//------------------------------// // Falling apart at the seams // Story: The Conversion Bureau: Prisoners of War // by Codexwriter476 //------------------------------// Patterson and Mikey sat in the back of a Ford as rain poured down the Thruway, along with any fortunate enough to escape the fiasco that became the Syracuse Pocket. The numbers had dwindled from two thousand plus to barely six hundred fitting on a column of seven Ford trucks with trailers, Three RVs and two military humvees. People were sittings or standing everywhere, even on the roof of the RVs. Others had to walk or bike alongside. “So what do we do now?” “We make a run for Buffalo’s airport and escape.” Mikey replied, turning to the member who asked the question. “Then what Mikey? Keeping running? We lost all the arms and some of our best leaders in Syracuse, hell possibly in all of New York and New England combined. Look at us!” Patterson interjected, waving his arm amongst the retreating throb. Their clothes were torn, barely a quarter of them had their weapons, they were cold and sick from the rain and lack of warm clothing. Some were too shaken to continue on foot. The younger members and recruits wore the thousand yard stare as if they were GIs from Okinawa, seeing their world crumble around them with their sanity. “Your friend makes a point. We’re short on food, fresh water and everything shut down five years ago.” An elder member added. “You all should be a shamed of yourselves. Have you forgotten that our Revolutionary fore fathers faced this exact same thing, only to win in the end? How they fought back in Trenton and Princeton the same year?” A rather enthusiastic member proclaimed. A few murmured in agreement while the rest remained quiet. “Are you a fucking idiot? You saw what happened in Syracuse. They used our own guys; their prisoners, as conversion bombs! They didn’t exactly experience that in the War for Independence.” One member jumped off the truck and squatted on the median. He tossed his gun aside and faced towards Syracuse. “To hell with all of you, I’m staying right here.” He shouted back. Several others soon started to do the same and met up with him. Mikey and Patterson just watched as the numbers slowly dwindled once more. Patterson looked to Mikey and could tell he was determined to keep going. Mikey looked back to him. “I’m sorry Mikey, but he’s right.” Patterson said, tossing his gun into the wilderness and jumping out of the truck. “What about our plan? To escape to fight another day?” Mikey shouted back. Patterson didn’t look back as his shoes squashed on the wet median, towards the gathering deserters. “Fine, you fucking traitors! Go get converted! We’ll just kill all of you in the end!” He shouted in anger, flipping off the group as they slowly sank in the distance. The rain disguised his tears. ------------------------------------------------- Night had fallen, but the rain continued to pour down as the ambulance arrived in Syracuse. Kelly looked out to see bodies lying everywhere; both human and pony alike. Small fires littered intersections as she cautiously drove past guards and new foal conscripts. When she reached the Long Branch parks, a patrol stopped the vehicle. “State your business.” A guard asked, looking up at an angle to meet her eyes. “I’m a medic from Albany, along with my two assistants. We were to drive to the front at Rochester to aid the wounded there.” Kelly lied, pointing to Jackson and Toby poking their heads up from the back. “I’m afraid you’ll have to delay those orders. We could use all the medicals here.” The guard replied. “What happened?” Toby asked. “There was a Front stronghold just across the river and we sustained massive causalities. A small number of them escaped, but left their wounded or dying behind alongside ours. If you treat them before we ship them to Atlanta that would be great.” the guard explained. “Why Atlanta? Albany is a lot closer.” “The super bureau there was finished two days ago and her majesty has closed all the bureaus in the region. We could airlift them out, but the Front did a number on the local airfield. We won’t be able to land the zephyrs here until it’s fixed. Pegasi teams are doing their best to clear off the rain there and your PER comrades are trying to repair it.” He noticed her patches. “I’ll see what I can do.” Kelly hesitated and was directed to the airfield. The Syracuse-Hancock International was in a state of ruins. Jet liners rested on the runways burning or crippled, the control tower was obliterated by barrages and the building barely stood on its own. Medical tents lined one of the runways with wounded rested outside. The sky was barely cleared of the storm as the ambulance slowly rolled down the tarmac. “God almighty.” Toby said seeing the masses of body bags being loaded onto wagons. “The cost of war buddy. Everyone has to face it eventually.” Jackson said. The ambulance came to a complete stop and the trio got out. They had parked before one of the larger tents when a doctor pony came out to see the next patient. “Ah thank Celestia, a human medic. I could really use your help with some of our other patients.” The doctor said. His rim frame glasses fit snugly on his muzzle and his brown mane in tatters around his horn. His cutie mark was obscured by some blood but could clearly be seen as a heart monitor. He leads them inside the tent and towards the back where some human wounded rested. They were all around her age, some a few years older and they were screaming in agony or shouting profanities to those tending to them. “I’ll see what I can do.” Kelly said and walked pasted the doctor. Jackson and Toby stumbled as best as they could after her. “Pardon me, but may I speak with you two for a moment? Outside?” The doctor stopped the two. ‘Shit.’ Jackson thought as they turned to face him. “Sure.” He said and they struggled out with him, leaving Kelly unaware of their absence. She focused on the patients before her, doing her best to help them removing arrows carefully, treating magical burns or saying their last rites to them upon request before their eyes closed forever. “You’re a good field medic, aren’t you Kelly Quincy?” A stern voice spoke behind her. She turned around to face a grey unicorn in a dark armor, flanked by two royal guards. Behind them were Jackson and Toby, guarded by another pair of guards. “You almost had us fooled with your little patch job.” “How do you know my name?” “Being the warden at Saratoga, I learn all the names of my interns. Along with Jackson Percy, Toby Hayworth and Murdoch Jones.” The unicorn replied. “A shame to what happened to Grant Albrecht. I heard he blew himself up while killing some of her majesty’s soldiers, just to avoid a new and promising life.” “Captain Iron Wall, I insist that she stays and help the wounded before you cart her off.” The doctor pleaded. “We could all the medics, prisoner or not, we can get. “Very well Doctor Stable. She can stay, but will be under guard at all times. As for her friends here, they are to undergo a full conversion immediately.” Iron wall replied. “No.” Kelly suddenly snapped. Wall turned back to the medic. “Don’t take away my friends. If you leave them be, I’ll go quietly once I’m done here.” She hung her in defeat. “At least there some humility left in these vermin. I accept your terms. Sergeant.” He turned to the guard next to him. “Sir.” “Make sure she fulfills her duty to the point.” “Yes sir.” The sergeant saluted and walked over to Kelly. Iron wall turned around once more and lead the rest of the group out, leaving her to her work. ------------------------------------------------ The sun was rising now and Mikey was running for dear life, alongside random strangers in the Front’s column. The storm had lifted, only to replace with an advanced guard of Pegasi guards armed with stun guns and paralysis darts. They just came out from nowhere as they approached the small town of West Junius. “Surrender! Your hopes of escape are lost!” A guard shouted through a megaphone as the chaos rampaged around him. Bullets were spray frantically into the air and ground, but it was no good. They panicked and fled into a westerly direction. This too was short lived as Earth guards and conscripts ambushed them further down the road, along with a wall of Unicorn guards. Only one volley of arrows flung at them, killing a few but wounded dozens more. Mikey could just run. He didn’t look back, nor did he want to as one by one, those around him started to vanish through the trees and bushes. He reached a river, along with two others just as platoon of guards swooped before them, blocking their path. Mikey shot several rounds before five wires and two darts struck his arm and chest, sending volt and paralyze serum into his system. He screamed in agony, his bladder control lost and collapsed onto the rough ground and rocks, his gun lost to the river. The others gave up without a fight. “Take that one to Syracuse at once. The captain wants to talk to it.” A guard pointed to Mikey before he slammed his armored hoof into his face, knocking him out. “Wake up Michal Hilts.” A deep voice reverberated in his head as Mikey slowly regain consciousness. Mikey found himself inside a field hospital, looking up to a guard in a dark armor. “Where am I?” He groaned, only to winch back in pain. His arm had been bandaged, along with a portion of his chest. “Your in Syracuse, more specifically the airport.” He saw Kelly walk up behind him, wiping her hands with a blood stain washcloth. “This is Captain Iron Wall, our camp warden back in Saratoga.” She introduced the guard, with a slight sense of resentment. “Just keep your end of the deal and your friends will keep their memories.” He said. “Now listen closely Hilts because I’m only going to say this once. This little fight of the New Yorker Army is over. Every last one is either dead, awaiting conversion or converted already. I’m going to give you one last choice; a rarity at most.” He levitated a revolver towards his hands. “There’s only one bullet, so it will do you no good escaping. You can either end it all now by pulling the trigger or you admit your defeat and await conversion. I offered Patterson Wright the same choice, only now his body bag is being loaded as we speak.” Mikey looked to the gun in timidly, the hammer already pulled back and the round in place. Was it really as simple as that? Kill himself meant staying human, but at the cost to his closest friends. Surrender entirely and become a pastel, four legged freak of nature along with his friends. Somehow the gun seemed like the only way out. He took hold of the gun, but stopped midway. “Damn you all.” He aimed the pistol into the air and fire. The bullet tore through the linen and disappeared into the air. He tossed the gun aside and laid his head back. That horrid say from Ticonderoga filled his head. “For you, the war is over.”