//------------------------------// // Chapter 73 - Alone // Story: The Freelancers // by OverHeart //------------------------------// The silence between Star, Matterhorn, and their support was disconcerting, even more so now that they’d missed their scheduled check-in several times despite promises to keep to the agreed upon schedule. Shadow Wing however, had been nothing short of completely co-operative, and responded to questions where possible with as professional an attitude as she could maintain with a firearm pointed at her head. She led them through a number of high security corridors lined with sensors, cameras, and all manner of warning signs written in the Bat Pony language. The first few times they’d been stopped by security were a nerve wracking experience, especially now that they’d graduated from taking questions from lazy rent-a-cop types to being stared down by power armored behemoths armed with auto-cannons that could cut them in half at a moments notice. It helped that Star insisted on wearing business casual attire wherever she went, and could talk down the ponies in veritable walking tanks with some corpo nonsense about being in a hurry before they could use them as target practice. “We’re coming up on the infirmary now, there will be a couple of doctors on duty there, they aren’t armed so there wont be any need to get violent.” Shadow Wing said. “I know you don’t really care, but try to exercise some restraint.” “You’re right, we don’t care.” Matterhorn shot back. “I don’t suppose you can read whats on these signs around here, Star?” “Warnings.” she stated. “Mostly about keeping ID on you at all times and to follow all relevant bio-security protocols in the labs.” “Thankfully, you wont be going near the labs.” “Who says?” “Them, the ones in powered armor.” Shadow Wing remarked, pointing over her shoulder. “Just last week we deployed them topside to deal with a crowd, which they dispersed without much effort, as you’d expect.” “I hope you realize that we aren’t here just to pick up a friend.” Matterhorn grunted. “We need access to your network.” It was abundantly obvious that Shadow Wing wasn’t going to help them break into GeneTech’s network without some level of persuasion, gentle or otherwise, but they didn’t strictly need it. Something clattered to the floor some distance down the corridor, followed by the longest chain of expletives ever conjured by mortal minds. Upon inspection, it looked like an aluminum medical tray, like the kind often found in medical centers and surgical theaters. This particular one looked like it’d gone through an industrial shredder, and if you looked carefully, appeared to have the outline of a stallion’s head beaten into it and a rather sizable bloodstain splattered onto the side. They didn’t have time to contemplate the particulars, as a figured barreled through the door and down the hallway, too fast to discern who it was, but a second figure who nearly took the door off its hinges as she burst through it was someone they did recognize. It was Phantom, sans Netrunner jumpsuit, but wearing a surgery gown. It didn’t take a genius to know that she must’ve woken up after Arcology medical staff were about to perform some kind of medical procedure, which didn’t seem to be sitting with her very well. With precision only found in the best of hoofball players, Phantom flung the remains of the surgical tray she’d used to beat another one of the doctors down the hall in a rage. “Where the hell were you two?” “Improvising.” Matterhorn retorted. “Just like you seem to be.” “Was it wise to let him go, the doctor I mean.” Star remarked. “For all we know he’s on his way to get security.” “He more than likely is.” Shadow Wing remarked from the doorway. “Not that I want to tell you ponies what to do, but you should take this conversation somewhere else.” “Gladly.” Phantom growled. “Move.” She shoved past Shadow Wing roughly, enough to push her into a desk just opposite the door, not enough to cause any injury, but enough to cause a small flash of anger, although it was short-lived. “So who the hell is she?” “I’m the entire reason they got here without being turned into a smear on the walls.” Shadow Wing retorted. “But I’m not leading you back out again, I held up my end of the bargain, so I’ll be taking my leave now.” Phantom grabbed her sidearm from the box of her belongings and pointed it at Shadow Wing, who didn’t seem bothered at all by that. “I’m threatened with things worse than a gunshot wound most days, so if that’s your idea of a threat, you’ll have to do better.” “I’d wager that it’d still suck to get shot.” Phantom remarked. “The first thing you’ll do is call security once you’re safe and cozy in a panic room, tell me I’m wrong, I dare you.” “You knocked out one doctor and let another escape, who then saw these two with me on his way to safety.” Shadow Wing chuckled. “What do you think is going to happen once he mentions that you more or less gave his colleague over there brain damage with two other unknowns walking about?” “Point taken, but you’re still not walking out of here.” “Access and Sheet Rock got ejected, by the way.” Matterhorn pointed out. “We’re not in the position to be dealing with security, so we’ll need her access.” Attention: Level Three Lockdown is in effect, hermetic seals engaged, containment confirmed. “A bio-hazard alert?” Shadow Wing remarked. “There wasn’t supposed to-” Phantom closed the gap between her and Shadow Wing with frightening speed, and pressed the barrel of her weapon against the mare’s forehead. It was clear from her heavy breathing and manic expression that she was not in the best of mindsets right now, especially now they were trapped. “What are you trying to pull?” “What are you talking about?” Shadow Wing stammered. “Has the anesthetic cooked