//------------------------------// // Chapter 12: Approved // Story: Secret Search // by computerneek //------------------------------// She dodges through another door, tail whipping through just before she slams it closed, and she gallops down the hallway. Rather fortunate she’s familiar with the ship’s design- while they have to pause to sniff out her path, she knows exactly where she’s going. Her magic had burned out almost three hours sooner than she’d expected. That wouldn’t have been much of a problem- she’d already been headed in to get herself a cloak, but then these invaders had to break aboard. She’s pretty sure one saw her tail, if only briefly; she hasn’t seen them, though. She swings another door open, leaps through, and closes it behind her. Good thing she’s a good runner- Wait. Did the door just lock itself? She gazes at it for a second before setting off once again. She hadn’t designed the locks to move on their own- so how…? Maybe that’s part of the expanded abilities the asofyet unnamed mind she’s installed in it mentioned? The door in front of her swings open without a pony to open it. She leaps through it- and glances back in time to see it swing shut and latch itself, again with no pony or magic aura. So yes, probably that thing. She turns back forwards; she’s now rather rapidly building distance from her unwelcome visitors. Here’s to hoping they don’t know how to operate her locks. “So she’s locking the doors now?” One of his companions shakes his head. “I wish she’d stop running.” A third of the party operates the lock… Then tries again. “It’s stuck.” The second raises his eyebrow. “Sure she’s not holding it on the other side?” He shakes his head. “Nope. This is what it feels like when they seize up solid.” He strikes the latch handle, where it stands immobilized in the down position. “No jostle or anything.” “What the-?” It’s a fourth. The second raises his eyebrow, looking over. “What is it?” “All the other doors are locked- including the one we came in through!” He shoves at the handle of another lock. “All completely stuck!” The fifth of the six raises his eyebrows. “I rather suspect she didn’t actually exhaust her magic.” The sixth nods. “I wish we had a unicorn.” Spot-welding locks… Done. Pursuit has halted. ALERT: External power supply on War Hull failing. Switching to internal. WARNING: Main Power Reserves Low (1.91%). Initiating assembly of solar systems. ALERT: External power supply on Auxiliary Unit failing. Switching to internal. Analyzing pursuers… Done. Pursuers have been contained. Tactical Section, System Standby. Design Cores Online. WARNING: Design Database Not Found! She routes her way into her ‘thinking room’, where she put the thing’s mind, and locks the door once she gets in. Only those two doors had done anything on their own; all the others had waited for her to operate them manually. No biggie, though- ever since that second door, she hasn’t heard their hooves. She trots up to the screen and reads the output… Interesting, it’s willing to respond to that kind of situation as well. Possibly more interesting is that it mentions the power supply failing twice. She doesn’t understand the words it used to identify where, but they were different locations. She tilts her head slightly. Is it trying to tell her it’s still running under her house, AND still connected? She’s certain it won’t be able to assemble anything- the term it used to describe the systems it’s assembling, she doesn’t know- so maybe that’s back home? She’ll have to head over sometime… Or drop an alibi and send it over on the train. But she’ll have to rest her horn for a couple days before she can do that. Either one, really- her ship’s engines are magic-powered. She scowls, and lifts a hoof to start pecking keys out on the keyboard. >Wherte are thewy Her hooves are good at striking other keys- but she’s in somewhat of a hurry… She prays it can understand, and presses the ‘Enter’ key- one of the few that’s big enough for her to push with a hoof without pushing others as well. Answering: Where are they Contained. > So, it is willing to correct her spelling. And, as usual, answer in cryptography. She hangs her head, and tries again. >Wjhat dioes trhat mweanm Answering: What does that mean All hostiles have been contained. > More cryptography… and words she doesn’t know. She facehooves. Maybe it has some way for her to talk to- Wait! That thing with the moving pictures it did! >Can IO see Answ- That’s about as much as she could read before it vanished, replaced by a moving image. It’s looking from a corner of one of the rooms she’d run through… Six Royal Guard pegasi are in the room. A couple of them are tugging at the locks rather fruitlessly and what looks like begging for release, but the others have sat down in the middle of the room, presumably to talk. She facehooves again. “Sir?” The thestral behind the desk issues a heavy sigh. “Lemme guess: This time, a field agent got lost in Huntington.” “Uh… two of them, actually. One of the three we sent escaped, reported the others’ deaths.” His face lands flat on his desk, his hoof not bothering to get into its path. “We’re gonna have to quarantine the place,” he mutters, before raising his volume to pass orders. “Prepare an offensive, then. We’re gonna have to take them by force.” He raises his head as well. “Tell me there’s something… less negative on today’s agenda.” He nods. “Yes, Sir, there is. The airship Secret was spotted in Cloudsdale an hour ago, whatever spells it had on it gone. The Royal Guard reportedly broke into it, caught a scent, and started chasing somepony. They said something about fake magic exhaustion; it seems they were routed and