//------------------------------// // VOLUME FINALE - Chapter 11 - Hard Choices // Story: The Equestrian Odyssey - A Tale of Two Worlds // by Kamahido //------------------------------// A week or so later Mio sits on the couch in her shared apartment as the sun goes down. Her cell phone rings. Holding it up she looks to Stingray. “Unknown number.” Stingray nods soberly as she mutes the television. “Answer it.” Mio nods. Turning up the volume to maximum she takes a deep breath and presses the green button. “H-hello?” Arc’s voice rings out. “It’s me. Are you alone?” “Yes.” “We need to meet up to discuss Hammer.” “W-when?” “Tonight at midnight.” She looks to Stingray. Nodding, the young woman begins texting as Mio continues. “Alright. I’ll be outside as before. But can we please go somewhere else this time?” “Another restaurant?” “I was thinking somewhere a bit more… open. That place you take me to makes me feel claustrophobic.” “What did you have in mind?” “There’s an old roadside park just outside town to the north. Can we meet there?” “Sure. Would you like me to bring something to eat though?” “No, thank you.” “Alright. But like I said, be there at midnight. And while I doubt I need to remind you… come alone.” Mio grimaces. “I will.” The line is severed as Arc disconnects. Mio sets her phone down on the couch next to her as Stingray continues typing. “Some guys will meet us there.” “How many?” Stingray grins. “Quite a few. They’ll stay hidden until you give the signal though.” “M-me?!” Stingray nods as she puts down her phone. “Yes. Arc will be expecting you and only you. And that belief will be his undoing.” “What about Hammer?” “She doesn’t need to know.” “No, I mean what if she stops by this evening before we head out? We’d have a hard time explaining us leaving at so late an hour.” “Unlikely, but certainly possible. But I have a plan for that.” Pressing a few buttons on her phone, Stingray puts it to her ear as it rings. A few moments later Hammer answers. “What’s up?” “I just called to see if you were still at the base.” “Yup. I’m overhauling the Charger. Why do you ask?” “Just wanted to see if you were going to be ready for tomorrow.” Hammer sounds confused. “Why? What happens tomorrow?” “The general’s exhibition, of course.” “…what?” “You know. General Mustang wanted to personally see the Charger put through its paces.” “And that’s… tomorrow?” Stingray groans. “Yes! Didn’t you hear me mention it days ago?!” “Guess my mind was elsewhere.” “Well, is your vehicle ready?” “Pretty much.” “Did you take care of that knock?” “What knock?” “The one I told you about the other day!” Hammer gasps. “No, I didn’t!” “You’d better get on that right away then. General Mustang will want everything in perfect order tomorrow.” “Don’t worry! I’ll make sure it is even if I have to work all night!” “Do you want Mio and I to help?” Hammer scoffs. “Nah. You two would just be in the way.” “Alright. Good luck, Hammer.” “See ya tomorrow.” Disconnecting, Stingray turns to Mio smugly. “And that’s how it’s done.” Mio giggles. “She’ll be looking for that knock all night too. Where was it anyways? The engine?” Stingray shrugs. “I dunno. Engine, transmission, exhaust system. You know I don’t understand vehicles.” “You mean…?” Stingray grins. “I made it all up. Now we can be sure that Hammer won’t show up unexpectedly.” “At least she’ll be ready for the general tomorrow.” “About that. It’s actually next week Tuesday.” “Perfect! When she questions it you can just say you got your wires crossed on the date!” Stingray stands up. “Exactly.” Meanwhile, Hammer removes her headphones and lays them on her workbench. “So Arc really is back in town. He must want to make sure Stingray and Mio are forced to accept him before coming to me. Smart move on his part.” Walking over to the toolbox, she pats it lovingly. “But it sounds like my sisters have a plan to chase him off tonight. Well… we won’t let them do that, will we?” Looking at the clock, she grins wickedly. “Guess I’d better get ready too.” Across town, Arc sets his phone down as his family looks on nervously. Sereb growls. “This is certainly a trap, Arc!” “I know.” Scootaloo raises an eyebrow. “Then why did you agree to it, Big Brother?!” “Because we can take Stingray and Mio.” Sereb growls. “That we can. However it is likely their antics will be formidable.” Derpy grimaces. “You should really skip this meeting, Arc.” Cherry calls out to them. “Right! Who knows what could happen out there!” Arc shakes his head. “No. I owe it to Hammer to see that this is made right.” “At least come up with a plan, dad!” “Oh, I’ve already done that, sweetheart. Here it is…” Sometime later Mio sits at a picnic table on the edge of the roadside