//------------------------------//
// Part II--Down the Rabbit Hole *Edited* 
// Story: Metal Sands 
// by Eternal Aviator 
//------------------------------//

Part II--Down the Rabbit Hole
Mid Sahara Desert
1800 Hours

I yawned loudly as I continued my surveillance through the frontal viewing screen. The strong point of the sandstorm has apparently passed, so the IRNV camera was a little bit more clear than before. 
"Juggernaut to all units, radio check. My screens acting up a little."
I blinked a few times and turned on my radio.
"Sandstorm here, I hear you but I'm getting a little static." I replied as I wiped my eyes.
"Cyclops, I got the same deal. Try resetting your transmitter and call again." Came the low voice of Johny.
"Roger that, radio reset in progress. Stand by..."
I wiped my eyes and hit the interphone hastily as I continued looking through the viewing screen.
"Sandstorm, how we holding up, guys?"
It was a few seconds before a response came.
"Eh... I've been better."
"Same here, just fucking bored."
I smirked, but I couldn't say I didn't feel just the same. Checking the multifunction screen I looked at the G.P.S. path we were following to the second checkpoint. We were heading North by now from almost dead center of the Sahara, and the last bit of the sandstorm was about to pass.

My hopes rose quite a bit when I saw that we had close to just a half hour until we reached the second location. I was about to tell everyone else but they had apparently seen it at the same time.
"Cyclops to all units, we are zeroing in on objective Bravo. E.T.A.: twenty-five minutes."
I laughed as I heard my crew mates sigh and chuckle in relief. Close to twenty minutes later, the sandstorm finally blew over us after nearly eight hours of its torment. We all cheered and laughed as the dark blue sky was finally visible again. After another five minutes of peaceful driving, a mangled and scattered object was visible in the distance. I probably would've had to be a bit closer to see it with the naked eye, but the object was a bit more white than the surrounding area than the sand, so I could see it.
"All units, I have a visual on the objective. I repeat, objective is in sight." I said happily.
"Alright! Bout' fucking time!" Cheered Johny. "Towing Curb Stomper all this way has taken it's toll on my fuel. Anyone think we can drain her tank and top me off?"
"It's possible, I think I have the right thing in one of the bags." Replied Kelly.

We pulled up by the mess of an aircraft and I got to a good defensive position, while Cyclops pulled up behind me about ten meters and began disconnecting Curb Stomper, and Juggernaut's back doors swung open. The three men plus the three from the second LAV filed out and steadily approached the wreckage. While I kept watch I admired the truly beautiful sight. The countless amounts of perfectly shaped sand dunes combined with the darkening sky and the bright crescent moon was really a sight to see.
"What a view." I said.
"No kidding." Said Ryan and Nathan in unison.
A silence fell over the tank before my radio rang.
"This is Juggernaut, the package has been located. I say again, we have found the cargo." Kelly announced happily.
I looked through the right viewing prism towards the site and saw two of the soldiers lugging out a large crate while the other four moved with them and kept watch.

After the crate had been loaded into the back of Juggernaut, we went with the refueling operation. Upon finishing with disconnecting Curb Stomper from Cyclops, Johny maneuvered the machine so the gas tank port was as close to the tank port on the LAV, and Kelly, with the help of one of the soldiers, retrieved a special vacuum pipe designed mainly for draining a gas tank of its contents. She and the soldier climbed onto the back of Cyclops and Johny climbed out of the turret to help. All together, they moved the pipe into the open tank and set up the large vacuum device. As I watched, I couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen soon. Manning the controls again, I activated the large 7.62mm remote controlled weapon station mounted on top of the turret, and scanned the area with the mounted camera just below the gun. Meanwhile by Cyclops and Curb Stomper, I saw them getting ready to put the emptied gas into the fuel-hungry tank.

"I got a bad feeling about this. It was too easy..." I growled to myself.
I had apparently left the interphone on though without me knowing.
"I can tell, I'm seeing that you're manning the gunny up top." Said Nathan.
"Don't worry, Robbert. We'll be out of here by dawn."
I didn't pay much heed as I kept the camera roaming. I stopped the camera on the others, who were putting away the extractor and getting back in there vehicles while talking among themselves. I took a moment to look away from the viewing screen and turned to the multifunction display. I touched a button and the screen went from the G.P.S. map to the personal radar. I took in a sharp breath as two white icons flashed in the corner of the screen, and were moving closer. But it wasn't just the fact they were approaching us that worried me. It was the fact the symbols mean helicopter. My hand moved on its own to the radio.
"Sandstorm to all units, Sandstorm to all units, come in."
"Cyclops here."
"Juggernaut reporting."
"Curb Sromper coming in."
"Be advised, my radar's lighting up with unknown air units approaching our position from the North. Hold off on loading up Curb Stomper and prepare defensive platforms. How copy?" I said firmly as my heart rate increased again.
"Copy that."
"Solid copy."
"I Copy. All platforms active."
I leaned back in my seat for a brief moment and took a deep breath before returning to the viewing screen now, and prepared to deploy I.R. smoke if needed.