basically thrown overboard by somepony they couldn’t see. They’ve been taken into custody for violating the Princesses’ orders.” “Have the Princesses been notified?” “Not yet, Sir. The report only just came in.” “Ahh… Oh?” He raises an inquisitive eyebrow; no matter how regulation the pegasus’ stance and expression, he’s learned how to read the telltales anyways. It helps that it’s his cutie mark talent as well. A tiny smile flickers across his face. “While I was on my way here, actually, I heard Purple Acorn was spotted in the compound this morning- still seeking that private audience, this time with the company of a field agent. They were gone by the time I arrived- but the field agent was positively identified: Sweetie Drops.” He pauses momentarily, watching his boss’ eyebrows raise. “Sweetie Drops invoked the Controlled Information clause, but was denied.” “Sweetie Drops? Isn’t she one of the new ones?” He tilts his head from side to side. “Yes and no. She’s been a Field Agent for almost three months, but she was an Outside Agent for most of her foalhood beforehand- almost twenty years, as I recall. She was one of our best OAs, and has performed flawlessly on every mission since.” He nods. “Yes… she was denied the CI clause?” “Yes sir. The sentries confirmed that.” His eyebrows raise. “Why?” “They said they had been ordered to.” His voice goes down an entire octave. “They refused to identify the source of those orders.” The thestral opens his mouth to speak, filling his lungs- but stops to the sound of a hoof knocking on his door. The two stallions share a look, and the pegasus moves to the door, opening it. “What do-!” He breaks off midsentence, freezing perfectly still. His boss raises an eyebrow, before he throws the door wide open- revealing two ponies standing in the doorway. One cream-colored earth pony field agent with a curly pink and dark blue mane wearing her duty gear, check. One white unicorn with a gentle green mane flowing from the gentle blue glow on her horn to her matching saddlebags, also check. “Sir!” the earth pony begins, matching the term with a perfect salute. “Field Agent Sweetie Drops, requesting an immediate private audience with the Director of the RIA, under the Controlled Information Clause.” She lowers the salute. The silence is absolute for several seconds. The unicorn breaks the silence in a low tone, the glow on her horn intensifying slightly as she speaks. “And hurry, please- I can’t keep this going much longer!” The thestral’s eyes widen at the comment. He knows the unicorn, his daughter, is quite powerful; she would have done well in Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, had she gone that route. He looks towards the pegasus. “You said they were turned back by the guards?” he asks. He nods. “That’s what was reported, yes.” He looks back towards the two mares, as if seeking confirmation. Agent Sweetie Drops nods. “We were, Sir, six and a half hours ago.” “Come in, then,” the thestral invites. The pegasus nods. “I’ll wait outside?” he asks. The Director looks towards the mares- and Sweetie Drops answers his unasked question. “He’s clear, Sir.” “Stay, then,” he answers- and the pegasus closes the door before trotting over to the side of his boss’ desk. As soon as the door is closed, the unicorn lets out a breath and the glow on her horn disappears, as if somepony had switched it off- a characteristic effect of aural dampening spells. Then, after a glance at her partner, her horn glows again- in the normal manner this time- as she draws the letter out of her saddlebags, levitating it over to her father’s desk. “You’re telling me you snuck in to the RIA headquarters?” “Say what now?” the thestral asks, peering over the top of the unfolded message to where Silent Shout, the head of the Contact Corps, is communicating inquisitively with the field agent that wrote this worrying report. “Yes Sir,” Sweetie Drops answers. “We had no choice; the sentries turned us back.” Silent Shout raises his eyebrow. “So you just slipped in?” She winces slightly. “It was… a little harder than that, Sir, but essentially, yes.” The report falls flat on the desk as Keen Sight, its intended recipient, speaks up. “You waltzed right in to the highest security building in Equestria and didn’t get caught?” Sweetie Drops nods. “Yes.” “How?” “Standard infiltration techniques, one and seven.” “Ahh… Okay then.” He turns to his daughter. “How?” She smirks. “Her friend Candy Stripes taught me a few spells.” She looks at Sweetie Drops. “The scrying shield, the one-way-wall, and the perception filter.” Sweetie drops raises an eyebrow in return. “You’re forgetting the security spoof.” She snorts. “She handled that one, if you remember correctly. It’s too big for me.” “Security spoof?” Silent Shout asks. Purple Acorn nods. “It makes us completely invisible to security spells… I expect it’ll wear off soon.” The two stallions look at each other. Keen Sight nods. Silent Shout turns back to the two mares. “Then when this is over,” he indicates the abandoned report, “we’ve got a mission for you two. And Candy Stripes, if she’s willing to accept Outside Agent status.” “Two?” Purple Acorn asks. He nods. “Yes, Field Agent Hidden Light.” She blinks twice- and one could almost see the elation building up inside her. “Thank you, Sir!” She managed to contain it, mostly. All three turn at the sound of Keen Sight’s cleared throat. He raises an eyebrow at the other stallion. Silent Shout shudders slightly. “She’s applied for it every month for longer than I care to count- and security spoofing or not, sneaking into our own base undetected is an amazing feat.” He considers for a second, and finally nods. “Approved.”