park. The light from the streetlamps dimly illuminates the entire area. Hearing the crunch of leaves underfoot Mio turns to look. She spots Arc walking toward her from the direction of the road. He looks at his watch momentarily before turning his attention back to Mio. “Looks like I’m right on time.” “I suppose you are.” “May I sit down?” Mio nods and Arc sits across from her as he begins to speak. “From my end, it appears Hammer’s doing very well. Is that your opinion as well?” “Yes, she’s much more… personable now. Pretty much back to normal as far as I can tell.” “Good. It’s like you said though. She deserves better. “ Mio appears confused. “What are you saying?” “I meant it when I admitted to that back at the library.” “Among other things, yes.” “Now that I’ve held up my end of the bargain, I expect you to do the same.” “Huh?” “You still want those pictures, and the negatives, right?” Mio nods fervently. “Of course! But there are still a lot of things I can’t say!” “Right.” “Tell me something, what’s you part in all of this?” “Making the world a better place.” Mio scoffs. “Really?” “Actually, yes.” “Elaborate.” “What the military is doing at Damocles Base can’t be allowed to continue.” Mio rolls her eyes. “And you think you know better than we do?” “Maybe.” “Tell me, what IS wrong with what we’re doing?” Arc counts on his fingers. “Kidnapping, wrongful imprisonment, and human experimentation for starters.” “What the heck are you TALKING about?!” “The Organization did that and more to the Shards they captured.” “No, we didn’t!” Arc frowns. “Really? Then what happened after Diva and your sisters took them?” Mio looks away. “I… I don’t know.” Arc clenches a fist. “You don’t know?” “We were ordered to forget it!” “And that makes it okay?!” “I’m a soldier whom follows orders! Like Stingray and Hammer, we do what needs to be done!” “And if your orders were to jump off a bridge, would you do it?!” “If it would help the objective, yes!” Arc shakes his head. “You really don’t get it, do you?” “Get what?!” “What General Mustang is trying to do!” “Make the world a better place! What else?!” “Why would that require a bio-lab?” “Cellular research!” “Is that what you were told?” “Yes!” “But you’ve never actually seen inside the lab, right?” Mio shakes her head. “Only researchers approved by… the person in charge are allowed in there.” Arc grins. “Only Rieper, eh?” “How do you…?!” She stops talking. Arc nods and continues. “The Shards were kept in there for some time.” Mio scoffs. “Ha! You expect me to believe they LIVED in the lab?!” “In containment tubes, yes.” “For what purpose?” “That’s for you to find out.” “You know, I don’t believe a word you’ve said.” Arc frowns. “Really? Then why are you still listening?” “I don’t have a choice.” “Yes, you do. Simply get up and walk away.” “But then you’ll expose my dirty laundry!” “All the while I’m talking about The Organization’s dirt. Do you want me to stop?” “No.” “Fine. Then tell me… what was in that vault?” “What vault?” Arc groans. “The one guarded by a LOT of soldiers.” “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” “Oh, I think you do. But let me guess… you were ordered to forget its existence.” “Maybe.” “I’ll accept that, so I’ll tell you. Inside was a creature taken from a faraway land to act as the source of The Organization’s magic.” “That’s preposterous!” “You’re a woman of science, Mio. Tell me this… energy cannot be created nor destroyed, right?” Mio nods. “Correct. That’s the Law of Conservation of Energy. It can only be converted from one form to another.” “So where did your magical powers come from?” “From the Procedure I would imagine.” “And you think that came from what? Electricity?” “…perhaps.” “It was siphoned off that creature!” Mio shakes her head. “There’s no technology that would allow for such a thing!” “Oh? And I suppose what Hammer did to Bloodletter didn’t happen either?” “I have no idea what you’re… it can’t have been…” Mio puts a hand to her forehead weakly as she continues. “You can’t have… you’re lying! That has to be the solution! You’re trying to confuse and trick me! Well, so much for that!” Standing, Mio turns and looks off to one side. From the foliage all around them steps Stingray along with several dozen Riders. Each of them brandishes a melee weapon and a wicked grin. Arc frowns and looks around before turning his gaze back to Mio. “So that’s your response to things, eh? Silence anyone whom says something you don’t agree with?” Stingray frowns. “No. But we can’t have you spewing this nonsense everywhere. If the media picked it up, we’d have conspiracy theories flying everywhere.” Mio nods fervently. “Your lies need to be silenced.” Arc points a finger. “Everything