//------------------------------// // Chapter 13 - Thinking on your Feet // Story: The Equestrian Odyssey - A Tale of Two Worlds // by Kamahido //------------------------------// A few minutes later a portal opens in Mustang’s room and Diva steps out. She turns and glares at him. “What was so important it couldn’t wait until…?!” Mustang does not look up from his desk. “Arc is in the base.” Diva sighs. “Again? Why do you suppose he’s here this time?” “This is actually his fourth time.” Diva raises an eyebrow. “Come again?” Mustang shrugs. “He pops in and out occasionally.” “And you haven’t found any need to… oh, I don’t know… STOP HIM?!” Mustang chuckles. “No, Diva. There’s no reason in the world to restrict his access to Damocles Base.” Diva rolls her eyes. “Yes, of course. It’s not like he took out Frank’s Shards, The Riders, and is now trying to do the same to US!” “And he will most likely succeed. However the destruction of this base is not his ultimate goal.” Diva’s eyes grow wide. “The Secret!” Mustang nods. “Yes. Even now I believe he’s on his way to the vault.” “We have to notify Colonel Langrisser! He possesses one of the remaining keys!” “Not to worry, Diva. I sent the colonel on a courier trip early this morning. He won’t be back for a few days.” Diva breathes a sigh of relief. “So there’s no way the Hero can open the vault without my badge.” “Oh, I didn’t say that.” “What?! But… but I thought you took the access code from the platoon leader and gave it to me because…!” The general turns to Diva and smiles. “I just want to see how resourceful he can be.” Diva tosses her badge onto the desk. “You do what you want! I’m heading to the vault! Keep this away from him!” Mustang grabs her wrist. “No… you won’t.” “But…!” “You said it yourself. He can’t get in, right?” “That’s true. But like YOU said, he’s very resourceful. I know you think him to be very capable. Otherwise you wouldn’t have let this farce go on for so long.” Mustang chuckles. “You know me so well, Diva.” “Well, if you aren’t going to let me go after him, OR protect The Secret, what DID you want from me?” General Mustang grins at Diva. “You.” She blushes as he takes her in his arms. “But… but we can’t! Not when there’s an intruder in the base!” “Several, actually.” “Several!?” Mustang nods. “Arc brought his little band with him this time.” “He… did?” “Yes. But that’s of no consequence. After all… you’re with me now.” Diva nods as Mustang picks her up. “Let’s get you to bed, my dear. You’re positively asleep on your feet.” “But this is YOUR bed!” Mustang grins at her. “You know it’s not your first time in it.” Diva undoes the top button of her uniform as he gently lays her down. “I suppose not. But how about I show you what I’m really capable of this time?” Mustang chuckles as he slides into bed with her. “Now, now. You remember my promise to you.” Diva frowns. “Yes. You won’t breed me until the plan succeeds.” “That’s right.” “But I don’t understand why not!” Mustang smiles as he pulls her close. “Because, my dear… the best things in life are worth waiting for.” He presses his lips to Diva’s as she moans and wraps her arms around him. Pulling herself closer Diva presses her body to Mustang’s as they continue kissing. Meanwhile, Arc’s earring chirps. “Go ahead.” Max’s voice rings out. “Mission successful, sir.” “Everything in place in both locations?” Xenos chuckles. “Yes sir. We’re ready anytime.” “Excellent. We’ll meet back at the rendezvous point as soon as possible. Out.” He severs the connection and turns to the others. “Let’s get moving. Don’t want to be late now.” Auriel leads them back the way they came. Sometime later they arrive at the Maintenance Bay. She scans the general’s badge and the door slides open neatly. Walking inside they head for the Landmaster. It decloaks and they enter. A short time later Viktor calls out to Arc from his console. “Sir, Max and Xenos just arrived. “Good. Rose, decloak us when they get near. We need to compare notes before we start the next phase.” A few minutes later Max and Xenos enter the vehicle. “No problems, sir.” Xenos laughs. “We didn’t even see any guards.” Ember frowns. “That’s a bit strange.” Auriel turns to her. “Ember?” “For a base this big, there’s a real shortage of defenses.” Hugh shrugs. “Maybe they think that because the entrance is so heavily guarded…?” Arc sighs. “I’ve noticed that as well.” Sereb looks to him. “Arc?” “I too thought we’d meet heavy resistance when we first came here. Originally I