//------------------------------// // Chapter #9 // Story: Operation Imortuus // by Pika53 //------------------------------// Equestria - Arkley Mansion/Research Center; west wing first floor, 9:15 pm 9th July 20xx, Night, Weather: Cloudy Standing within what appeared to be a small bedroom, Jaden tried to make sense of recent events. Shortly after separating from Cameron, the trio had tried the stairwell at the end of the hall that lead them to a kitchen area and another encounter with several walking stiffs. Afterwards, they had tried the door closest to the stairwell and discovered it lead to a small piano bar. During that time, he'd had to remind Rarifruit that he wouldn't be able to carry all the stuff she looted and to be cautious with what she found. Moving on, the trio had entered the hallway that accessed most of the west wing which included the room they now stood in. As they'd explored the area, the trio had found a room that contained a rather creepy looking manticore statue. Further down, the hallway had branched off in two directions, and although they hadn't gone that way, the map had indicated that the left path had a staircase which was likely how Zander had reached the second floor. To the right however, was another room that had contained a fountain in its center. On the far wall, had been a plaque of some kind with what appeared to be some sort of mask. Once more, Rarifruit's kleptomania kicked in at the sight as the little white unicorn made a b-line for the opposite side of the room; only to be snared by a mass of slimy tentacles surrounding the fountain. Curiously, Brutalight had been the one to solve the problem with the tentacular horror although Fruity had been less than thrilled by the results. Said pony had been scorched as the lavender doll had roasted the tentacles and had complained profusely about it afterwards as Jaden retrieved the oddly decorated, gray colored mask. The room they now stood in was only slightly better lit than the hallway outside; a single bright lamp sitting on a small desk in a corner. Aside from the desk, a cot in the center, a bookshelf, and the remains of what had once been a gray colored unicorn stallion with a blue strand of DNA for a cutie mark, there was very little in the room besides a small closet across the room from the desk. Approaching the desk, Jaden could see a slim book lying beside the lamp that appeared to be a journal of some kind. Although the desktop was coated in dust, it seemed the journal had been moved recently. Intrigued, Jaden opened the book and flipped to the last few pages, while his companions leaped upon the desk to join him, and began to read. May 9, 20xx Played poker tonight with Atlas and Ward from security and Cruz from research. Cruz was the big winner, but I think he was cheating. Scumbag. Jaden smirked in amusement at that. Skipping down to the next entry his smile froze; heart seeming to pause in mid-beat. May 10, 20xx One of the higher-ups assigned me to take care of a new experiment. It looked like a skinned gorilla. Feeding instructions were to give it live animals. When I threw in a pig, the creature seemed to play with it... tearing off the pig's legs and pulling out the guts before it actually started eating. “Experiment? What sort of experiment could they be referring to?” Rarifruit mused. Jaden shrugged in reply. He was just as curious as the trio continued to read; excited by the find. Obviously, the journal had belonged to someone that worked here. May 11, 20xx At around 5:00 am, Atlas woke me up. Scared the hay out of me, too. He was wearing protective garb that looked like a space suit. He handed me another one and told me to put it on. Said there'd been an accident in the basement lab. I just knew that something like this would happen. Those imbeciles in research never rest; even at night. May 12, 20xx I've been wearing the bloody space suit since yesterday. My skin's getting grimy and feels itchy all over. The frickin' dogs have been looking at me oddly so I decided not to feed them today. Screw 'em. May 13, 20xx Went to the infirmary because my back is all swollen and feels itchy. They put a big bandage on it and said I didn't need to wear the space suit anymore. All I wanna do is sleep. Looking up, Jaden noted that Brutalight was murmuring excitedly to herself while Rarifruit shivered uncomfortably. May 14, 20xx Found another blister on my right leg this morning and ended up dragging it all the way to the dog's pen. They'd been quiet all day, which was weird. Then I realized some of them had escaped. If anypony finds out, I'll have my head handed to me. May 15, 20xx It's my first day off in a long time and I feel like crap. Decided to visit Seabreeze anyway, but when I tried to leave the estate I was stopped by the guards. They said the higher-ups had ordered that nopony leave the grounds. I can't even send a