Chapter 14: Treason

"...As the Moon crept over the horizon, I stood there in Awe of its significance...

"...And they put a hood over my head, pulled me out, dragged me in here, and slammed the door behind them." I jigged my chains to make my point get a cross. The stallion leaned back in his chair, pulling a draw out of his burning cigarette and blew a puff of smoke in the air. His mane was slicked back from his paint-splatter like muzzle, revealing a large, deep scar down the side of his head that ran across his throat. He chuckled lightly to himself, the lean forward towards me, a grin adorned on his lips.

"You expect me to believe that shit? That you.... Magically just happened to live in the only sustainable Stable this far south, and you and your "adopted brother" opened the Stable, let in a bunch of corrupted, homicidal Steel Rangers that killed over hundreds of innocents looking for a simple little project that nopony else knows about but you? Plus that you and a traitor-turned-good incited a Raider war on a small town? Come on, Pegasus. Stop lying to me!" The agent slammed his hoof on the table, making his ashtray jump.

"That's the truth. Ask the others." I growled, slightly angry that I was still chained up like an animal. Then again, I did just kill a few of his people.

"No. What I think happened was that you, "Captain"... Decided you had enough of the Enclave, came breaking through the Clouds with a Sonic Rain-boom, Blew open the door of Stable 132, and started going off and gunning down all those ponies with joy and content." The Stallion nickered.

I shook my head in wild disbelief. “What?! That's Crazy!" I replied, taken off guard from the wild accusation.

"But not as crazy as you story, now is it?" Sanro retorted with a smile.

This pony has lost his bit, I thought.

Sanro slinked back in his chair, pulling out another cigarette. "No... I'm not going to ask the others. I'm done playing games with you. You will tell me why The Tower alerted us to you!" He screamed, staring me down with a cold, steely gaze.

The tower? What tower? Did he mean the big white pillars way out there? What was the name for them...? I've heard it before, but couldn't place it. Something starting with an S? But there isn't any around here...

"What tower? I Don't-"

Before I could finish, A Mare burst in through the door, shaking like a leaf.

"Sir! The east barracks were broke open! The ghouls are in the yard!" the mint colored pony blurted out, gunfire sounding in the distance outside.

"Then go deal with them! And find out how the barricade was broken through. They can't get in here anyway." The stallion waved off his subordinate with a hoof, not speaking another word. "So....Where were we? Ah, you were about to tell me why your here."

"I already told you! I was in Stable 132 When that Kalem freak came charging into-" The look on the splotched-colored agent made it clear he stopped listening.

"Okay. Mr. DJ... Or whatever you call yourself. Tell you what. If you don't come clean with me right now, I'm going to beat your fucking head in, then continue the gesture to your friends in the other rooms. Hell, I might even have some fun with that pretty mare of yours." Agent Sanro grinned at me.

I was ready to kill him the moment he came in the room. Now he was going to die slowly if I get my hooves on him I grit my teeth, forcing back my anger. Keep calm, DJ. You will figure something out.

"Look. Whatever Tower you’re talking about, it must be false. I lived in Stable 132 up until the massacre. I couldn't have done anything wrong, not enough to get the police..."... Wait a minute....

Then it hit me. Not once have I seen actual police or law enforcement that wasn't ragtag security. But out of nowhere, there are these... Agents in black suit looking for me specifically. It was nothing but martial law out there. No one to stop a crime besides a bullet or club. I slowly looked back up to Sanro. Something didn't feel right about this pony. The way he talked, the way he presented himself. The small flakes of memories floating in my head of past law enforcers were well kempt and professional. So who was this pony?

Sanro narrowed his eyes at me. "What's the matter? No more excuses for me?"

I leaned back in my chair, not taking my eyes off my captor. I prepared for the worst.

"Who are you?" I asked grimly.

"What? I already told you-"

"No. Who. Are. You?" I asked again. The splotched covered pony cocked his head at me, chewing his cigarette. He started to chuckle.

"You’re a piece of work, but I have no more patience for this game. Tell me why the towers alerted us to you or I'm going to go dance a jig on your bloody corpses!" Sanro slammed his hoof on the tabletop, making the clipboard fall off the end of the table.