thought it to simply be due to the fact I always came at night. But that just can’t be the reason.” Cherry calls out. “Why not, Arc?” “I wish I knew.” Auriel shudders. “Should we abort the mission?” Arc shakes his head. “We’ve come too far now. That and when Rieper and Mustang wake up, or are found, this place will probably turn into Fort Knox.” Sereb tilts his head to one side, clearly confused. “Um… what?” I mean that the security measures will go through the roof. We NEED to finish this tonight! Otherwise we won’t be able to get back in. He sighs before continuing. “Alright. Phase two. Max, Hugh, Viktor, and Xenos will stay here with the Landmaster while Ember, Rose, Auriel, Sereb, and myself head for that vault. Keep near the radio and be prepared to carry out my orders.” Max nods soberly. “Yes sir.” Arc takes a deep breath. “This is it. Uh… does anyone want to say anything?” The air is silent for a time. Eventually Sereb speaks. “Let us go rescue ourselves a princess.” Arc chuckles. “Good enough for me.” He opens the back door and steps out as the rest of his party follows. Xenos waves. “Good luck, everyone.” Hugh nods. “Call if you need reinforcements, sir.” Viktor gives a thumbs up. “Or anything else really.” Max salutes. “We know you can do it.” Arc nods and closes the door before turning to the others. “Okay… everyone understand the plan?” Ember grins. “Yeah. It’s pretty simple.” Sereb growls. “But should be highly effective.” Auriel shudders nervously. “Assuming we act natural, yes.” Arc nods. “In any case, let’s give it a go.” Ember clears her throat. “And in the off chance this doesn’t work?” “Then I suppose I’ll call for one of my pre-planned diversions so we can make a run for it.” Sereb sighs. “I was afraid of that.” They walk down the corridor together. As they near the curve that leads to their destination Arc decloaks. Ember frowns. “Um… what are you…?” “Trust me. Rose and Ember, you two stay cloaked.” Rose nods. “What should we do?” “Monitor the situation and be our aces in the hole.” Sereb growls. “In case something goes wrong?” “Think of Rose as ‘Plan B’ and Ember as ‘Plan C’. Failing that, my diversions can be ‘Plan D’.” Ember sighs. “Fine…” A few moments later Auriel rounds the bend with a robed and armored Arc. She approaches the commanding officer of the guards. “General Mustang is here to inspect the contents of this… vault, and make a deposit.” The leader of the squad salutes. “Yes, ma’am. Forgive us, but we were not aware of any scheduled inspections…” Auriel groans. “SCHEDULED?! What good would THAT do?!” “Ma’am?” Auriel rolls her eyes. “If you knew we were coming you’d have time to straighten up and make sure everything was in order.” Arc nods wordlessly as he holds up Mustang’s badge. Auriel continues. “Now then, we need to get inside and deposit a very special new addition to our stock.” She gestures to Sereb in her arms. The commander appears confused “A… dog, Colonel Diva?” “YES, YOU DOLT! Now stand aside!” “Very well, ma’am.” He nods to his soldiers whom move to allow Arc and Auriel access. Arc walks over to one of the card readers with General Mustang’s badge as Auriel readies Doctor Rieper’s. They insert their respective cards. Arc’s panel glows green and clicks. However Auriel’s flashes red. Frowning, she reinserts the card. Again it denies her entry. The commander walks over to her. “There must be something wrong with your card, Colonel…” He stops talking as he catches a glance at Rieper’s face on the badge. With one swift motion he grabs it to double check before motioning to his soldiers to surround them. “Colonel Diva, you seem to have Doctor Rieper’s badge. May I ask why?” “Oh, well… you see…” Suddenly Rose dashes past the soldiers to stand behind Arc. She calls forth her L-Blade and holds it to his back before shouting to the soldiers. “All of you back off! Unless you want your general to have a truck sized hole in him!” The commander looks around as his forces instinctively ready their weapons. “Everyone stand down!” Rose turns to Auriel. “We’ll take the general as a hostage and fall back to the…!” Auriel shakes her head. “Wait. I… I think I can get this door open.” “How?” “Let me try something.” Reaching into her pocket she pulls out her mother’s badge. Putting it in the slot a green light comes on and the door slowly opens. Rose turns to the commander. “You, come with us!” “I… very well.” Rose turns to the soldiers. “The rest of you, don’t try to follow us!” The commander nods angrily