letter... all the mail receptacles have been ripped out! What kind of bucking manure is this?! May 16, 20xx Rumors going around that a researcher trying to escape the estate last night was terminated. My entire body feels hot and itchy and I'm sweating all the time now. I scratched the swelling on my forehoof and a piece of rotten flesh dropped off. Wasn't until I realized the smell was making me hungry that I got violently ill. Just what the hay is happening to me? Exchanging glances, it was obvious that while intrigued Brutalight wasn't oblivious to what was happening and seemed to be focused on figuring out what had occurred. Jaden had to admit to himself that it was rather creepy to see what was essentially a twisted miniature version of Twilight Sparkle taking delight in solving such an unusual puzzle. Rarifruit meanwhile, was more than a little freaked out by the situation. Although he wanted to tease the unicorn regarding her cowardice, Jaden just couldn’t bring himself to say anything as the trio returned to reading. By this point, the writing had become shaky. Turning the page, he could barely read the last few lines; the words scrawled haphazardly across the page. May 19, 20xx Fever gone but itchy. Hungry and eat doggie food. Itchy itchy Crimson Wing came. Ugly face so killed him. Tasty. 4 / / Itchy. Tasty. The rest of the pages were blank. “Interesting, whatever happened… it took a week for whoever wrote this to turn into one of those shambling ghouls we’ve been encountering.” Brutalight mused. “Yeah, whatever these guys were working on is some seriously potent stuff.” Jaden replied. “One things for certain, this wasn't a government owned facility.” he continued. Slipping the journal inside his vest, Jaden smirked in amusement as he watched Rarifruit continue to tremble at what they'd just discovered. “Oh, for Celestia's sake, WOULD YOU STOP ACTING LIKE A BABY, RARIFRUIT?!” Brutalight snapped. “What choice do I have, I don't want to end up like one of those things!” Rarifruit retorted indignantly. “It's so cute how you give up on life.” Jaden contributed in the strangled Russian voice; eliciting odd looks from his companions. Sighing and rolling her eyes, Brutalight suddenly levitated a struggling Rarifruit into the air before hurling said pony at the wall across the room. Jaden snorted as he watched Rarifruit bounce off the wall and land on the cot with a grunt. “I HATE YOU!” the little white unicorn shrieked. “Nice throw.” Jaden commented amused. “Thanks, I've been practicing.” Brutalight chuckled. Jaden shook his head and snorted in amusement. Moments later, the little white unicorn squealed again as something burst out of the closet. Turning, Jaden was surprised to see the creature; uncertain how or why it had been in the closet to begin with. Additionally, what he'd previously assumed was just another corpse was now attempting to devour his ankles. As he struggled to pull out his assault rifle, Jaden viciously crushed the crawling gray unicorn's head with a quick stomp. Hefting his rifle, he then fired five rounds at the other zombie; dropping it. “Victims or not these things are becoming pests.” he remarked as he re-slung the weapon. An instant later, Jaden's radio came to life. Although the message itself was garbled, he could just make out Tess's voice; the note of rising panic within indicating that she was in trouble. “Sel, where?” he barked. In response, a top down holographic blueprint of the mansion's first floor materialized in the air before them. One particular room on the east side blinked steadily. “It appears they're in a bit of a situation so I suggest you make haste.” Selena replied. Nodding, Jaden extended an arm to Brutalight who grabbed a hold and quickly shimmied up to perch upon his right shoulder as Jaden made his way over to the cot. He quickly extended an arm to Rarifruit who likewise shimmied up to perch upon his left shoulder as he bolted out of the room. The rest of the mansion's rooms became a blur as Jaden raced to the area that had been highlighted on the map. Soon enough, he reached his destination as a heavy grating sound reverberated throughout the area. The two toys quickly disembarked as he approached the only door on the left side of the hallway where the noise was the loudest. “Are you alright?” he called out. “The doors locked and the ceilings collapsing!” an anxious voice answered from behind the door. “Stand clear!” Jaden shouted as he pulled out his launcher and aimed at the door handle. Jaden was well aware of just how dangerous it was to fire the weapon in such a confined space but didn't see any alternative as he fired a round at the door handle. The shot was incredibly loud but the flame and corrosive elements of the heavy round made short work of the obstruction as a melon-sized hole replaced the door handle and its immediate surroundings. Jaden followed up