down. He discovered her nodding off, and he squeezed one last question into her tired mind.
“Sense we might be traveling together for a little bit. Mind telling me your name?” he asked as she tiredly nodded,
“My name is *yawn* Velvet Remedy. Your’s?”
Seeing no harm in it, he told her his.
“Echo-1.”
She nodded likewise before giving him a comment. "Nice to meet you too; Echo."
Fate made her slump against him in his arms. The rain had become a perfect white noise machine for the tired Unicorn.
Soon Velvet Remedy began softly snoring against his chest. As she snored her ear would occasionally flick, causing her to snuggle deeper into his chest.
Looking down he merely smiled behind his emotionless mask.
'Now that's fucking adorable.'
Echo-1 mused before continuing to walk in the right direction.
And so the two traveled, it was tricky for Echo-1 to carry her. Not to mention Vevlet's horn poking him periodically, thanks to his act of mercy.
It left them both defenseless, if any feral radioactive creatures attacked the two, Echo-1 would need to drop Velvet Remedy and draw his SMG.
'Then, I would have two pissed creatures to deal with.' he stated,
By this point, his pony companion's coat was utterly soaked. And she even began shuttering slightly during her slumber,
'I think we should stop anyway, at least until this storm dies down. Plus, my arms are starting to give me discomfort. She doesn't way much, but that wares a toll on anyone.'
Spotting a half-destroyed building not too far from them Echo-1 quickly made his way over towards it.
Setting her down, behind some old bushes.
He cracked his shoulders before clearing out the basement, as that was the most open space to them.
Finding it clear, and empty. He brought her sleeping form inside and got a fire going to help Velvet Remedy's body response to fighting the cold.
Making sure she wouldn't roll into it, during her sleep. Echo-1 moved to sit down to allow his legs to rest, after all the action of the wasteland he experienced today.
**Back to the present time.**
Echo-1 told the dark green Alicorn many things, from how Earth globally surrendered, to The technology he witnessed, and even how the combine integrated humanity into its vast and ever-growing empire.
He knew a lot more than just that, but he was doing his absolute best to leave out the more valuable information. As that, would give her another reason not to kill him and so far it seemed to work.
“Interesting.~ We find this all very interesting indeed… Maybe there's something else? Something you're not telling us?~”
Stepping back her horn glowed to life. As her magic encased his head, her purpose was unknown to Echo-1 she seemed puzzled at first.
While she stood there trying to crack his brain, a message appeared on the inside of his mask's visor.
**Warning! Non-related Combine entity as attempted entry on faculties. Inciting, higher levels of mental fortitude as a response.**
‘The perks of Combine tech huh?' he contemplated.
The only downside of this, was him sounding more clinical. Like the other more senior members of the base,
“How are you able to resist us?! Not many Ponies, not even Griffins can resist us, After all this time!” she seethed, making Echo-1 simply shrug.
“If I had to speculate, they ran into something identical before arriving here. So your mind tricks are ineffective on me. I do acknowledge your attempt,”
Annoyed by that comment she merely just flicked dirt at him with magic. “Do not think this makes us friends or even comrades, the only reason why you're still alive is because you're supplying us with beneficial information.” Unity hissed, showing the still rampant hostility towards him for not being a pony.
“Now what about you? Velvet Remedy.~ What wonderful ways we could inflict pain onto you. Or maybe, the Goddess will Grant you mercy, and allow you the chance to join us.” The ideas this hivemind offered began to frighten Velvet, Which pushed Echo-1 to an irritation point.
‘Not so fast, Unity.'
“Hold it.” Echo-1 differed,
Making the Dark green Alicorn return to staring at him.
“Now what? The Goddess has given you a guarantee to be free of harm, from us and you ask for more?! Your greed makes us sick.”
Dismissing her rash comment, Echo-1 continued. “I am merely saying that if you want any more information from me. Give Velvet Remedy and anyone she is associated with amnesty, per this unwilling partnership.”
Snarling in bitterness, Echo-1 merely watched them work, most of their movements had been identical. If only delayed slightly,
‘Now that I've been told it's a hivemind, I can see it now. I merely don't know which type of collective.’
“What if we refuse? And take her to become like us.~” She said challenging him diabolically,
“Do you want more critical information or not? And trust me they have extremely valuable, data and weapons, that you can only dream of. ” He said testing the very thin line Echo-1 had been given.
The Green Alicorn stood there as her Green cat-like eyes slowly looked around the room as if she was silently speaking to someone or a group of people. As they shifted from her normal dark green to a blood red. And even, to a light cyan.
Echo-1 even saw a lavender purple.
Allowing him to take a mental note, of such a battle of wills. 'That's going into the, save my ass from Overwatch folder. Because I know they are expecting a full report the size of a novel when I get back.'
Slowly they went back to the green orbs, and in a rage, she blasted their makeshift fire pit turning the orange fire inside, into a roaring balefire blaze. However, it ended as soon as it started going back to a regular fire, turning around the three alicorn mares departed.
Yet the green one stopped, allowing the other two to leave first. Looking back, she gave a wicked smile before speaking once more.
“You're very fortunate, that the Goddess wants you alive. For now,~ one day you'll outlive your usefulness.” Had been her only come back to his truthful response,
Leaving through the hole in the wall, they merely disappeared into that howling storm.
And so the two sat there in the hues of an orange flame…Waiting, until Velvet Remedy spoke up as her horn ignited, casting a light onto him.
“Do you have a death wish!”
She shouted at him and got back to her hooves after resting for so long.
Turning to look back at the Unicorn mare, her face was one of alarm and anxiety.
“You're still in one piece, aren't you? And still yourself.” Echo-1 stated, clearly showing she was indeed not joining Unity at the current moment. Nor being gruesomely tortured. At this time,
“W-well yes, but nopony I know has ever done what you did! That takes guts, and if what she says is truthful we won't have to worry about her molesting us on our journeys, for as long as you tell her what she wants to know.”
Nodding he gestured for her to go back towards the fire pit. “Don't worry about that or you won't be able to sleep, I'll start the first watch. You however need to rest you've been through a lot today.”
He moved over towards his SMG and simply picked it up. Before going towards the entrance that the three Alicorns entered from, a charcoal blur stopped him.
“I appreciate all you've done, despite most of it being for worse, but please. I'd like my gun back, like right now.”
Looking downward he found her, blocking his path hoof outstretched expectantly.
‘Fair enough, Velvet Remedy.’
Without saying a word he unlatched it from his bodypack and returned her newly, ‘acquired’ semi-auto Shotgun.
And went to post himself near the exit. To safeguard his four-legged friend,
Who on her part went to fall asleep beside the normal fire. Or to most likely struggle to drift off to slumber,
**Checkpoint reached! Game saved.**