I leaned forward, staring into the so-called agents in his dirt-colored eyes. "And I've already explained myself to you. I DONT KNOW WHY!"

We stared each other down for several moments before Sanro broke contact and sighed. He stood up from his chair and picked up the folder from the tabletop. "Fine, Mr. DJ. I'll go ask your "Friends" and see if the can confirm your story. I'll get the truth sooner or later. Good-bye." He pushed open the door and disappeared into the dimly lit hall once more.

I looked around the room for a way out. The old correctional facility was definitely built to last. The concrete room didn't have a crack or crevice on any of its surface. I saw nothing I can exploit... Until my eyes laid on the pen. That could be useful... A smile spread upon my face...

Thank Luna for the years of delinquency, breaking out of the guard lock up. After a few minutes of picking at it, the hoof cuffs popped open. I quickly moved to the door, determined to get out. I peeked through the door, eyeing the single guard outside, facing away from me. The other way down the corridor revealed nothing. Good. I swiftly opened the door, pulling the guard inside the room. His muffled screams through my hoof was futile as I sank the jagged pen in his throat. After a small struggle, he finally went limp on the floor. I searched the twitching corpse for a weapon or something to help me and my friends out. I found a knife and a bandolier for shotgun shells, but no shotgun. I peeked back out, checking if the coast was clear. I crept out and moved down the hallway to the right, away from the reception desk. I heard gunshots outside, supposedly from the agents taking care of the "Ghoul problem". I peered into several rooms, bearing no fruition on either pony I was seeking for.

Shuffling from behind me had me duck into the closest room. I looked through the cracked window to watch two of the guards dragging a pony up the flight of stairs across the hall, a gunshot wound still oozing blood. They are executing ponies! I got to find my companions fast! As soon as they passed me, I rushed out of the room and down the stairs to what I was thinking was the basement area. If I was going to lock up three extremely dangerous ponies, it would be in the stuffy underground.

As I crept down the stairs, I thought on the Tower thing. Whatever it was, it chaffed Sanro something fierce if they were throwing almost everything they had to find just one Pegasus so badly. When, and if, I get out of here, that is my next priority, along with finding out more about Captain Harmony. When I reached to basement floor, I heard mumblings behind the double doors ahead of me. I pushed open on of the heavy doors, revealing another dimly lit corridor with the other end caved in, only leaving a few jail cells to be investigated. I peeked into on room, revealing a dirty blue unicorn mumbling to himself in the corner. It looked like he had been in there for quite some time due to how much excrement was in the cell with him. The adjacent room held a mare hung from the light fixture with a blanket. I threw up a little at the sight, making my temper flare for this so-called law enforcers or whatever they want to call themselves. Thanking the goddesses that the other rooms didn't hold other travesties, but there was still no sign of my friends. I backtracked to the staircase, checking behind me to make sure I didn't miss anything. I turned to bump into the rump of stallion dragging a bloody body bag down the stairs.

"What the fu-" he flipped around to find a hoof striking him straight in the throat. His eyes bulged and his choked on his crushed windpipe and fell to the ground in a convulsing heap. I threw the strike on pure instinct, much to my surprise. I quickly dispatched him with a stab with the knife, not wasting anymore time. A quick search got me a .32 caliber pistol with a hoof full of rounds for it. I silently cursed myself for having to kill more people, even if they deserve it. Peering back into the original hallway, I continued to ponder what and why.

A loud bang came from the other end of the corridor, then a grunt from a large-sounding stallion. Fearing Sanro was making good his word, I bolted towards the other end. I busted through the door, pistol at the ready.

I couldn't help but smile at the sight before me. Grey Oak had knocked his guard unconscious, and then proceeded to slam his head on the table. Grey Oak looked up from his plaything with a neutral expression on his face.

"What? We had a bet to see who would break first." Grey let his prey slump to the ground. "Looks like I won." He stood up from his chair, allowing me to uncuff him from the desk.

"Have you seen Red?" I asked. “My interrogator, Sanro, plans to hurt her if we don't give them information."

Before another word was spoke, Grey oak had already picked up the guard's bludgeon, and was hauling tail out the door. I followed as fast as I could behind the hulking pony, searching room to room for Reign and Red. Thankfully, none of the other guards made us as we swept through the building into the other end on the complex. The room on this side was all blackened out, like they were burned out in a raging fire.