"All platforms, prepare countermeasures." Eric ordered as the helicopters were still out of sight, but oddly enough, I could hear them.
"Woah woah, South side! South side! Their stealth is screwing with us!" Cried Kelly.
I went back to the view screen and manned the munition platform, turning the camera towards the two aircraft and zooming in as far as it would go. My stomach did a cartwheel as I recognized the helicopter as the rarely seen Eurocopter Tiger.
"Nathan, load guided shell and prepare to fire!" I yelled.
"Cyclops here, guided rounds load, but I want to see if I can talk. Give me a second to see if they're here to fight." Johny said.
"Affirmative, go ahead." I replied.
"Keep it brief though." Added Eric.
Half a minute later Johny came back. He sounded worried.
"Sir, they're not responding."
I sighed heavily.
"Roger that, all units open fire!" I yelled.

Two high-velocity armor-piercing shells flew at the Tigers, as well as four 7.62 machine gun turrets blazing rounds. The helicopters immedeatly banked in opposite directions and to my surprise, both guided shells missed.
"Shit! They have ECM jammers, our guided systems are useless!" Johny shouted in a frustrated voice.
"Nathan load high-explosive FRAG and target that left heli!" I yelled as I let the machine gun cool down.
"Copy that!" Called back the gunner as the turret swung around to get a shot.
Just then my cabin started beeping loudly, signaling that one was targeting me with a guided anti-tank missile.
"Deploying smoke!" I called.
Instantly a thick cloud of graphite particles, vaporized copper and water vapor completely surrounded the tank and the beeping stopped. Knowing what to do, Ryan floored it in reverse until the turret was out of the dissolving smoke screen, and Nathan targeted the heli. With a deafening boom the shell flew just ahead of the chopper before exploding violently in front of the cabin, coating the front of it in deadly shards of metal and knocking around the heli from the blast.
"Good hit on target, one heli down." I said.

I watched as the engines started smoking before bursting into flame and the whole thing plummeted to the earth. But the next thing I saw made me pale. An anti-tank missile flew straight at the disabled Curb Stomper and struck it hard. The whole thing started lighting on fire and before long, it was completely up in flames with a decently large hole in the side. MRAP=Mine Resistant Ambush Protected. Just not from ones from above unfortunately. But fortunately no one was in it. 
"Shit!" screamed Johny. "We need to kill that thing no--" He was cut off as my whole tank lost power and the engine stalled.
I took a moment to register what just happened before looking around. I tried my interphone and radio but none worked. Looking through the left viewing prism, I saw something that just plain scared me. The Eurocopter that had just obliterated an LAV was spinning uncontrollably towards the ground, as if it had no power as well. After watching the terrifying sight I tried the radio again.
"Sandstorm to all units, please respond!" I shouted.
"Nothing's working!" Yelled Ryan worriedly.
"Same here, E.M.P. maybe?" Suggested the gunner.
"I don't think so..." I said pretty much to myself.

I made up my mind and reached up towards the hatch handle. Grasping it I gave it a firm pull and pushed it open, revealing the evening sky. I didn't waste any time as I pulled myself out of the hatch to about my waist, and looked in the direction of Cyclops, who was about seventy meters away and Johny was standing on top of his tank.
"Hey! What happened?!" I yelled in his direction.
"I don't know! The whole thing just turned off on me!" He yelled back.
A second later, Everyone else started getting out of Juggernaut and muttering among themselves.
"What happened? E.M.P.?" Asked Eric as he walked up to Johny.
The tank driver just shrugged.

As I watched them all talk from a distance, I ducked back inside the turret and called to my crew mates again.
"Nathan, Ryan, come on out and get some fresh air. I don't think we'll be facing anymore trouble for the time being." I said as I looked around and hopped off the turret.
A few moments later I watched Ryan push himself up and out, followed by Nathan, who both sat on the turret edge and stretched. I did the same, I needed it.
"I never knew the Sahara had such beautiful nights." I commented as I sat between the two.
They both nodded in agreement. I was about to continue when the whole ground shook lightly. My face immedeatly turned serious as I bolted up.
"Oh shit, earthquake!!" I screamed as me and the other two jumped off the tank and bolted towards the others.

