//------------------------------// // Chapter 8 // Story: Sleeping in the Light // by Wheller //------------------------------// Chapter 8 Kelso rode the lift back up to the fifth floor in solitude; she was struggling to think of what to say to Pinkie Pie. As the lift reached her floor, she was still unsure of what to say. She couldn't tell Pinkie Pie the truth, could she? How would she react? Sorry Pinkie Pie, we just learned that you're not really you, and the real Pinkie Pie has been dead for fifty years? We've known for quite a while, just thought you should know? That was going to go over well, Kelso could tell now. The lift opened up to the fifth floor, and Kelso stepped out. The world began to slow, every step felt like it took an hour, by the time that Kelso reached the interview room, it felt like it was time to call up FutureTec and report that they had 'Sugar Plum' in custody. Kelso reached out and pushed open the door. This was it, she needed something to say, Kelso closed her eyes and took a deep breath and stepped inside. Pinkie Pie was sitting patiently at the table, waiting for Kelso to return. She looked up at Kelso and offered her a bright smile, waving madly at the detective sergeant as she trotted inside and closing the door behind her. 'Hey Kelso! What's going on?' Pinkie Pie asked. Here was it. Kelso needed to say something. She offered Pinkie Pie a smile, and sat down at the table. 'Hi Pinkie Pie... how are you?' Kelso asked. 'I'm super! A little disappointed with the lack of a mirror, but that's okay', Pinkie Pie said with a shrug. Kelso let out a sigh and shook her head. Pinkie Pie must have really liked those see through mirrors. 'Pinkie Pie... there is something I want to talk to you about', she said, nervously adjusting her fedora. 'Yeah?' Pinkie Pie asked. 'What do you know about FutureTec?' Kelso asked. 'OH! I know lots about them! My friends Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo founded the company a couple years ago! A lot of ponies around town think that they're just kids, but they're really smart, even if they never got their cutie marks! Why do you ask?' Kelso froze, she recognised those names. Apple Bloom, the founder of AppleTec, Sweetie Belle, the traditional pop sensation at the time of the founding of the Republic, and Scootaloo, Equestria’s second Prime Minister, but the founders of FutureTec? That was something that she had never heard before. No one actually knew who founded FutureTec, as far as anyone knew, they just sort of popped up out of nowhere one day. For the early years of the Republic, FutureTec seemed to run itself. It wasn’t until Year 8 of the Republic that FutureTec was given a public face, when an earth pony stallion, called Sprocket, was named chief executive officer, and even then, nobody knew who named him. No one questioned it, no one fought it, like everything else that came from FutureTec, it was just accepted as a fact of life. ‘Kelso?’ Pinkie Pie asked. Kelso shook her head, refocusing on the matter before her. ‘We’re... going on a trip; we’ll be going to a FutureTec facility in a few hours’. ‘A trip!? OH I love trips!’ Pinkie Pie said with a bright smile. ‘Yeah... Pinkie Pie, listen... when we get there... I want you to know that we have your best interests at heart... and when we get there, well, it might not look like it. I guess I’m asking you to trust me’, Kelso said, as she nervously rubbed the back of her neck. Pinkie Pie smiled at her. ‘I trust you Kelso’, she said simply. ‘That was fast...’ Kelso said in surprise, raising an eyebrow at the pink pony before her. ‘I know I can trust you, for two reasons! First off, you’re a police mare, it’s your job to do what’s best, and second off, because you’re my friend!’ Pinkie Pie said, smiling brightly. Kelso felt a tear form in her eye. Pinkie Pie was tugging at her heartstrings, she offered the obnoxious pink pony, her friend, a small smile, and felt incredibly guilty that they were about to use her as live bait. ... It was that time, Kelso had just called it into FutureTec that they had ‘Sugar Plum’, and they made arrangements to bring her to the Ghastly Gorge Industrial Complex. They would be taking a single prisoner transport truck over, and meeting with a Doctor Belle Fontaine, head of Station SPECTRE, whatever that was. Kelso had asked Sparky if she knew anything about Station SPECTRE, unfortunately Sparky had nothing to say about it. All that she knew was that it was at GGIC, and nothing more. Apparently, FutureTec employees received several emails a month asking them not to discuss Station SPECTRE while on the job. Sparky theorised that Station SPECTRE probably worked on a military contract, and considering that the rest of the Ghastly Gorge Industrial Complex was devoted to medical research, it probably had something to do with treating psychological