I’ve told you is the absolute truth, Mio. Ask Stingray about it.” Mio sighs. “Fine. Stingray, tell Arc here that he’s nothing but a liar and a cheat.” “I… can’t.” “What do you…?” “Some of what he said could be true.” “Which parts?!” Stingray sighs. “Pretty much all of it.” “Huh?!” “Remember, I’m in charge of the day to day supplies over there. What Arc said is completely plausible from a logistics standpoint.” Mio gasps. “But… but we’re trying to make the world a better…!” Stingray interrupts her. “You have to look at the big picture, Mio! We’re not talking about the individual here, but the entire world’s future!” “Wha-what are you talking about?!” “It’s not important. All that matters is that you trust our commanding officer to make the right choices. Now then… do you?” Arc frowns. “You sure you want to follow a man who justifies kidnapping, wrongful imprisonment, and attempted murder?” Mio gasps. “Murder?!” Arc nods. “The Shards in that mine. Diva was going to kill them to cover it up.” He turns to Stingray. “Am I wrong?” “You’re in no position to…!” Mio grimaces. “Stingray? Tell me that isn’t true!” “It’s… complicated.” “Explain it to me then!” “The Shards are nothing more than tools to be used to their fullest ability. Something to be discarded when no longer useful.” Mio gasps. “But… but they’re PEOPLE!” A voice rings out behind them. “Yeah. They more or less are.” Turning, they see Hammer walking toward them. Stingray is the first to speak. “H-Hammer?! What are you…?!” “Just wanted to join the party. You know… the one you forgot to invite me to.” “We just… you see… this isn’t what it looks like.” “Really, Stingray? Because it looks like you’re planning to do something awfully bad to my boyfriend over there. How you holding up, Arc?” “Okay, for now.” Mio turns to her sister. “Hammer, listen to me! Arc isn’t who he claims to be!” “He isn’t?” “No! He blackmailed me into helping him!” “You helped him do what now?” “Arc wanted me to… um…” “Help him and I reconnect?” Arc nods sadly. “Not exactly. There’s a bit more to it than that, but…” Stingray looks nervous. “Hammer, you have to trust me on this one! Arc’s the enemy here! Help us take him in!” Hammer grins. “Oh, I’m planning to help all right.” Reaching into her pocket, Hammer pulls out a strange device. Pressing a few buttons and turning some knobs she looks back up to the group. “In a few minutes all you Riders are going to be running for your lives. I suggest you start now.” Stingray grimaces. “No! Stay and help us take this guy in!” Arc turns to her. “Are you sure there isn’t anything I can do or say to make you change your mind, Stingray?” “Nothing.” “Fine.” Arc makes a motion with his hand. Scootaloo jumps out of the foliage and runs over to him in her Crimson form as does Derpy. She sports her Templar Armor as well as the Spear of Devotion as Arc turns back to the group before him. “You see, you’re not the only one with backup, Stingray.” “We still outnumber you over ten to one though.” Hammer walks over to Arc and takes his arm as she looks to her sisters. “How about now?!” Mio gasps. “Hammer? What are you DOING?!” Stingray frowns. “Yeah! Get over here!” Hammer shakes her head. “No, Stingray! There’s been a lot of shady things going on back at Damocles Base! That and there’s no answers in sight!” “We don’t need answers! We need to follow orders!” “That’s not good enough for me anymore! So if you want to try and take Arc, you’ll have to go through his friends AND me!” Mio stammers. “Hammer… don’t make us do this!” Stingray nods. “It doesn’t have to be this way. Just come back over here and we’ll forget the whole thing.” “No.” Stingray sighs. “Fine. We’ll take you and him back to base.” She turns to The Riders. “Incapacitate Hammer and the man. Kill the other two.” Grinning, the thugs walk toward them as Hammer turns to Arc. “Glad to see you again.” “You too, Hammer. But this isn’t looking the best.” “Knowing you, there’s something else up your sleeve.” “Kinda.” Hammer soberly pulls her gun and turns to the horde before them. “Better play that trump card quick then.” “Agreed.” Holding out an arm, Arc points to the ground next to him. A loud roar rings out as the sound of feet running toward them at high speed can be heard. Sereb, in his true form, charges to stand next to Arc with Eidolon’s Ward on his back. Stingray and Mio gasp. “H-him again?!” “I thought he was gone for good this time!” The armor dismounts and looks to Derpy. She tosses her spear to them. Looking over the group of wary bikers before pointing it at them menacingly. Arc turns to Hammer. “How are the odds now?” “Much improved!” Mio steps back. “Stingray?!” “Stick to the plan! We need to get Hammer some help!” She