//------------------------------// // Chapter Five // Story: The Conversion Bureau: United We Stand // by RK_Striker_JK_5 //------------------------------// The White House          A quartet of Secret Service agents flanked President Clayton Abernathy as he made his way to the Situation Room. The former head of an anti-terrorist unit scowled slightly as he moved with purposeful strides, his entourage struggling to keep up with the sixty-five year old who still did fifty push-ups every morning. The group turned a corner and entered the Map Room on the first floor, a room dominated by a long table with people already sitting there. Several others stood around the table, talking amongst themselves or into cell phones. Monitors were mounted on the walls, some on, but most of them blank. All eyes turned to the President and everyone stood, conversations ceasing as he entered.          Clayton wasted no time. He sat at the head of the table, followed by everyone else, and leaned forward intently. “All right, I just got pulled out of a call with Premier Brekhov for... whatever's going on.” He looked to his right at General Tim Hollingsworth, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “Tim, what have you got?”          Hollingsworth, a somewhat heavy-set African American and former adviser to Clayton and his unit during the 80's, shifted slightly. He reached over and tapped a control panel mounted on the table. “I received reports from orbital monitoring stations a half-hour ago,” he said. A hologram projector built into the table's center glowed. A three-dimensional image formed of a crystalline hemisphere, with blue-white lightning crackling up and down it. At the apex was a miniature version of a white alicorn. Several graphs appeared next to the model, fluctuating wildly.         Clayton stood up, eyes fixated on the image. “My god,” he muttered. “What the hell am I looking at?” He leaned forward and squinted. “Is that... Celestia?”          A younger man in a green suit and thin tie stepped up to the table, adjusting his glasses. He had unruly brown hair and his eyes shifted from left to right. “W-we're not sure, Mister President,” he said. “All visuals match with her, right down to her cutie mark. Her thaumic energy signature, though, is a bit different.” He pointed at the dome. “It’s disintegrated anything artificial. Houses, concrete, asphalt have all been vaporized by it. And we can’t really scan the interior beyond visually. The growth’s almost stopped, though.”          Clayton looked up at him. “Thaumic, that means magical energy, right?” At the younger man's nod he looked back at the hologram. “So it's not her, Mister...”          “Albert Preston,” he said, grinning. The smile quickly fell away as he pointed to a graph next to the small hologram of Celestia. “It's difficult to explain, but while part of the energy is identical to what we know of the Princess, there's a separate part to it.” he shook his head. “Like there’s two thaumic signatures there. Or even more.”          Clayton focused on the image once more. “Wait a minute. Where is this?” A map appeared on the side, showing the state of Kentucky, the location of the dome and the city. “My god, that’s right in the middle of a city!” He looked up to Hollingsworth. “Tim, for the love of god tell me we’re evacuating all civilians out of the area!”          Hollngsworth nodded. He motioned to the map. “Local police and emergency response crews are already on the scene. The governor’s declared a state of emergency. Fort Campbell and Fort Knox are already mobilizing.” He paused, glancing away. “Mister President, they’re still a half-hour away from even reaching the area. This caught us pretty damned unawares.”          Clayton focused on a younger man in the white and blue duty uniform of the Earth Defense Command. “Lennox, report.”          General William Lennox, formerly of the United States Army, straightened to attention. He was younger than Clayton by nearly twenty years, with short brown hair and an expression that always seemed to border on the surprised. “I’ve got two squadrons of Phantom X-19’s scrambling from Autobot City and ground units mobilizing as well. The X-19’s should be there in ten minutes, if that.” He paused and looked at the hologram. “Although, I have no idea if I should give the order to engage once they reach this dome. I don’t know if Celestia here would swat them away like flies.” He looked to the end of the table, focusing on Clayton. “And I won’t risk those under my command like that, Mister President.”          Clayton returned the gaze. “I wouldn’t ask you to unless there was no other choice.” He looked to the hologram. “And right now, there is. Keep an airtight perimeter around it, Will. I want to see what this... ‘Celestia’ does next. But make sure they keep on their toes.”          Lennox nodded. “Thank you, sir.”          