as Rose backs Arc through the door. Auriel follows them still carrying Sereb. She presses a button on a panel and the massive door swings shut behind them. Auriel turns to Rose, confused. “So why did we need another hostage?” Rose frowns coldly as she turns to the commander. “We don’t.” Without another word Rose lunges toward the man and buries her L-Blade in his chest. The commander falls the floor as his blood begins to spread in all directions. Arc gasps. “ROSE?! WHY?!” Rose shakes her head as she recalls her blade. “This man here isn’t a man at all.” Ember raise an eyebrow, confused. “What are you talking about?!” “He’s a machine like I am.” Sereb gasps. “What?!” Auriel looks at the commander’s body. “That… that’s impossible!” Rose gestures to the soldier lying next to her. “See for yourself.” Auriel steps forward. She opens the commander’s bloody shirt to reveal a strange sight around the wound. “This looks like an access panel!” Arc frowns. “Open it.” She attempts to do so, but fails. “The blow appears to have damaged it.” “Let me try.” Kneeling down Rose puts a finger inside the wound. A moment later she rips the panel from its mountings before standing up and stepping back. “There you go.” Auriel grimaces. “Um… thank you.” Peering inside, Auriel examines the innards for a few moments before turning to Arc. “It’s true. This really is nothing more than a machine.” Arc raises an eyebrow. “But mankind doesn’t have this level of technology.” Sereb growls. “It would appear you are mistaken, Arc.” Rose nods. “Not only that, but my sensors showed that all the soldiers with this one were also mechanical.” Ember bears her claws. “Good! Now we won’t have to worry about hurting anyone on the way out! Our getaway should be a piece of cake!” Arc shakes his head. “Not necessarily.” Sereb raises an eyebrow. “You are worried about property damage?” Auriel sighs. “Arc is right. Based on what I’ve seen in this bot, he should be more durable and stronger than a normal human. It’ll be an uphill battle getting out when we’re done here, as I’m sure those troops out there have called for backup by now.” Arc nods. “One thing at a time. For now let’s see if we can find the princess.” Ember points at the android. “Good idea. That just leaves the matter of what to do with this… thing.” Auriel stands up and turns to Arc. “I’d like to study it more back in Equestria. Could we take it with us?” Arc nods. “That’s probably for the best.” He reaches for his ring and pulls out a plastic bag. Ember looks confused. “You might need something a bit bigger to hold him, Arc.” “Just watch.” Raising a gauntlet, Arc casts the Matter Compacting Spell. The commander shrinks down until he is small enough to fit in the bag. Auriel carefully picks him up and slides him inside before handing the bag back to Arc. Sereb looks at the backside of the door as Arc stores the bag in his ring. “Now we can’t get out.” Rose points to a control panel. “We can indeed. There’s a release right over here next to two card readers. We’ll leave the same way we came in.” Arc grins. “Clever. On both counts, Rose.” Sereb turns to look at the dragon before him. “Indeed. Fortunately Ember was able to slip inside before the door shut.” Ember nods as she decloaks nearby. “Barely. Now what?” Arc points down the corridor. “Let’s start with the biggest door at the end.” “A good idea. Shall I lead the way?” Arc shakes his head. “Not this time, Auriel. The stealth part of this mission is over with, so I’ll take point.” Ember calls forth her spear. “I got your back, Arc.” Sereb growls. “Keep your eyes peeled for trouble.” They make their way down a long corridor. At the end are two doors. One normal sized and one double wide. Arc points a gauntlet at the large double doors. “She has to be in here.” Ember raises an eyebrow. “What makes you so sure?” Sereb turns to her. “It’s the only door large enough for a princess to easily fit through.” Rose nods. “Based on Princess Luna’s measurements that would be correct.” Arc looks to Rose. “Do your sensors detect anything dangerous on the other side?” “Sadly I can’t seem to scan anything beyond these walls. There’s some kind of interference similar to the Southern Temple back in Equestria.” Sereb narrows his eyes. “That should not be possible.” Arc shrugs. “Well, that’s mystery for another time. Let’s go.” Sliding his card into the single slot, a green light comes on and the doors slowly swing inward. However… none are prepared for the sight before them.