//------------------------------// // Escape Part 2 // Story: Legend of the Sirens: Wild Vines // by zalla661 //------------------------------// Aria and Spitfire were in the most intense stare battle Octavia had ever seen any two being partake in. Aria was curled up and ready to strike like a viper, Spitfire was poised with her sidearm and ready to fire at Aria.   Octavia only dared peer over the counter hoping to stay out of the line of fire. Aria for her part was holding back rather well. She was now contemplating how she wanted to deal with Spitfire. Since her powers were still dwindled she couldn't just mind control her to shoot herself or walk off a cliff. *That'd be too easy.* She grumbled in her thoughts. *Guess a good old fashioned beat down will suffice. I could blow off some steam.*   With her mind made up on the spot Aria cracked her large scaly neck and cracked her hooves. Spitfire quirked her brow wondering what the ‘mangy beast’ was up to. Just then someone came into the room and Aria, as quick as lightning, grabbed the poor human and threw her into Spitfire. Spitfire fired her sidearm missing both the human projectile and Aria at the same time falling to the floor.   Octavia quickly ran from her cover and grabbed Aria’s hoof and pulled her along down the corridor. Aria tried to hold back at first, but she relented quickly she she realized she had no idea where to go. Reverting to her human form, Aria and Octavia ran down the hall until they came across a dressing room. Once inside, Octavia went to a locker and opened it. She then threw a soldier's fatigues on the floor and a pair of boots at Aria’s feet.   “Put these on. I’ll get us out of here.” Octavia ordered.   “I don’t take orders from a human like you!” Aria snapped back, crossing her arms over her chest.   *Sigh* “If you want to get out, you have to trust me,” Octavia said, slipping on a lab coat for herself. Aria only growled at her looking away. Octavia sighed and picked the clothes and boots up and shoved them into Aria’s arms.   “Will you, please, do this?! I want to help!” Octavia asked with a hint of desperation in her voice.   Aria considered her options. She didn’t like the idea of relying on humans for help. Then again she wouldn’t get far on her own either. Reluctantly she took the clothes and slipped them on. They were a loose fit, but Aria managed to fill them. Once clothed up she followed Octavia out of the room and into a different part of the facility. Octavia grabbed a loose hat and threw it to Aria who put it on without question. Silently they walked through the facility as more and more troops began to scramble around them. A announcement was made from Major Spitfire saying that the beast escaped and to lock down the facility. Thankfully Octavia had top security clearance and was able to bypass security. Aria felt unease hiding in plain sight like this. Even more she hated having to follow a lowly human and rely on her for assistance. When she got out it was only her from that point on. For now, she’d endure.   As they came around a corner Spitfire was there waiting for them with a large group of sliders. Octavia stopped in her tracks as did Aria as the troops took aim at them. Behind the group was a massive loading area with jeeps, APCs and tanks. Octavia had planned to leave with Aria in a truck, but it was clear that Spitfire was on to them.   This didn’t bode well.   Spitfire smiled at Octavia and Aria and casually walked over to them with a high mighty smug look on her face. “Oh, you thought you could get away that easy, Octavia?”   “What? But, how did you find us?” Octavia asked genuinely surprised.   Spitfire’s smug grin only grew. “Oh, I knew you were in cahoots with Razzle Dazzle from the start. I just needed proof so I can deal with you like the traitor you are.”   Spitfire drew her sidearm and took aim at Octavia. Octavia stammered trying to find an excuse to get out of this but a loud bang broke her concentration. Aria looked over to see Octavia clutching her stomach which now had a huge red stain over her coat.   For some reason Aria’s blood boiled seeing Octavia slump over and to the floor. She couldn’t fathom what she just saw. Spitfire had just shot one of her own like it was nothing. Aria was used to seeing betrayal but this was borderline butchery to her. It was one thing to kill on equal footing, it was another to execute someone without giving them a chance.   Engaged Aria ran over to octavia and lifted her head in her hands. She was breathing, albeit heavily. Aria could feel the warmth of Octavia’s blood in her hands. This was the first time in a long time she felt this, then the smell hit her nostrils. Her life flashed in a blink of an eye. Every  life she ever took, all the lives she watched end over the centuries, all of it came back to her in a flash. The she thought about the Battle of the Bands and how she and her sisters lost their powers until Adagio reclaimed them from her father. In that one moment she truly knew how powerless she was. Here a human took a bullet for her and there was nothing she could do to save her. If there was anything that angered Aria more than humans, it was being indebted to one. (Of course she felt bad deep down for Octavia who tried to save her.)   Spitfire was feeling brave, taking a step forward and pointed her gun at Aria. Aria glared up at Spitfire then down the barrel of the 9mm in her face. Spitfire only grinned as Aria snarled at her reverting to her siren form and snapped her mouth down on Spitfire’s arm and twisting.   The rest of the soldiers prepared to fire, but the siren was now flailing Spitfire around who was trying to punch her way out of Aria’s grip.   “Shoot her! Shoot her!!” Spitfire screamed in a panic.   