This got me thinking. I looked around the common area we found ourselves in, trying to decipher the past events that took this place. No balefire bombs detonated near here, so the fires couldn't have been caused by that. Maybe from an inside source? I continued to the blocked off section of the north entrance. Charred bones and remains from a forgotten time were piled in front of the double doors, seemingly like they were trying to escape. Word must have gotten out here, and caused a panic. I turned over a tattered body of a police pony. His skull was caved in and cracked, his deathly grin marred by a broken jaw. Things got out of hoof fast, it looked like. But... did the guards resort to burning the populace? I looked up from the pile of bones and remains in deep thought.

A blaring alarm followed by flashing red and yellow lights resounded through the corridors and above us.

"Well, they finally found out we escaped..." Grey Oak mumbled. He cracked his neck and faced the entrance we came from. "If they want a fucking dust down, then let’s have at it!" He yelled down the corridor. I frantically looked for another way out. I checked the other entranceways until finally the northeast doors creaked open.

"Grey Oak, This way! We need to find the others before-"

An extreme pain, like a blazing fire, shot through my mind. I screamed as I held my head in my hooves. I never felt anything like this before. It felt like a hot poker stabbing my brain. I tried to focus through the pain without avail. I felt Grey Oak put his hoof on my shoulder.

"You okay, Cap?" Grey whispered, almost sounding sympathetic.

"Nnn- I'm good. Let’s just get moving." I grunted from the growing pain. It subsided slightly every once and a while, but was still ever present as we crossed into a unblocked section of the main cellblock. Ghoul carcasses littered the area. Did the Agents already come through here? We passed several cells, rusted shut from a couple centuries of misuse and negligence. The headache started to come in bursts of pain now, Debilitating me further and further still as we pushed through the cellblock. Sounds of growling ghouls and gunfire remained a constant deterrence through some of the exits we attempted. Grey Oak was practically carrying me as we rounded a corner towards our last hopeful exit.

We were met with a gunshot whizzing past Grey's head. We ducked back behind the corner and drew our weapons.

"That's what I Thought, you lily-livered chickenshit!" A familiar mare yelled down at us, cocking a lever-action.

Grey Oak rolled his eyes and leaned around the corner. "Watch who you’re shooting at, Red!" He shouted back with a tinge of frustration.

Red gasped, ears pressed down on her head with embarrassment. "OH! Sorry, guys!"

Grey grumbled under his breath, helped me up, and we ran to the barrier of tables and bed racks that Red was behind with a couple sickly looking ponies with her. Grey Oak threw me over the barrier, making my head hurt even more. At this point, I had rather eaten that bullet then continue the headache. Red looked at me with concern, helping me into the back room. I felt something sticky running down my cheek. I Reached up with a hoof and wiped it away, revealing blood. My ears were bleeding? What?

"What's wrong with him?" Red asked her brother.

"The hell should I know. He looks fine to me." Grey Oak responded, taking Red's place at the barrier.

Red pushed open the door to the backroom that used to be a breakroom. Reign was counting rounds in the corner with two other prisoners. He looked up from his work, nodded to me and pointed a hoof at the kitchenette door.

"Looks like he is going to pass out any minute now. Get him to the others. I'll take a look at him in a minute." Red nodded and we continued to the back room.

A pegasus stood at the stove, making some delicious concoction on the stovetop. He stood on his hind legs, stirring the wonderful smelling liquid. His white coat was dusty and bloody, but not seemingly from his own wounds. He had a blue swept back mane with a black stripe running down the middle of the hair. He wore black leather bands, wide as a hoof, around his hind and forelegs, with a thin black choker. When he turned to me, with his goggles sitting on his forehead, confirmed my thoughts.

It was HIM. The pegasus from the Stable! He bowed his head towards me.

"Hello Captain. I've heard much about you." He said in a slightly exotic accent.

My vision blurred out from the pain before I could respond. My body felt heavy as the faint voice of Red and Reign whispered through my failing hearing. I blacked out on the floor in front of the mysterious stallion.

Well great. This was my first real impression he had of me.

It's been a really long and arduous day for us...