your brain or something?” “You might’ve gotten the drop on these two but I wont fall for your nice act bullshit, you hear me?” “It’s a bio-hazard alert.” Matterhorn stated calmly. “That’s not the kind of thing someone just triggers on a whim, especially when that pony is trapped inside with us.” Phantom lowered her weapon. “I mean, that makes sense, but-” “I held up my end of the bargain.” Shadow Wing added. “If I’m going to be stuck in here with you all I’m going to attend to my colleague, the one your friend damn near killed.” “What’s that supposed to mean?” “Have you forgotten just how rough you were with the pair of us?” Shadow Wing remarked. “Besides, even if I wanted to run, I can’t. That alert means that this section has been sealed off from the other floors, nothing gets in or out.” Shadow Wing swiftly made her exit and ran off down the corridor, though without taking back some items of importance from Star’s possession. The sound of heavy boots on the metal floors of the corridor outside gave away that security were on the move. There was an unspoken hope among those still in the room that they weren’t out for them, but this time it was obvious that they were the intended target. Matterhorn nodded to the box on the table. “Might want to suit up before things get ugly, Phantom.” She nodded. Star overturned a particularly sturdy desk to use as cover, while Matterhorn opted to conjure up a barrier for himself. Phantom decided not to take cover and instead connect to one of the terminals in the room, much to the confusion of Star. “Is that really important right now?” “We came to do a job and I’m not leaving without something of value.” Phantom bellowed. “Throw me that ID, I need to find a proper floor plan.” “Face it, the jobs a bust!” “If our support had done their job we wouldn’t be in this mess!” Phantom didn’t get a chance to finish that thought, as a hail of gunfire perforated the walls, as if to draw their attention to the situation at hand. The assault ended shortly after it began, and all went quiet, apart from the ever present hum of the environmental control systems. It seemed to be the only source of noise to cut through the silence, and it sparked an idea in Phantom, just for the briefest of moments. “That was a warning shot, and the next will shred the lot of you.” a stern voice said. “You have ten minutes to decide if you want to leave in a body bag or not.” “Ten minutes is all I need.” Phantom remarked from the terminal. “Here’s the thing, we’re cut off from the Arcology at large now, but I can still exert some amount of control over doors and such.” “Ah yes, an auto-cannon's one weakness, a centimeter or two of glass and steel.” Star remarked. “Matterhorn, can’t you enchant the walls or something, to buy some time?” “Not in ten minutes.” he replied. “Besides, it’s one thing to block a single large projectile, but quite another to block hundreds of small ones.” Phantom had managed to pull a more complete map from one of the doctor’s terminals, which showed her a great deal more than the meager map she’d pieced together from the data Sheet Rock found, as well as what GeneTech was using as a bio-hazard control method. The containment structure surrounding the floor consisted of double-layered, plasteel armored, concrete and rebar partition panels, and the space between the layers could be pulled into a partial vacuum by the environmental control systems to slow the spread of any dangerous substances. Every seam, crack, gap, and cranny in every panel that consisted of the inner and outer partitions was carefully inspected and maintained so that nothing potentially harmful could spread beyond the floor, should an accident occur. “Phantom, are you done screwing around?” “I have an idea, something that you’re gonna be useful for, Matterhorn.” she replied with a smirk on her face. “Are there any demolition spells in your repertoire?” “Seven that I can think of off of the top of my head, why?” “I need you to cast one right here specifically.” Phantom remarked, pointing to a spot just over her head. “Aim for this vent grate, just let me get out the way first.” Matterhorn lit his horn and he loosed a flaming ball of charged magic into the spot Phantom had marked for him, just as a gaggle of armored guards barged into the room. The spell detonated into a sphere of destructive fury upon contact with the grate which ripped open a large hole in the wall, and it revealed an opening into a ventilation duct just large enough for a pony to jump down. A billowing cloud of dust and debris was kicked up from material caught in Matterhorn’s devastating spell as a side effect, lending them a makeshift smokescreen to conceal their escape. They didn’t dare waste a moment of this bombastic distraction, as in response to the ruckus every member of security present opened fire, firing wildly into the expanding cloud of dust to little effect. They’d need to mind the twisted and charred metal of the damaged ducting on their way down, but there wasn’t much time to consider safety, it was either that or capture. “Where to now?” “If I read the map right, we can crawl our way to where their air filtration systems are.” Phantom stated. “From there, we can make our escape through their water intake pipes, or if we’re particularly unlucky, the effluent discharge systems. “Wont they have shut off outside access to water too?” Star remarked. “I really hope I don’t have to crawl through a sewage pipe.” “Not that kind of effluent.” Matterhorn chuckled. “It’s where they discharge used industrial chemicals into rivers and such, course there aren’t many of those now so it mostly ends up in the groundwater.” “Besides, we might yet pull this job back from the brink.” Phantom added. “Client’s gonna be pissed if we don’t.” “Here’s hoping we find an abandoned lab!”