by kicking the door, which swung inward, and stepping aside as a caramel colored blur launched out of the opening and promptly collapsed to the floor. An instant later, the door was crushed off its hinges by a large slab of stone that filled the entire space around the door frame. “Ya know... I'd love to read the literature the realistate agent might have regarding this place.” Jaden gasped as he extended a hand and helped Tess to her hooves. The caramel colored alicorn murmured a halfhearted reply. “By the way, Cameron's with Zan and they're investigating the upper floor.” Jaden said. Tess was about to reply when Brutalight spoke up. “So, what's with the box?” “That's a good question considering moving it is what set off the whole falling ceiling thing in the first place.” Tess answered, levitating what appeared to be a small ornate box into the air while staring at it curiously. Opening the box, Tess cocked her head and blinked in confusion as she levitated out what looked to be some sort of oddly decorated, gray colored mask from within. “We found a similar object in the other wing along with what looks like a private journal belonging to someone who worked here. The last few entries you'll find interesting.” Jaden said as he pulled out the journal and held it out to her. Nodding, Tess accepted the journal and began looking through it when a beep caused Jaden to glance down at the micro-computer attached to his right arm. A message was displayed on the small screen which read “Sign of pursuit. Cloaked target acquired.”. A small mark appearing on a miniature map that appeared on the screen of the current corridor indicating something in the hallway with them. Looking up, Jaden noted that Tess was watching him carefully as Edi began to shudder sporadically once again. The caramel colored alicorn tilted her head to the side ever so slightly in the direction that lead back to the main hall and Jaden nodded back in kind as Fluttershout spoke up exasperated. “Alright, what's wrong with you now?” Edi gave a slightly sheepish smile and rubbed the back of her neck with a hoof before sniffing the air and replying “Do you smell something burning?”. Jaden really did have to fight back a laugh, while Brutalight openly snickered, as Rarifruit let out a furious shriek. As the other dolls giggled among themselves, Tess shot him a curious glance. “Do I even want to know?” she asked. “Everyone loves smores.” Jaden retorted with a smirk. Tess let out an amused snort and shook her head. “Let's see if we can find a back door to this place.” he continued quickly. Over a chorus of grumbles and affirmations, Jaden and Tess prepped their weapons and approached the only other door in the immediate area; preparing themselves for whatever awaited them as they continued onward. *************** As she watched the commando team enter the next hallway, the blue coated unicorn mare let out an exasperated sigh. Creeping toward the door leading to the next hallway, the mare waited for the inevitable sound of freakish mutants being dispatched. She didn't have to wait long as first two shots rang out followed by silence. Minutes passed before three more shots rang out followed by another bout of silence. Waiting for the other ponies to move further along, the mare reflected on the absurdity of the situation. The mare couldn't help wondering again why her companion was so fixated on following through on this ridiculous endeavor. It was obvious that they were wasting their time. At least the ponies they were following seemed relatively competent and had taken heed to the “helpful hints” they'd been provided. The commando's should be grateful for such assistance considering she was the one who did all the research; not to mention been the one to make traveling through the mansion easier by unlocking doors and moving items to locations that were easier to find. The most recent exchange she'd observed along with the comforting weight of the shotgun strapped to her back reminded the mare of some of the more daunting aspects of the mansion she'd encountered while taking care of business earlier. Although she hadn't known what was inside the box, the mare had gone to considerable trouble to retrieve it. Recalling the incident that had occurred while retrieving the box in the armor room on the second floor caused the mare to shudder. Not to mention the trouble she'd faced when switching the box for the shotgun without triggering some other fiendish trap. Once again she thought to herself that the other ponies roaming the mansion should be extremely grateful for her help. Shaking her head, the mare had no doubt that her companion was crazy to think this was a good idea. Not to mention seeing a miniature version of herself running around was just creepy in general. Sighing, the mare began following the other group once more; hoping this nightmare would end soon.