Meanwhile, in some other part of Equestria.
"Come on, Darek." I said, shooting through the holes in the door. "We don't have much time. They're closing in."
"You guard the front door while I hack this terminal, Terin." Civil Protection units were heard trying to kick open the door, causing the wood to start breaking. Grabbing the nearest table, I set up a barricade but knew it would't last for long as they took out pistols and started shooting through it.
"Darek!" I shouted as one of the bullets almost hit me. "Get a freaking move on, you slowpoke!"
"Got it!" uttered Darek and took his hacking device. I looked on one of the screens and saw a transparent ball being launched across the hallways and killing all the CPs in it's way. Upon touch, it turned them monochrome before making then float and subsequently disappear into nothingness.
"They sent soldiers. Freakin' elite soldiers." I remarked, questioning the Combine's intelligence. "Just because we wanted some info? This is ridiculous." Being againts dumb opponents was more of an advantage than a disadvantage but neverthless, overreactions likes this happened.
"Well, good job infiltrating into one of the Citadel's terminal outposts." said Darek, taking out two pistols and standing on his hind legs, propped againts the wall. "I knew they would identify us and notice we are just wearing a disguise. I would indeed be suprised if they didn't notice."
"Sixth sense, eh? What do you suggest now, smartass?" I asked him, but before I could get an answer, the soldiers destroyed the door by overriding the door control, making Darek flinch.
"Run!" He shouted and jumped through the window into a small alley, followed by me. Luckily, the elite soldiers didn't jump after us, but informed the nearby units that we are close and rushed downstairs into the alley. So either way, there was still a swarm right behind us.
"Warning, Anti-Civil activity reported in this community" said the loudspeaker and a Civil Protection officer approached us around the corner near the end of the alley, armed with a submachine gun.
"I have two level 3 civil privacy violators here." he said. "Subjects confirmed. Diseased units echo seven-twenty-four charlie echo-foxtrot six hundred."
"Level 3? For what? We weren't even on the cameras." I objected. "The 'guises are recycled, so what? You wouldn't want them to decay, right?" Unfortunately, the Combine didn't appreciate eco-friendly things and one-liners.
"Prosecuting anti-citizens." He turned the safety off his weapon, unamused. Suddenly, out of nowhere, another CP unit appeared behind him.
"I'll take it from here." said the other one with a feminine, yet still heavily modified voice. "Lay down the firearm."
"Are you sure? I've been getting reports on them from the whole sector-" he said with a much more relaxed voice, but was cut off by the female officer who stabbed him with hoove-mounted blade, causing him to silently scream through his mask before his radio turned into static, following his death. She then took away her mask and revealed her face.
"Clara?" I asked, gazing at her reddish mane and wonderfully pink coat. Truth be told, we rarely got to see each other without maks.
"Were you expecting someone else? The doc and I had a feeling you two will get into trouble again. Got the thing you needed?" she asked, putting her mask back on. "Hmm?"
"Yes." uttered Darek. "Let's quickly move to the lab before more of them arrive" We quickly rushed through the streets and into a secret part of an abandomed building, the entrance hidden by a not-so-discretely placed hollow wending machine. The first time we got there, Clara joked about getting us a soda and asked us whether we want a diet or regular one. Then, she pressed a couple of buttons and, instead of promised sodas, the vending machine opened. It was mildly amusing and even funny at first, but now, it was just worn out, just like the rest of the lab.
"Ah, you're finally here," welcomed them Euclid Vans. "I was starting to get worried" He offered a friendly hug, but the three of us just declined it in an even friendlier manner. The lab 'belonged' him and was our base of operations of sorts. Unsuprisignly, he was also our leader, an avid chess player and a self-proclaimed waltz dancer. No one knows what this 'waltz' he keeps talking about is, so we just assume it has something to do with dancing when shocked with an electrical current. It happens almost on a daily basis.
"No worries doc," I said. "we got the info. Thanks to Clara, we got here all without any bites." A look of suprise appeared on his face.
"You did? Can I have a look at it?" Darek handed him the hacking tool and he inserted it into his computer. A couple of folders appeared and Vans kept scrolling through them, as if looking for something important.
"The old name for City 7?" he looked at the data, eyebrow raised "I though you were supposed to bring in something valuable." It was no secret that outposts were staches of questionable quality but sometimes, it had a few useful things as well.
"Look again," I pointed my hoove to an encrypted folder. "there's something more than just info that this city was once a town called Ponyville." Vans' eyes opened wide when he opened the folder.
"The whole plans of Novum Prospectu!" he explaimed. "Don't think they'll be of much since they don't have the plans of the new part of the prison, but still, nice find. They'll be of good use to other groups such as ourselves. I'll put it on the shared rebel network and-" he looked closer at the computer screen "is that the old prophecy we were hoping to find one day?" The whole prophecy appeared on the screen.
"Light faded, yet there is still hope, for when there is darkness in sky, light in soul, from times inverted, when stones crowned and heroes returned, an outsider wanders in this land, alone" Clara recited, readint the prophecy.
"I'm not sure what exactly it means but I'll ask a friend of mine if he knows" he approached the radio and started tuning it to the right frequency. He would turn on the video transmission but unfortunately, it appeared to have broke itself again.
"Antidote? Dot? You there?" he asked.
"Yes Vans, I'm still here." answered Antidote, once again reading the log from the scanner. "I was just about to pay you a visit. My readings show your generators are malfunctioning again and I have plans for scrap-made weapons."
"I'll have a look at them once you get here. Pity that the last fax on this dustball broke." said Vans, still scrolling through the files. "Anyway, one of my fellow colleagues managed to hack one of the Canterlot Citadel's terminal outposts and found some sort of prophecy, along with the former name of City 7."
"You're two days late." answered Dot with a short, nerdy giggle. "Trixie, one of my agents, already found it and we even found the outsider mentioned in it." They had a friendly rivalry that keeps going on for years and to be honest, it was quite amusing to watch them.
"You do?" asked Vans, not believing his ears. "Where is he? Get him here right way! My team will protect him." Antidote went silent for a couple of seconds before replying.
"I'm sorry, but he's already on his way to Novum Prospectu along with Trixie. They plan to release all the prisoners to aid in Celestia's return." he said "We still don't know the exact date she was banished, but it is rumored to be the beginning of the second half of May and it's the fifteenth one already. "
"Why didn't you wait for us? We have complete plans of the old part of the prison." objected Vans, concerned that his friend set up such a large operation all alone. "Not to mention I have three top agents under my command."
"That'll be very useless since they are heading into the new part, but if you want to send your team, I suggest they get to New Little Odessa as soon as possible." Antidote instructed him. "It's the penultimate rebel outpost before the prison and they will probably be there. I'm heading to your lab. Antidote out." The radio turned itself off and Vans turned to his three operatives.
"I can tell the nearby outposts you're coming but be careful out there." he told them. "Don't forget to take one of the Scout Cars once you reach Shorepoint. It's spawning season after all. Need anything else?"
"Well, we might not return and-" Uttered Darek and without warning, the doctor hugged all of them.
"That's not exactly what I had in mind, but okay," said Clara, surprised. "don't worry, we'll be careful, but in case we won't return-"
"We will. Take care doc" I said, took the hacking device and left the lab along with Clara and Darek. I just hope this 'Random' and Trixie won't cause too much problems.