Hollingsworth pointed at the map of Kentucky as it floated next to the dome. “All right, now for the sixty-four thousand dollar question. I think we can all see where the dome’s epicenter is.” Lennox spoke up. “Last report I was given, Michael and Michelle Richards were teleported to Autobot City. Twilight Sparkle and her fellow Elements of Harmony are there, too. Danielle Richards was still across the Rainbow Bridge in Equestria. I’ve sent teams to get Molly and Daniel Williams. As for Megan herself...” He hesitated. “According to his report, she was... magically transformed into an alicorn. Or at least something resembling an alicorn. And teleported her family there.” He rubbed his forehead, shaking his head slightly as everyone turned to him. “Hey, that’s what Perceptor said. And I trust him... most of the time.” Albert’s eyes shifted. “Transformed?” He looked to the ceiling, his glasses sliding back. “That would be... difficult, at best.” He looked to Lennox. “And Perceptor said she was the one teleporting?” He suddenly straightened. “I mean-sir I-” Lennox held up a hand. “Whoa, it’s all right, Preston. And yes, that’s what he said.” He took a step forward. “Why?” Albert swallowed again as all eyes turned to him. “W-well, teleporting is a learned ability among unicorns at least. Although off the top of my head I don’t know about alicorns. I’d assume they’d have to be taught it. Also, such a transformation would require incredibly strong magic - most transformations are temporary, and reflect a pony’s special talent.” Clayton tapped his fingers on the table. “Too many questions, not enough answers.” He stood up, anyone else sitting rising along with him. “Right now the priority is getting all civilians evacuated and resettled. The second priority is cordoning off that area.” He looked to Hollingsworth, then Lennox. “Tim, Will, coordinate your two groups to form a perimeter around that dome. I want a ring of trilithium steel around it, gentlemen. Am I understood?” At their acknowledgements he looked to Albert. “Albert, you’ll be by my side for a while. I want as detailed a report as possible on the dome, its effects and this Celestia. And I want it in twelve hours. We’ve got to know if this is really her.” He looked to the hologram and the miniature alicorn. “Although I’d bet the contents of my display case this isn’t her.” Albert’s head bobbed up and down. “I won’t let you down, sir.” He turned, but stopped. “A-am I dismissed?” Clayton half-smiled. “Yes, you’re dismissed.” He closed his eyes for a second. “All right, is there anything else I’m missing off the top of my head?” Hollingsworth spoke up. “We need to call an emergency session of Congress, then inform the Security Council about what’s going on. I’d suggest calling Premier Brekhov back up and informing him of the situation, if he hasn’t already heard about it.” “I’d also open up a real-time subspace communication channel to Iacon,” Lennox said. “I think we’ll be needing help on this one.” Clayton nodded. “Good ideas, both of you.” He looked to Lennox. “Also, get me the Elements of Harmony to the Oval Office as soon as possible. I think I need to have a talk with Miss Sparkle and the others.” He looked around. “Dismissed.” And with that, he turned and walked off, his bodyguards forming up around him as he left. An aide, tapping an earpiece, suddenly spoke up. “Mister President, there’s a news van broadcasting from near the dome.” Clayton swung around. “Well, put it on!” The aide nodded. He pressed a button on one of the monitors hanging from the ceiling and began scrolling through the channel selector. The image changed from a list of programs to a scratchy shot of the dome, with a news ticker scrolling across the bottom. A female voice came over. “... not sure how the dome was formed. Police and emergency crews have evacuated most of the civilians from the area, and we have reports of army and EDC units moving in from Fort Campbell, Fort Knox, and Autobot City and-” There was a pause. The camera zoomed in on the alicorn at the apex of the dome. “Pat, Marsha, are you getting this? She’s speaking!” Celestia’s voice boomed out. Even over the television’s speakers, it was loud and commanding. “I wish to speak with the head of your planet for negotiations! I guarantee safe passage as long as I am not attacked. I repeat, I wish to speak to the head of your planet! I will not speak with anyone else.” Clayton crossed his arms over his chest. “Turn it off.” He let out a sigh. “Phil,” he said, addressing the aide. “Make sure Twilight and her friends are given every courtesy when they arrive, and apologize on my behalf for not being there.” Hollingsworth’s eyes widened. “Clayton, you’re not seriously thinking of going there, are you?” He stepped around his chair and walked right up to the president. “There’s no way in hell you can trust her!” Lennox spoke up. “I’m in agreement here, Mister President. You can trust her about as far as you could throw her.” Clayton shook his head. “Sorry, but you heard what she said. The only way for me to get to answers is to go there and speak with her.” He leaned in close to his old friend. “I don’t like it any more than you do, but it might be our one chance to get the answers we need.” Hollingsworth let out a sigh. He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Just be careful, Mister President. This stinks worse than anything.” The President nodded. “I can smell it from here, too.” He reached out his arm and shook hands with Hollingsworth. “See you later, Tim.” And with that, he turned and left, the Secret Service agents forming around him. Hollingsworth stared after his friend, his hand still extended. He closed it into a fist. “If there is a next time.”