points to Arc as she looks to the Riders. “Get started already!” They look at Arc’s group fearfully. Eidolon’s Ward continues to threaten them by taking a single step forward. In turn they step back as well. “Come on, you cowards! I’ll fight with you!” Appearing to restore their confidence, the Riders again advance on Arc and his friends. Suddenly they hear the roar of an engine. The Riders grin in anticipation as Stingray calls out. “Sounds like our reinforcements are here.” A few moments later two bright headlights break through the darkness as a large armored vehicle screeches to a stop next to Hammer. Mio gasps. “Is… is that…?” Hammer nods. “Yup. The Charger II! Working as intended along with the remote control functions. Watch!” Pushing a few buttons, the main cannon swings around and points at their assailants. As it does so the Riders turn and flee into the foliage. Stingray calls out after them angrily. “Get back here! We can take them!” Mio shudders. “Can we?” “WE HAVE TO!” Drawing her whip, Stingray charges forward. Before anyone can do or say anything Sereb lunges at her. Catching the woman in midair he slams her to the ground. She reaches into her jacket and pulls out a knife. However the wolf bites down hard on her forearm forcing her to drop it. Crying out in pain Stingray gasps for breath under the beast as Arc calls out to him. “Let her up, big guy.” Growling, Sereb does so. Mio runs up to her. “Stingray!” The young woman clutches her arm. “That crazy…! Help me up!” Mio gasps. “No, no! Stay down! You’re losing a lot of blood!” As she moves to tend her sister’s injuries, Stingray shoves her aside and charges at Arc. Suddenly a fist catches her squarely in the jaw. She falls back to the ground face down. Rolling over, Stingray looks up to her assailant. “H-Hammer… why…?” Hammer rubs her fist. “It just had to be done.” Kneeling down, she pats her sister’s cheek and smiles. “I’m sorry. Hopefully one day you can forgive me for this.” Winding up, she punches Stingray in the face again. The young woman loses consciousness as Hammer looks to Mio. “Now then… who’s side are you on?” Mio backs away. “I… um…” Arc puts a hand on Hammer’s shoulder, stopping her. “Let it go.” “LET IT GO?! After what she and Stingray did?!” “Yes. Don’t do something in anger that you’ll regret.” Seething, Hammer turns to Mio. “Just get her to a hospital. That is, if you’re still on her side.” “I… I’m sorry, Hammer. But Stingray is right. Our best chance of changing the world lies with the Organization.” “Fine. You do what you want. But I’m out.” Mio sighs and pulls a handkerchief from her pocket in an attempt to slow her sister’s bleeding. However, unbeknownst to Arc and his friends, Stingray slowly pulls the knife to herself with her magic. As it touches her hand she deftly wraps her fingers around the handle. Moving like lightning she flings it straight at Arc’s heart. Derpy screams. “LOOK OUT!!!” Throwing herself at Arc, Derpy pushes him aside. The blade lodges itself in his shoulder as Scootaloo rushes Stingray. With a swing of her small fist, she again knocks the woman out. Hammer helps Arc sit up. “Looks like you’re both going to the hospital.” “Nah. I’m fine.” Derpy gasps. “But your bleeding everywhere!” Scootaloo shrugs. “He can just heal himself though.” Hammer frowns. “What? How?” Arc chuckles. “I’ll show you.” Looking up at the moon, Arc winces as he transforms. Hammer gasps and takes a step back as Arc opens his now glowing red eyes. “What the…?!” Arc points to his arm. “The bleeding’s already stopped.” Derpy looks him over. “Are you in pain now, Arc?” “Nah. It just stings a bit when a wound closes, that’s all.” Mio steps forward and looks over his cut shirt. She appears astonished. “Even the blood’s disappearing! How is this possible?!” Scootaloo grins. “He’s a Crimson, just like me.” Arc shrugs. “It’s kinda like a vampire… sorta. But we need to get out of here so Mio can get Stingray to a hospital.” Hammer turns to Mio. “How’d you get here?!” “A portal. I’ll get Stingray some help, of course. But I think she’ll want to see you and I together when she wakes up.” “That’s not happening. I’m leaving with Arc and his friends.” Mio grimaces as she points to Arc. “Even when he looks like… that?!” Hammer nods. “Yup.” Arc sighs. “Let’s go everyone.” Derpy points to Hammer. “But what about… her?” Everyone looks to Arc as he thinks for a moment. “Alright. You can come with me, Hammer. I have a lot of hard to believe things to tell you anyways.” Hammer grabs his arm as Mio opens a portal and drags Stingray through it. “They can’t be THAT bad. You know… considering what I already know.” Arc sighs. “Trust me. Some of these stories are going to be out of this world.”