The ground shook again, very rough this time and taking down me and the others. When I had picked myself up I noticed that the others by Cyclops and Juggernaut were unfazed by the tectonic movement.
"What the hell!?" I yelled to myself as I was about to start running.
"Are you guys okay!?" Cried Kelly as she started to make her way over to us, but I held my hand up, making her stop.
Just before the three of us could continue, the entire section of land lurched downward, like a massive disk under the sand. I was by now scared out of my mind as I realized whatever was happening couldn't be an earthquake, and sand poured into the now visible round crevice in the ground. There was solid earth below the sand, almost like this weird disk platform was on top of a...
"RUN!!" Screamed Nathan as he, Ryan and me bee-lined it towards the vehicles, but it was too late.
The whole thing, in which me, my crew, and the tank were on, collapsed like a CD snapping, and we all plummeted into the massive sinkhole. The only thing I heard before I blacked out was the screams of myself, my crew, and those on the surface as the world seemed to enclose upon me me.


\_____/\/\/\/\/\_____/


Cold. The bitter cold stung my body like a thousand pushpins poking at me from every direction. I cracked my eyes open but a thin layer of frost obscured my vision to the world. Mustering up enough strength, I picked up my right arm and slowly swept the snow from my face. My arm then cramped up, making me groan in pain. I waited a moment before putting both arms to my sides and hastily pushing myself up so a sitting position.
"Yes! Finally!" Cried a familiar voice.
Stretching out my upper body, I looked over and saw Ryan had just made a small fire from a pile of wood on the turret of the Sandstorm. Taking a quick look around I saw I was on the back of the tank, which judging from the angle it was on, was partially buried in the snow.
"Ryan...?" I asked weakly. 
He quickly turned his head in my direction and hopped down to meet me.
"Rob! Oh man, it's good to see you're awake." He said happily as he knelt next to me and wrapped an arm around me.
"Likewise, Ryan. Where are we...?" I asked as I began to push myself to my feet, using the side of the turret for support and now Ryan.
"Hell... I wish I knew. All I remember is sinkhole and now this." He replied glumly.

I sighed as I stepped onto the turret and sat by the fire, smiling as I put my hands almost completely in the small blaze. 
"Where's Nathan?" I asked as my expression darkened.
I could tell something was off because Ryan hesitated before replying.
"He still hasn't woken yet, he's right here." Ryan said in a dull tone. "Actually, I need your help lifting him up here. Maybe some warmth will help." He finished as he and I stood up and hoped over the other side of the turret.
There lay a bundle of a heavy blanket where I figured Nathan was in. Gripping the thick material, I looked up at Ryan, who had done the same.
"Ready?" I asked.
"Yep. On three." Replied Ryan with a nod. "One, two, three!"
We both lifted powerfully and picked up the unconscious gunner, and carefully guided him next to the fire, where we gently set him down and I unwrapped the pert of the blanket that covered his face.

After that was done, we both sat next to him by the fire once again. That's when a big question formed in my head.
"Why aren't we inside the tank?" I inquired with a head tilt.
Ryan chuckled.
"I figured you'd ask that at some point. That's why I have the fire up here." He said, making me give him a further puzzled look. "The hatch is frozen shut, and the fire should melt the ice on it." He explained, making me nod in understanding.
We both sat in silence for close to ten minutes before the blankets stirred.
"What the...? Where are we?" Mumbled the gunner as he moved around some more. "Why do I feel so tired?"
Me and Ryan both greeted him happily and patted him on the back as he hastily unwrapped his torso and held his arms by the fire. After we had brought him up to speed on our situation, which honestly wasn't a lot of information, he just groaned.
"I don't believe this..." He said. "Try opening the hatch, I don't want to sit out here anymore." He demanded as he got up and knelt by the round door.

I got up too and we both grasped the latch and undid it, before gabbing the handle and pulling heavily. We groaned and stuttered before, with a few sounds of ice cracking, the hatch opened up and we all cheered in accomplishment. One by one we climbed into the chilly tank and manned our posts. I put on my headset and turned on the interphone.
"Heh heh, okay. Ryan, Nathan, radio check." I said as I turned on the rest of the console before me.
"Loud n' clear." Chuckled Ryan.
"Let's get going." Said Nathan.
"Okay. All systems are operational. Ryan, start us up."
"Roger that. It may take a few tries though, it's probably frozen right now." Replied Ryan.
A few seconds later, the powerful diesel engine rumbled to life and I laughed.
"Well I'll be damned!" Cheered Nathan, making me and Ryan laugh more.
"I don't know how the hell we're running, but I'm just not asking questions now." Said Ryan. "What are your orders, sir?"
I had to think about that last question. We're in the middle of what's probably the Arctic, so... Hey wait a minute.
"Turn us forty degrees to the left and head that way at top speed, I think I remember seeing something odd before over there." I ordered after a moment. "But first back out of our little snow dune."
A few seconds later, the engine grumbled louder and we backed out of the pile, before turning and heading in the designated direction.

After only about a minute of driving, I saw it. The top of a massive neon blue, transparent dome came into view. Under it looked like the top section of a large, spiky tower that ended just before the top of the dome.
"What the hell is that...?" Nathan asked slowly.
"Boss?" Ryan said.
I hesitated before replying, still in awe at the sight before me.
"I don't know, but whatever it is, we're going to it." I stated. "Keep your guard up."
"Roger that."
"Copy."