trauma to military Special Forces personnel, or, so was the popular theory. They were basically reduced to guessing. They weren’t expecting must resistance; GGIC was a remote installation, most of the security that was stationed at the industrial complex would be assigned to the perimeter, along with all of the good equipment that one would expect to see in the hooves of FutureTec private security. Sparky was pretty sure that the most that they would have to deal inside with would be rent-a-cop level security. The focus here was keeping people out, not in. Or, at least, so Sparky figured. To be fair, Sparky had never been to the GGIC before, only people who worked there, or were on a list of approved visitors were allowed in. Kelso was just glad that they were on that approved visitors list. Viola had parked a transport truck out in front of the building, and Kelso had brought Pinkie Pie downstairs to load her up. The two mares stepped outside, and discovered that Sparky and Dizzy were already outside dressed as uniformed constables. Kelso stared at them for a moment, and began to smirk. She was unable to contain herself, and began to giggle. The two of them looked ridiculous! ‘Is there a problem, Detective Sergeant Kelso?’ Sparky asked with annoyance. ‘Heh... yeah... your hats!’ Kelso said, doing her best to keep from breaking out into laughter. Dizzy and Sparky were wearing custodian helmets, and they looked ridiculous. ‘I don’t know if anyone told you... but only stallions wear those’. Sparky looked at Kelso with annoyance before using her telekinesis to levitate a baton up to eye level. ‘Be careful, Kelso, I have this now, and I am not afraid to use it on you!’ Sparky seethed. Pinkie Pie looked up, tilting her head from side to side as she looked at the false police mares before her. ‘OH!’ she cried out. ‘Are we going to a costume party!? I love costume parties! I also love parties in general! I throw the best parties you know. When we get there, I’ll have to see how they do on the Pinkie Pie scale of spectacular parties!’ No one even bothered to argue or explain otherwise, Sparky and Dizzy opened up the back door to the truck and climbed inside, Pinkie Pie happily bounced towards the door after them, leaping inside in a rather dramatic fashion. With Viola in the driver’s seat, that left only Kelso and Hopely, who would be going ahead of the truck to make sure that FutureTec didn’t try anything funny on the way in. ‘Am I driving or you?’ Kelso asked. ‘I can do it’, Hopely said with a shrug as she waved for Kelso to follow. They walked through the parking lot towards a space near the far end. ‘You know, Hopely? I don’t think I’ve ever seen your car’, Kelso said as she trotted along side. ‘Hmm?’ Hopely said, looking up at Kelso. ‘Oh, I don’t have a car’. ‘What? Then what do you...?’ Kelso began, but then stopped as they reached the space on the end, discovering a small two wheeled vehicle, arranged in line with each other, with a spare wheel attached to the side, occupying the parking spot. ‘You drive a motor cycle?’ ‘Yes I do’, Hopely said with a nod as she climbed on top of it, placing her forelegs on the handlebars up front and lying on her stomach across the seat. The motorcycle sputtered to life and a holographic canopy materialised around her. Hopely tapped at a few buttons and suddenly, a third wheel popped out from the side of the motor cycle, revealing a side seat. ‘Go ahead, take a seat’, Hopely said, nodding towards it. Kelso nodded her head and sat down on the seat. Her own holographic canopy materialised around her, and Kelso had to admit, the instant sidecar was more than a little cool. Kelso glanced around the holographic canopy that surrounded her. Ingenious design really, holograms were solid enough to hold the passenger in after all. ‘I’ll admit, this is pretty cool’, Kelso said. ‘Why thank you Sarge’, Hopely said with a small smile as she punched in the coordinates for the bike’s autopilot. That was when Kelso noticed it, built into the side of the motorcycle was a cleverly concealed grenade launcher of at least twenty five millimetre calibre. Her eyes widened with shock as she looked at it. ‘How do you have that?!’ she cried out. ‘Have what?’ Hopely asked, feigning ignorance. ‘Don’t get cute, Hopely’, Kelso said with a frown. ‘That thing is illegal in the Republic... and not just the Republic, every jurisdiction in the world!’ ‘Not every jurisdiction!’ Hopely countered. ‘They’re not illegal in the Changeling Regime’. ‘Yes... but that’s only because the Changeling Regime doesn’t have laws’, Kelso stated matter of factly. ‘Semantics’, Hopely said as the motorcycle’s engine revved and they pulled out of the space and onto Parliamentary Drive. The truck followed behind them, and before they knew it, they were on the expressway headed out of town. Next stop, Ghastly Gorge.