The soldiers worried for the Majors life prepared to fire at Aria with their rifles. Suddenly several of them turned on the others and smashed the backs of their heads with the butts of their rifles knocking them out. In the end only four were left standing and on came up to Spitfire. He took the butt of his rifle and brought it down on Spitfire’s head effectively knocking her out.   The soldier slung his role and grabbed hold of Octavia’s hands and tried to pull her up. Aria however felt her feral instincts kick in and she snapped at him while hovering over octavia. *Why do I care what happens to her so much?* She wondered looking at the man who smiled at her. *Wait… I know him!* It took a moment for her to recognize him, but it was Kyle, commander of the tank unit that she had saved. Now, she was relieved. For some unfathomable reason his eyes were calming to her. His smile, that dumb stupid smile. It made her comfortable and she felt her instincts paving way to a more subtle feeling. A swelling in her heart. She was… intrigued with him?   No.   This was something completely different. There is something about him that she trusted, and that wasn’t just because he saved her life twice now. Perhaps she could trust some humans after all. Aria uncovered Octavia, which Kyle took hold of and brought her over to a jeep and placed her inside. After having a word with the driver the jeep left through a tunnel that lead to the outside and Kyle and the three soldiers with him went to a tank that had a familiar dent in it that Aria recognized. It was the dent she made when she collided with the tank's front armor. Aria was not fond of that memory.   Regardless she didn’t daddle, of fear from being captured again. She flew over to the tank and landed on the perch she made for herself last time. Right next to Kyle as he order his tank forward. The armored behemoth roared to life with its massive diesel engine and slowly the tank gained speed eventually reaching over 40 mph and right behind the jeep. Despite not having access to her magic anymore Aria’s eyes were still able to adapt to the light change quickly as they made their way out of the tunnel and to the open world. Aria smelled fresh air for what felt like the first time in an eternity.   She really had come to appreciate many things in the last few years after she lost her voice. The sounds of the wind was comforting to her. She no longer frowned when it rained or complained. She loved her sisters more than ever and they grew closer since Adagio came out of hiding. The singing of the birds was nice too.   *Chirp! Chirp! CRUNCH!* Next to her Kyle stared at her in bewilderment as Aria snatched what looked like a seagull from the air with a sickening snapping sound, and followed by crunching noises. Aria was happily chewing her tasty meal with white feathers sticking out of her mouth, when she noticed Kyle staring at her. Aria’s cheek bulged as she stopped chewing her scrumptious meal. A few seconds passed and she swallowed the bird whole. Even the feathers. After the staring went on for a few seconds more Aria turned away from Kyle’s gaze and looked out towards a mountainside and canterlot City just beyond it.   Coiling up she looked at the city and then back to her savior, or one of them at least. Kyle was busy talking over a large headset he was wearing he didn’t notice her looking at him again. Aria growled and nudged his side nearly knocking him out of the tank.   “What was that for you psycho!?” He asked, gripping the side of the tank for dear life. “You could have knocked me off!” “Well, why didn’t you notice me trying to get your attention then?” She snapped back at him.   They stared at each other awkwardly again.   “Ugh, whatever! Where are we going?” Aria asked.   “We’re heading towards a hideout near the ocean. There’s a medical facility there we can use to tend to Miss Octavia’s wound.” “Will she make it?” Aria asked, with a hint of concern in her voice.   Kyle smiled at her sliding his headset off and around his neck.   “Feeling a certain attachment towards us humans?” He asked with a smug tone.   Aria blushed and snapped at him, making Kyle lean back just out of reach. He laughed as Aria fumed coiling up again to hide her blush.   “Don’t laugh! I am a mighty siren! I could end you if I wanted too!” “Suuuuurrree.” Kyle said, chuckling at the fuming siren.   Aria huffed under her own coiled up body, happy for what little seclusion she had at the time. As she did the air smell changed again. This time it was humid with a hint of salt to it. She realized they were near the ocean and uncoiled to see the ocean to her right. The jeep was a stone's toss away from them i the lead and not far was a stone structure that looked like an old concrete pillbox partially buried in the ground.   As they approached the jeep went off road and around the pillbox. The tank followed right behind, but it did so at a slower pace to not fall off the cliff. Aria looked over the edge of the tank to see what was on the other side. It was a sheer drop of a cliff at least a hundred plus feet down. Aria was sure she could also see jagged rocks at the bottom. As she looked the tank made a sharp turn and went inside a hidden bunker adjacent to the pillbox and a small metal door closed behind them. Soon after the tank engine died down and a crew of medical personnel came running in with a gurney and took Octavia away. Aria followed them but was held back by Kyle stepping in her way.   “Don’t worry. She’ll be fine. Octavia wanted me to ask you some questions in case it came to this anyways,” He said taking a piece of paper out from his pocket. “Mind if we sit down so we can talk?” Aria snorted reverting to her human form again. “Like I want to talk to you? Why should I? What do you have to gain by asking me some random questions?”   “Because I want to know what you what your stance is on the existence of aliens,” Kyle replied.