\_____/\/\/\/\/\_____/


Not a lot happened from there. We kept our course to go past the covered tower when he hit a narrow path perpendicular to our direction that upon quick inspection, led to the tower.
"Rob, we got nowhere else to go. If we don't stop here, we could freeze in this damn snow." Said Ryan in a worried voice.
"He's right you know." Added Nathan.
I thought about it before sighing in defeat. They were right.
"Okay... Ryan, turn around and follow that path. Nathan, load canister and keep an eye out on anything that moves. I'll be on the gunny."
"Roger that."
"Wilco."
Once we were on the stone road we moved at a steady pace towards the spire. We came over a hill and I'm pretty sure all of our mouths dropped. Not only was there the spire, but an entire city rested at it's base, glistening in the bright sunlight.

To my surprise though, none of us said a word until we were at the edge of the city, where we stopped.
"Okay, guys. We don't know what to expect here, and they probably don't know what to expect from us. Therefore we will not use any lethal force unless absolutely necessary, and the main gun will be only for last resort protocols." I stated firmly as I enabled the 7.62 platform and I.R. smoke, just in case.
"Will do, sir." Replied Nathan.
"Solid copy. Ready to proceed." Confirmed Ryan.
"Okay. Keep the guns pointed and continue at twenty kilos. Be ready for any kind of necessary obstructions like roadblocks." I ordered as we rolled through the gap in the shield.
All I'll say now is that once we rolled through the shield, things got a bit chaotic. The gap closed behind us and at least a dozen guards stormed out from the close buildings and surrounded us with spears, crossbows, and some other 800's weaponry.
"Looks like we got company." Deadpanned Nathan.
"What makes you say that?" Joked Ryan. "Woah wait a minute... These guys are horses!" He yelled.
"Don't worry... Wait." I looked through one of the frontal viewing prisms and sure enough, there were about a dozen small equines surrounding the tank. "What the fuck..."

"Like seriously. We're surrounded by little ponies carrying mid evil time weaponry inside the weirdest looking city ever." Stated Nathan.
The three of us were about to continue our chat about ponies, the 800s, and ponies, when a male voice came through the tanks external microphone.
"Unknown being, we request that you state your intention and oblige to our commands, or we will use force." Said a noticeably taller pony with a dark blue mane & tale with a light blue stripe, and a horn on its forehead. It also wore lavender armor with the emblem of a white shield on the chest.
Now my head was faltering a little. These ponies could talk?
"Um... What-what do you think, boss?" Stuttered Nathan, who was also apparently having a hard time processing what was happening.
Regaining my bearings, I realized that this guy wanted us to bow down to him, when there arsenal would literally do nothing to us. That was not going to slide.

I looked up at the hatch and brought my arm up to open it.
"This is your last chance, surrender yourself and follow us now!" Came the voice before I could open the hatch.
"Rob, they're getting ready to move on us. You gonna let that happen?" Said Nathan.
"Hell no." I replied before undoing and throwing open the hatch, my FNX-45 Tactical in my other hand.
I stuck out the upper half of my torso and trained my handgun on the taller one, making every other guard yell and ready there weapons. It was a very tense few seconds before I spoke in a loud voice.
"Before either one of us does anything we might regret, I first want to state that we are not here to cause any harm. We--" I started.
"Silence!" The leader yelled, stepping forward with an aggressive look on his face.
I raised an eyebrow slightly but stopped talking, the reality of a horse telling me to shut up was still a little mind boggling. Even though he looked like he really didn't want to hurt me, much less get within ten feet of the tank, my trigger finger ribbed against the trigger.

"You are trespassing on our grounds, and therefore pose a threat to the Crystal Empire and it's citizens." He stated. "I now order you to exit your metal machine and come with us to the tower."
I didn't move, but the guards advanced a few steps, making my hand grip the pistol tighter. I took a breath before responding.
"Why can't you just let us go? We'll follow that path behind me and you'll never have to worry about me again." I suggested.
"Because, creature, that path leads to more smaller towns and villages. We do not want them getting harmed by you." Replied the commander.
I thought about it briefly. As much as I didn't want to get captured, much less take orders from a talking equine in purple armor, I also didn't want to make any bad impressions and start a tussle. That would be bad. Sighing, I lowered my handgun, which seemed to make some of the other guards relax, and ducked back into the cabin and hit the interphone.
"Alright boys. We're shutting down. Put all systems into lock so only we can access it, and come on out." I said slowly.
"Are you sure, sir? I mean we could just--" Ryan started.
"That's an order, Ryan." I almost yelled. "Sandstorm is not surrendering. We are simply taking the peaceful way out."