//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: Rescue // Story: Bounty Hunters // by Jasper77W //------------------------------// Rainbow was given medicine and flash treatment, which would hold her wounds together and numb the pain however wouldn't do any real healing. She'll be a good girl and stay in bed after she kicks the arse of whoever did this to her in the first place. Right now she was driving, since it didn't involve many skills- just another traffic jam where all she had to do was steer and brake. Octavia was in the back, putting some mods in place for the car. After the incident with the helicopters, they finally decided to mount some rockets. Magnum was with her, thinking about what she could do with thirty thousand credits. Shining Armor was in the front passenger seat, tapping the window with a hoof, a worried expression on his face. "We'll get Twilight out of there. Everything'll be fine." Rainbow said. "That is one of my many concerns. But... I'm wondering what they want with Twilight. If my thoughts are correct, then we've got a big problem if she gives in. This won't just be simple annihilation anymore." Shining Armor said. "But we can still handle it, right? We've handled other things that seemed kinda impossible." Rainbow said, thinking back to their battles against Nightmare Moon, Discord, and the changelings. "We can handle it alright." Shining Armor said. "But I don't think the clean up will be easy." Rainbow was silent. Right now they had a really poorly thought out plan. They were just going to take whatever was thrown at them- this made her uncomfortable. Like they didn't even know where they were going- where this was going. "We just need to get one last pony- then we're ready." Shining Armor said. "I know who you're thinking." Rainbow said. "A good spell caster, taking his victims when they least expect it..." "...Iris." Rainbow finished for him. They were finally able to break away from the traffic and turn into a side street, heading for the airport. "I gave out an emergency order. He should be there by now." Shining Armor sighed. "Damnit... Just hang in there Twilight." * Twilight's back ached. It felt numb, with all the wounds on it. She could feel dripping of blood from the grooves in her back that were all cut by a whip, lashed into her by a masked stallion. They asked the same question again and again, and no matter how many droplets of tears and blood fell she never gave the answer- although, she doesn't know how long she could hold on. She was in total darkness again, being whipped just a few minutes ago. The surface wounds stung her, since her back was forced against the seat. Never give in. Right now, she is her biggest enemy. She must defeat herself, conquer herself and take control. Once she did, no one else will be able to get to her. No matter how they torture her... She'll decide what she does. Weak and powerless- true, but that didn't matter. Her heart was strong enough to hold against what is yet to come. Death won't defeat her. She'll defeat herself. * The airport was full of activity. The light-grey earth pony looked around, dragging his luggage behind him. It wasn't much, just a big near-empty bag. After all, the order he received was labeled 'emergency'. Didn't sound optional either. Iris finally spotted the white unicorn. "Shining Armor! What's this emergency? I had to rush over here all the way from Canterlot, you know..." he said, his luggage hitting a bump on the floor and making his voice uneven. "We need a spell caster. Twilight's been kidnapped." Shining Armor said. "Oh... That... You do know, what I use is mostly instinct, not magic?" Iris said. "Yeah, we know. And that's why it works best." Rainbow said. "So... You want me to kill some ponies?" Iris raised an eyebrow. "If necessary." Shining Armor said, not wanting Iris to feel uncomfortable with the mission. "Ah well. Since I'm already here." Iris sighed. They had all the equipment loaded- time to head to the warehouse again. Getting Iris was important, since the team didn't have any specialized magic ponies in it. There might be a spell in the warehouse that could cause some trouble, and only an especially skilled unicorn or a mutated earth pony like Iris could defuse it. "Buck." Shining Armor said as they neared a bridge. Crossing the bridge was required to get to the warehouse- and right now, it was crammed with traffic. "Welcome to Manehatten." Rainbow Dash said glumly. The suspension bridge hovered over a wide river that shimmered in the sunlight. There were gardens on either side, with hoofrails to prevent ponies from falling and drowning. "How the hay are we supposed to get there now? Damnit..." Shining Armor sighed. Hang in there, Twilight. "I know a short cut." Rainbow said. She was driving, since Octavia was mounting some extra equipment at the back. She jammed down the accelerator, twisting the steering wheel at the same time. Iris hit his head on the seat in front of him as the car rode through the garden, flattening gorgeously planted and carefully fixed flowers and plants. Thank goodness Fluttershy and Rarity weren’t here. The front end of the car hit the handrails, and crashed through. Shining Armor was still trying to catch up to what just happened- Rainbow just drove them off the side of the gardens, and now they were falling for the water. Water splashed around the car as they landed into the river. Surprised and shocked screams of ponies in the distance echoed down the river. "Buckle in everypony!" Rainbow said. Octavia, Iris and Magnum obediently followed. Only Shining Armor failed to comply. "So we could drown with the car?" he asked incredulously. "No. Just hurry up!" Rainbow looked out the window, judging the current. "I can't believe you're playing these random pranks