//------------------------------// // Chapter 10 // Story: Burning Rubber And Flying Lead // by Gearsmash King //------------------------------// "Have you lost your mind?!" Fuse seethed, almost spitting his words in Sunset's face. All the girls were now at Fuse's hideout, processing the news that Sunset, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack had brought back to them. Of course, it wasn't taken well. However, Fuse was upset for other reasons. "What else was I supposed to do, Fuse?" Sunset retorted, the two of them glaring at one another, "Just stand there and watch LEGION ride off with my friend?" "First you steal from them, then you attack them..." Fuse said, before pointing toward the garage where the other girls were sitting, "And now you've invited these strangers into my place, without a second thought. For all you know, they could've been followed here and LEGION could be sending a Predator drone this way!" "Now you are sounding like the idiot! First of all, LEGION doesn't have Predator drones. The fact that you think they would have those, just makes you seem like some paranoid moron. Second, LEGION doesn't know that you're alive or that they are with me. So, even if they were using any form of surveillance, to LEGION, they'd just be regular civilians." "But, they are regular civilians and you dragged them into this! Not to mention, you, the cowgirl, and the rainbow chick all chased and shot at them. So, it won't take long for them to put the pieces together." Walking up to them, almost undetected, Rainbow Dash joined into the conversation. "Civilians we might be," She said, poking Fuse with an invading index finger, "but we'd go to Hell and back for a sister. We've dealt with things worse than some shady corporate fat ass morons. And don't call me a chick, I hate that." "Whatever, sweetheart. Clearly you don't know what you're dealing with..." Fuse replied, turning around and taking a seat at his computer screens, "Or, who you're planning on going against." Tapping several keys, various files appeared on the monitors. But, two were selected and opened. The first contained information on Saber. "This is Saber Legion." Fuse explained, putting on his glasses and scrolling through the pages, "Her father, Swift Legion, is the CEO and owner of LEGION Technologies, while her twin brother, Blade Legion, is his right-hand man and successor. Originally, both siblings were supposed to take over, but Saber had different ideas for the company, than what her father and brother had. Often, they were ideas that many disagreed with heavily." "So?" Rainbow questioned, unconvinced and unconcerned by what she heard, "Why should we be worried? She sounds like a rich idealist with no drive." "No drive? She's got more than drive, she's got training and the knowledge to use it. And acts on her ideas, rather than just sit around and talk about them." Rainbow held her expression, but even Fuse could see the hesitation and curiosity in her face. "Saber and Blade were enrolled into a private school when they were fourteen years old and put through various courses." Fuse continued, scrolling to the next page, "However, Saber was the only one of the twins that really showed interest in physical activities and was at the top of her class in jujitsu, fencing, and archery. Blade, however, was more interested in business related subjects. Saber graduated with the highest marks when she was nineteen and joined the military, where she met Ground Zero in a special task force after proving her skills. Even learning more deadly ones. From her record, she was an excellent fighter. But, she was court-marshaled and dishonorably discharged for knocking out her CO." "Any idea why she did?" Sunset asked, scanning the pages. "No. After that, she just went home and started working for the company. The records surrounding the incident have been either locked away or erased." "Who's Ground Zero?" Rainbow asked, leaning in closer. By this time, the other girls had joined them and were listening and reading the various facts about the pair. "Ground Zero's story isn't a great one." Fuse replied, closing Saber's file and opening Zero's, "His mother was killed by his father in a domestic dispute when Zero was seven. Obviously, that lead to his father being arrested and leaving Zero to child services, since he had no other relatives to look after him. He was placed in foster care, but was labeled as a 'troubled child' because he'd act out his emotions. Often, anger. As he got older, Zero fell into a life on the streets. One day, he got into a fight with several people, killing three of them and injuring two others. Leading to his own arrest. However, while he was in prison, he was offered a chance to earn his freedom... By joining a special task force..." Fuse paused as he let the words sink into the girls minds. Clearly, these two people were far more dangerous than they initially figured. "Obviously, the same task force as Saber." Applejack stated, crossing her arms as she looked at Zero's prison mugshot, "But, this still don't answer why they took Twilight?" "Maybe they plan on using her to lure us out?" Rainbow added, looking over at Sunset, "What are the odds of us making a fair trade? We give them what they want and we get Twilight?" Sunset stared into the eyes of Saber's picture, seeing the dark voids of her pupils trying to burn a hole into the redhead's thoughts. "Saber isn't much of a trader." Fuse answered for Sunset, closing the files, "She's more of an 'all sales are final and no witnesses to ask questions' kind of person." Being pulled from her glaring contest with Saber's photo, Sunset stepped out of the monitor room and plopped down on the recliner from before. One by one, the others joined her, each looking more unsure of what needed to happen. But, the sound of Rarity's voice broke the silence. "Do they know about our secret?" Rarity asked, gently grasping the geode that hung around her neck for emphasis. Sunset glanced down at the geode and noticed that it wasn't the deep purple color that she remembered. Instead, it was a shiny black, like somebody had dipped it in oil. Without realizing it, Sunset's hand felt around her neck, looking for her geode. However, it wasn't there and Rarity noticed. "Where's yours?" Rarity asked, making Sunset stop her search. Sunset looked around at the others, seeing the blackened geodes around their necks. "I gave mine away..." Sunset replied, suddenly feeling out of place. Applejack glared down at Sunset, standing tall and crossing her arms in disapproval. "These ain't just souvenirs that you give out freely, Sunset." The farmer stated, grasping her geode and holding it out, "They are dangerous and shouldn't be taken lightly by anyone who don't know how to use them." At that moment, Sunset stood up from her seat and narrowed her eyes at Applejack. "They're not dangerous if they don't work." Sunset replied, looking down at Applejack's geode and seeing a black crystal, "Does yours work, AJ? Or, is it just for decoration now?" Applejack reeled slightly at that, but she held her composure. "I didn't think so..." Sunset sighed, walking passed the cowgirl. "Who'd ya give it to?" Applejack asked, trying not to raise her voice, turning to watch Sunset. This, however, made Sunset stop and turned around to face the group, making her hesitate and almost lose her thoughts. But, she quickly recovered and looked around at the others, seeing the same question in their eyes. "We'd better get some rest, we're leaving tomorrow at noon." Sunset said, avoiding the question, "Plenty of time to get ourselves put together for the drive. And, to say your farewells."