//------------------------------// // Chapter #6 // Story: Operation Imortuus // by Pika53 //------------------------------// Equestria, Forest east of Foal Mountains; Aerial Search, 8:15 pm, 9th July 20xx, Night, Weather: Cloudy As they continued to soar over the forest, Tess hoped the members of the other team were alright. Once again Edi and Rarifruit were paired up with her as the group continued to search for any sign of the missing chariot. It had to be a coincidence that the other craft had malfunctioned, yet she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off with the situation. Although she was still a little peeved about Jaden's prior interaction with one of the Zeta's, she hopped he'd been able to uncover something new about the situation as she recalled their original briefing. All anyone knew was that over the past few weeks, a series of bizarre and rather grisly murders and disappearances had been occurring within the area. If she recalled correctly, the forest had been declared off limits to all civilians, angering most of the locals from the nearby town. Of course there had been speculation that the murders had been committed by a group of about ten ponies; victims… were apparently eaten. Naturally, they were supposed to take care of the problem but Tess couldn't help but wonder if they were really up to the task. Returning her attention to the matter at hoof, Tess noted the anxious expressions many of the members of the group wore as they continued to stare out the windows at the forest below. Minutes later, one of the EMRF soldiers called out that there was something ahead and to the right. Glancing in the indicated direction, Tess felt her anxiety rise at the barely visible oily plume of smoke rising from the forest before them. Although she wasn't an expert, Tess was certain that such a sight was a bad sign as their craft turned toward the dark smudge that could only indicate a crash. “Listen up, we've got ponies down in a possibly hostile environment. I want you all armed and I want this to be an organized approach.” captain Vickers barked. “Our pilot's going to land as close as possible to the site, a small clearing about fifty meters from the site by the looks of it. Give me a standard fan as soon as we set down. You two take rotating point.” he continued, pointing a hoof at two of the EMRF ponies. The captain then turned and pointed a hoof at Cameron and Zander. “I want you two watching our flank, got it?” All the indicated ponies murmured their understanding of their duties. Nopony spoke as, seconds later, a flurry of activity broke out among the group as they readied themselves for whatever was to come. Soon after, the chariot touched down in a scrappy patch of grass and the team disembarked. The air was humid as they spread out and headed north. In the dim moonlight, Tess could just make out a sparse stand of trees ahead. She could also smell something burning and see wisps of smoke curling through the foliage. The natural smells of the forest were overshadowed by the burning smell; the acrid odor growing stronger with each step. The forest itself was considered a travelers, campers or ecologists place of interest since it was known as one of the most unusual locations in Equestria. At any other time, Tess might have been inspired by the scenery surrounding her. Her musing was interrupted as one of the EMRF ponies called out that they'd spotted the downed chariot. Tess felt her heart speed up at the news and then they were all running in an attempt to catch up with the lead ponies. She emerged from the copse of trees with Shadow and Fiora at her side. Jaden was already at the downed craft along with Vickers and the point ponies. Form what she could tell, Zeta squad's chariot was mostly intact but a derelict. If there had been a fire it had long sense burned out. Aside from the left rail being bent, the most notable damage appeared to be a facial impression on the housing of one of the engines. Curiously, most of the Zeta's gear was still on board but nopony was present. From behind, she could hear some of the others murmuring about how odd the situation was and Tess was inclined to agree. It had only been fifteen minutes since their last transmission; surly the Zeta's knew their best chance for rescue was to remain with the chariot. If any of them had been injured they would have stayed and even if they'd decided to leave why had they left their equipment behind? Where had they gone? After inspecting the wreckage, Jaden spoke up. “Camera check!” As one, she and the rest of Reaper squad began to flip switches on the cameras attached to their helmets until Selena spoke up. “Kill cams online.” “Alright, circle out and search for clues... tracks, signs of struggle. You find anything let me know.” Vickers said. “Let's start three meters apart and widen as we go. Stay alert!” he continued. A chorus of affirmations rang out as the group began moving out. As the team and the EMRF troops proceeded though the forest, Tess noted how unsettling the place really was. Aside from the occasional cawing of a crow or raven, or the soft sounds of the wind blowing through the trees, the forest was deathly silent. In fact the only sound that was heard was the hoof steps of the team and troops. The fog that had seemed to mysteriously appear didn't help things either. She could hear Edi and Rarifruit murmuring nervously among themselves as they traveled, and it wasn't helping her nerves in the least. Glancing to her right, Tess saw one of the EMRF ponies, an earth pony colt by the looks of it, nervously sweeping the immediate area with his rifle as they continued. Letting her gaze drift, Tess was surprised by