NOW!" Shining Armor yelled, angry. "Oops. Too late." Rainbow said as she felt the first signs of water flooding into the bottom of the car. Flicking a switch on the side of the steering wheel, she took in a deep breath. Water rippled away from the car as a deep rumbling filled the air around them. They all felt their hair lift, and the next thing Shining Armor knew the world outside the car was spinning to his left. He was thrown into a state of weightlessness and utter confusion. He felt his flank leave the seat as the world flipped upside down, and his head cracked painfully against the ceiling. The temporary weightless sensation left, and he felt gravity tug at him from the roof. Before he could express himself by saying 'What the hay?', there was a crash and he was thrown completely onto the bottom of the roof. "Told you." Rainbow said, her hair standing on end, her hat miraculously still on. "What the hay?" Shining Armor finally got the chance to say that. "Gravity inversion. Was experimental and untested, but looks like it worked pretty well." Octavia said from the back passenger seat, her seatbelt keeping her in her seat. "Damnit Octavia! You're supposed to test everything before we have to use it!" Rainbow complained, thinking about what might have happened to them should the gravity inversion malfunctioned. Possibilities include being torn to shreds. "It's like that stupid microphone all over again!" "Hey, you never flew a helicopter before and you coped fine the first time." came the reply. Rainbow growled, not being able to think of anything that would win her the argument. She simply stomped on the accelerator, driving the car upside down underneath the bridge, bypassing all the traffic without anypony knowing it. Well, except for whoever saw the car crash into the water, then magically fly up to the bridge. "I would appreciate a little help." Shining Armor said, his head uncomfortably squished against the ceiling. "Nothing I can do at this point." Rainbow said, and Iris sighed in relief. He was glad he trusted the blue pegasus, for the time being anyway. "What's your plan for getting back on land?" Shining Armor pointed ahead- the bridge approached an end, and what awaits them ahead was a solid concrete wall. Rainbow was silent for a moment or two. "I... Uh, don't have one." "And yet you lecture me about not thinking ahead." Octavia sighed. "You said that you could change the direction of gravity on this car into any direction, right?" Rainbow asked, her hoof still jammed on the accelerator. "Yeah. Just turn and adjust those two knobs there..." Octavia reached over and pointed at two knobs by the steering wheel, under the switch. "Just adjust them, flick the switch, and you're done. And right now I think I regret telling you that." "Shining Armor... Might wanna try to get back in your seat and buckle in." Rainbow said, her eyes narrowing in concentration. "Shuck." Octavia quickly leant back and pressed herself as far into her seat as possible. Iris didn't know what to do, so just grabbed hold of the door handle just in case it calls for a bail-out. Magnum was whooping like a crazy pony, waving her hooves in the air. Rainbow turned the knobs, then flicked the switch. "Here goes-" she called as they were thrown into that weightless state again. The car's wheels left the belly of the bridge, the entire car flipping through the air. It landed wheels down on the concrete wall that was in their way earlier with a crash. "Excellent job on the suspension." Rainbow complemented Octavia. "Thanks." she replied. Rainbow stomped on the accelerator again, adjusting the knobs. They were speeding straight for the sky. "Oh buck." Iris was about to simply leap out. The wheels ground over the hoofrails, knocking them down in the normal gravitational direction. Ponies screamed and jumped out of the way as Rainbow flicked the switch again, landing the car in a bush- back to normal gravity. "Oi!" an angry police officer yelled at them from a nearby street. Shining Armor simply waved him off. "An emergency, officer." Shining Armor said dismissively. He then turned to Rainbow Dash. "Drive?" Rainbow nodded, recovering from what she just managed to pull off. "You'll need a new paint job." Iris poked his head out the window and looked down at the outside of the door. Branches and leaves had scratched the hay out of the paint. "Naaaah, really?" Rainbow asked sarcastically, eyeing the GPS. "Uh... What's the plan again?" Magnum asked. "First Shining Armor already rented an apartment block high up so you can snipe from there- it's near the warehouse and you'll be able to see everything. We can call you in if we need to and you'll be there in a moment's notice. The rest of us? Well... We'll just sneak our way through the damn thing with you taking out anyone that tries to escape through the other side." Octavia said. "Huh. Not very complicated." Magnum said. "No." Octavia admitted. "We're at the apartment block. We'll all have to proceed on hoof from this point on- they probably know the black car by now." Rainbow said, getting out and slamming the door shut. "Here's the key to the apartment and a mic. Don't ever turn it off." Shining Armor handed Magnum a small package while she got a suspiciously long bag out of the car. "Yeah, yeah. Room 2706. Twenty-seventh floor. Got it." Magnum took the package and slung the bag across her shoulder, heading across the road for the apartment. Octavia opened a small box, inside was a paper plane with a motor and some other equipment mounted on it. "Magnum. Mic working?" Octavia asked. "Yeah. All goods." came the reply. "I'm sending the eye in the sky. Your equipment should be in the apartment already." Octavia said, setting up the paper plane. "Found it." Magnum replied, followed by a soft click