Rain Noir closed the door gently behind him. “So what actually happened? Why did they choose now of all times to can you?”
Star shrugged. “Does it matter? They’ll can someone for just about anything these days. One moment I was happily doing my job, the next I was carrying a cardboard box out the building with an eviction notice in hoof.”
“Well, what’s done is done.” Rain Noir sighed. “What actually happened down there? Matterhorn’s report was pretty sparse.”
Star recounted the events of the last few days to her father, she spared no detail and explained every small detail she could remember with any amount of clarity. Her father’s face fell as he realized the situation she had been placed in and he felt a little guilty for not being there for her.
Finally, she got up to the point where they were whisked away and brought there, and with a sharp inhalation of air, she was finished with her little speech.
“I’m sorry you had to go through all that.”
“I’m a grown mare, not a little foal.” Star said, shaking her head. “I made my decision and now I’m paying the price.”
“Well, your new friends seem to like you at least.” Rain Noir pointed out. “It looks to me like you’re doing just fine without the high life.”
Star frowned. “Sometimes I doubt whether they like me for me, or if they’re like the stories say and are friendly because of what I can give them.”
“I will admit I have my doubts as well, but the next few days will reveal if their intentions are pure or not. Luna is a great judge of character and you can rely on her to make the right decision, that if you feel you’re unable to do it yourself.”
“Why? Do you two have something planned?”
“Nothing you need to worry yourself over. Be assured that we have this all well in hoof.”
Rain Noir walked to the door and opened it gently, and with a nod he let his daughter have a moment to herself, a moment she appreciated greatly after all that’d transpired.
Her room had a large bed set into one of the corners near what seemed to be a high definition vidscreen connected to a video feed from outside. It was a digital window of sorts, and had a rather spectacular view of the Canterlot mountainside.
The lack of sleep and the stress of the day’s events started to take their toll on her, both physically and mentally, and she flopped down on the large, soft, and clean bed, and almost as soon as her head met the pillow, she fell into a deep sleep.
Matterhorn felt a bright light being shone into his eyes the moment he awoke in the facility’s medical office. An iridescent crystal mare stood before him, inspecting him up and down with a certain level of interest.
“Your new Cyberware suite should be ready for use now, Matterhorn. Just take it easy while the painkillers kick in.” the mare cooed. “I’m proud of my work but you need to tell me if something feels wrong!”
“Prism, It’s fine. I’d have thought my magical prowess would be enough for the job, but the extra tactical options are appreciated.”
Quartz Prism was an iridescent orange and pink crystal mare, a very rare sight in this day and age and her skills in medical matters were unmatched. She wasn’t difficult to get along with, but her love for cybernetics, and those with them, was almost unnerving at times.
“You’d be surprised just how many ponies out there use both, Matterhorn.” Prism pointed out. “Besides, the boss wants you and the other agents to be prepared. Do me a favor and run a system diagnostic.”
Matterhorn grumbled and complied. Multiple windows opened in his vision detailing the condition of his rather well thought out collection of cyberware. a reactive sub-dermal weave, reinforced bones, comprehensive scanning and perception optics, and a personal neural link complete with an implanted computer system.
It couldn’t compare to his new compatriots and their gear, but he’d at least be able to pop open an electronic lock, or blackout a camera. Cheap parlor tricks next to what a real runner could do, but he wasn’t exactly willing to go under the knife again any time soon.
“This neural link in the back of my neck… What’s it for? What makes it any different from the one in my hoof?”
“It’s to interface with a new set of armor we’re currently putting together. We’re still working out the details, but I think you’ll love it when it’s done.” Prism said proudly. “By the time you’ve recovered from the surgery, it’ll be ready!”
“And this wont affect my magic usage at all?” Matterhorn inquired as the diagnostic completed, showing an all clear message.
Prism shook her head. “It shouldn’t. Look, you’re well below the ratio of flesh to machine were it’d make a difference, and we made extra sure you’d get the best of both worlds.”
“Thanks, Prism, You’re the best doctor anyone could ask for.”
“Just remember to stay safe, I’d hate for all my work to go to waste.”
“Was it the right thing to do? You know, not helping Bulwark and Scarlet as they were being hauled away?” Access worried. His head started to throb again, as it often did when the stress started to get to him, stress that the medication he took on an almost hourly basis was supposed to suppress.
“All you would have succeeded in doing is having a new set of holes knocked into you, not a good look. I don’t think Matterhorn, even with all his bravado and supposed skill, could have prevented that if he’d arrived sooner.” Sheet Rock soothed.
“Was it worth it?” Access said accusingly. “I mean, was it worth pursuing this and not just throwing it out, like we should have done?”
“I don’t know what you’re implying, but I hope you aren’t laying the blame at my door. Blame that pony who took our friends, blame Chilled Coffee for fucking us, blame Darkspace for turning Grand Gala against us.”
“Don’t mention that traitorous scum’s name. Regardless of what he thought would happen, he still shouldn’t have sold us out.”
“Access, do you really expect him to choose us over his own family? I hate to say it, but he made the right choice for himself and his family.” Sheet Rock scolded. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m angry too, but it’s a choice we should have expected him to make eventually.”
Access shook his head with a huff. “A fair point, but even he must realize that once other runners find out what he did, he’ll end up with shop full of fried equipment.”
“Do you really think we’re that petty?” Sheet Rock asked incredulously. “Besides, how would they know?”
Access gave her a smug grin, knowing full well that she had engaged in such an act at least once in her career. In their world, if you betrayed your crew’s or your neighborhood’s trust, an appropriate punishment would be dispensed.
“Point taken.”
“Director, I must simply-” Lucky began
“No.” Luna responded, laying her metallic hooves on her dark glass desk. “Matterhorn will be deployed as planned. Our guests will provide support from the net while you two will take care of things on the ground.”
“You are aware they wont accept your explanation, right?” Lucky pointed out. “They’ll want to go in guns blazing to get their friends back.”
Luna sighed, then she sat up in her seat, weary eyed. “I know, which is why I want to keep them as far away from any trouble as possible, lest they squander their chances.”
“We have the data they stole, we now have a better understanding of what our enemies are up to. What more could they offer us?”
Luna looked a little shocked at Lucky’s lack of empathy. “We… no, I made a promise in exchange for information, I must uphold my end of the bargain.”
“And what then? They’ll leave with their rewards in hoof and not look back, they’re mercenaries, not loyal followers of yours.” Lucky pointed out. “They wont give two bucks about us when they’ve got what they came for.”
“Leave. Now.” Luna snarled, her face the picture of restrained anger.
Lucky complied and left in barely contained fury. She couldn’t afford to let her personal feelings on the matter cloud her judgment when the time came to take action, so once she entered the hallway, she took several deep breaths to calm herself.
She’d never spoken out like that before, and while she believed she was right, Luna clearly saw something in the two runners she didn’t.