how quickly they had traveled from the wreckage in such a short time as she'd already lost sight of any other members of the group. Tess was about to call out to the colt when they both heard a growl from somewhere up ahead. The sound was much closer to the colt then to her, but something just didn't feel right. The colt meanwhile, was even more frightened as he frantically searched for the source of the sound. Tense seconds passed without incident and the colt began to calm down. Something nearby caught Tess's eye. Just a few feet away were what appeared to be a couple of animal tracks. Tess quickly trotted over, and crouched to examine the tracks. These were no ordinary tracks however, as they resembled those laid by the infamous timber wolves of the Everfree Forest. Yet something about the tracks was off. They were abnormally large, the size of a manticore or a small dragon's track, plus timber wolves were indigenous solely to the Everfree Forest. “What could have done this?” the colt asked. Tess shrugged and shook her head. Whatever had made the tracks couldn't be far away considering they were still fresh. Tess silently hoped that she wouldn't run into whatever made the tracks anytime soon; thinking about them sent shivers up her spine. After taking a moment to compose herself, Tess motioned that they should continue. Nodding nervously, the colt began leading the way. The pair hadn't gone more than a few yards when another menacing growl rang out. While the colt desperately searched for the source of the sound, Tess thought she saw a bush move to their right. She wasn't prepared however, for what burst out of the undergrowth at the unfortunate solider seconds later. The poor earth pony never stood a chance as what appeared to be three enormous wolf-like creatures ripped into him with gnashing, dripping jaws from all sides. From what she could tell, the monsters physically resembled timber wolves but were much bigger and seemed to have no fur or skin; instead wet red sinew and muscle appeared to be exposed. Not to mention the things had cold beady eyes with no apparent pupils. Over the sounds of Edi and Rarifruit's horrified cries and the poor colt's dying shrieks, Tess was unaware that she'd drawn her sidearm and unloaded an entire clip at the beasts without actually hitting any of them. The steady click of an empty chamber finally cut into her panic and alerted her to the problem. Moments later, she lost her balance and toppled backward to the ground as one of the things noticed her while the other two continued to consume the colt's corpse. As the dolls urged her to get up, the wolf monster lunged forward only to sail backward by a shot from somewhere behind her. Turning, she'd never been so glad to see anyone as Jaden extended a hand and helped her to her hooves. “C'mon, we've gotta go!” he said. Nodding, the pair began to run as the other freaks noticed them and gave chase. At the same time, they could here additional shrill voices of predatory fury coming at them from all directions. While sprinting through the forest, branches snapped at them as the howls grew louder, more insistent. Gasping, she was dimly aware of Jaden turning and firing blindly into the woods as they stumbled back the way they'd come. Minutes later, Rarifruit let out a surprised yelp. “Hey, that's our ride!” Looking up, Tess felt her jaw drop as she saw the chariot they'd come in on fly away, not noticing them. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Letting her gaze drift, she noted that Jaden appeared as confused as she felt. “Where does he think he's going?” he asked, turning to her. Tess shook her head, uncertain how to respond. All she knew was that they were going to die if they stayed where they were. Her panicked thoughts were interrupted by a small voice commanding them to keep moving. Taking off through the forest once more, Tess could hear the sounds of their pursuers rapidly approaching from behind. Turning, she watched Jaden stop and raise an arm to fend-off one of the creatures when it suddenly sailed backward by a shot from somewhere behind them. Following the sound of the shot, Tess was once again relieved to see Cameron and Zander standing several yards away unhurt; along with captain Vickers who'd apparently been the one that had shot the beast that had almost got Jaden. “This way!” Vickers commanded. Quickly exchanging glances, the pair raced toward the others and the group sprinted as fast as they could; only to turn for the briefest moment to fire a stray shot or two into the chasing horde of monsters. As they ran, Tess was a bit baffled to see a grand old house standing in the distance. “Quick, make for that mansion!” Jaden called out. Gasping, Tess galloped as fast as she could towards the structure. Over the sound of gun fire, she knew the others were right behind her. As they got closer, Tess noted that the structure appeared to be abandoned; yet it seemed somepony had taken the time to keep it maintained. Reaching the doors, she used a combination of telekinesis and her right shoulder to open a pair of ornate wooden doors; pleasantly surprised to see them crash open as light spilled out across the stone steps to the porch. Turning, Tess used another quick flick of telekinesis to reload her sidearm and started firing; providing cover for the rest of the team as they piled into the dwelling and slammed the door shut. Zander quickly found the entry's steel deadbolt and slid it into place as outside they could all hear the wolf monsters howling and scrabbling uselessly at the heavy doors. Gasping and letting her gaze drift, Tess was surprised by the condition of the structure they now found themselves within.