as she opened a metal case. "Can ya see me?" Octavia pointed the plane's camera at herself. "Yeah. Right up your nostrils." "Mmm." Octavia said, straightening the wings, then throwing it up into the air. "All yours." "In control." Magnum said, and the motors on the plane buzzed to life. It soared through the air, gaining height. Perfectly silent. Octavia had her pistol under her coat, and Rainbow had her cleaver in compact form in her pocket. Iris rubbed his eyes, while Shining Armor prepared defensive spells. "Can you see the purple unicorn yet?" Shining Armor asked. "Not yet. The place is heavily guarded though, so I think we hit the jack pot." Magnum replied. "Hmmm. This can't possibly be the only base of operations for them. But how come we didn't notice this place earlier?" Shining Armor asked himself. "There are multiple ways to keep it silent. Murder is one of them." Magnum said, making the paper plane bank left. “Bolt-actions always speak louder than words.” "Yeah, but surely our patrol helicopters would pick up a warehouse full of armed ponies?" "The barricades look recent. Think it's a new establishment- although I don't know how." Magnum said. "Right. We're going for the gate. Keep your eyes on the guards and set the plane to patrol." Rainbow said, galloping down the street. They parked the car away from the main battle zone so it wouldn't get blown up when they need a ride. Or a few rockets. After a quick walk through the streets, they got near the warehouse. Peering round the corner, the first thing Octavia noticed were the security cameras, unable to remain hidden from her trained eyes. "They've got cameras hidden at the warehouse. Magnum- can you take them out?" Octavia said. "Yep." Magnum said, followed by a series of clicks. "Cameras are off and... Looped. Done." Octavia could hear the grin in her voice. "They're using some really odd tech there. Never seen this before, but seen similar." over the years as a sniper Magnum had to deal with a variety of situations- and being good with guns doesn't mean she can't be good with other stuff too. They were all on the same radio channel, a box in the car constantly changing the frequency so no one could tune in. They advanced, sticking to the wall surrounding the actual warehouse. The solid fences towered over them, barbed wire at the very top. The concrete walls hid everything going on inside- and the material seemed relatively fresh, compared to the warehouse itself. Rainbow peered around the corner, then retracted when she saw two guard stallions, rifles in hoof and hidden from view of pedestrians. "Damnit. We'll have to take them out." Rainbow sighed. The guards were behind the concrete walls, and that means no-clear-shot for Magnum. "Are the streets clear?" Magnum asked suddenly. "Yeah. Shining Armor issued out a silent emergency evac order. Civilians should be out of the area. They're having casual police driving in the area in case they notice- Manehatten is often filled with ponies. So there'll still be a car or two on the streets, but they'll be ours." Rainbow said. "Good." Magnum said, followed by two thuds of the silencer. "Shuck! What are you doing? You'll blow our cover!" Rainbow hissed. "Wait for it..." Suddenly two spots on the concrete wall shattered, showering the streets with small bits of rubble. "Damnit Magnum!" Rainbow couldn't believe what she had done- but no alarm went off. "Area clear." Magnum said. Rainbow checked round the corner- the rounds had punctured the concrete wall and landed two head shots. She just gaped at it. "You've got a patrol squad coming in. Better clean up the mess." Magnum said, switching her ammunition to normal rounds instead of armor piercing. The rounds breached the concrete wall, and were only enough to go into the guards' skulls, not through- thus leaving no blood to wipe up. Just two dead bodies and two holes in the walls. "I have to learn to trust ponies." Rainbow said to herself, dragging a dead guard out of sight. "Patrol incoming. Three tangos." Magnum reported, the paper plane still in the air. "Shuck. They're around the corner." Octavia said, her back to the warehouse, the other ponies behind her, weapons ready. "Get ready to catch them." Magnum said. The guards came around the corner, their neutral faces turning into expressions of surprise as they spotted the blue pegasus with a disturbingly large blade. But before Rainbow could land a strike, all of them fell down with gun shot wounds in their heads- they went down so fast she couldn't even tell which one Magnum targeted first. She quickly tucked the cleaver away and caught the first guard, gently laying him down so there wouldn't be any noise. The other ponies moved in and did the same with the other guards. Not one drop of blood on the floor, as Magnum used weak rounds that wouldn't go through. Proceeding through the warehouse gates won't be possible, as they want to avoid detection for as long as they can. "Uh... Any ideas as to how to get to the roof?" Rainbow looked up, remembering the hole-filled roof. Iris and Shining Armor shook their heads. "I can get up there- I'll notify you if I find anything." Octavia said. "Then you can bust in." "Right. But how are you going to get up there?" Iris looked up at the ten-meter high straight wall. "Gimme a lift Rainbow?" Octavia asked. "Yup." Rainbow said, dug her hooves under Octavia's arms and threw her up. Octavia landed with a gentle and silent thud on the roof. "Keep in touch." She said, and moved out of sight. "The next patrol squad isn't due till five minutes." Magnum's voice came through the mic. "You can go check around the back." "Right, got it-" Rainbow said, starting to move along the wall for the back of the warehouse. "Wait, never mind. Found her. I found Twilight Sparkle." Magnum said.