Twilight's Experiments: The War of Mann Co. 2

by MIKEANTHONY321

Strict Orders

With a swing in his step, Red Sniper was the first one to board the teleporter entrance plate. The remaining twenty-six fighters stood behind him in a straight line, waiting eagerly to see where the device would take them. Once Red Sniper disappeared, Twilight took her step behind him. Fluttershy entered after her, and the cycle continued.

Blue Scout was the last one to board the teleporter. He grumbled under his breath while pouting immaturely. Seconds after he stepped foot on the device, a brilliant flash of light enveloped him. In a split second, moments after it had appeared, the light was gone, and Blue Scout found himself in a dimly-lit room.

......................................................
Music: Dreams of Cruelty (Repeat if needed)
......................................................

He squinted to give his eyes a chance to adjust to the shocking lack of light. Once he could make out his surroundings, he noticed all of the fighters from RED and BLU standing around, mumbling confusedly.

He scoffed. “Gimme a break, guys, how’re we supposed to fight in this? It doesn’t look like much of a facility when there’s no freaking sunlight.”

“Shut up, Scout! Listen…” Blue Sniper snapped.

The room became deathly silent as both teams stopped their whispers. Faint echoes could be heard traveling from down a nearby hallway. They seemed to come from a female voice.

“Down here, y’all! I think I see a light down this hallway!” Applejack alerted.

The ponies and mercenaries followed Applejack, trudging through the depths of the unknown environment. The Snipers and the Spies in the group walked with slick movements, listening closely for threats by pure instinct. Twilight and Rarity had a hoof positioned on their back pockets, readily able to draw a weapon if necessary. Fluttershy clung to the back of Red Medic’s leg like a dog in its heat cycle.

…

The group traveled down the hallway that Applejack had pointed out, unsure of anything that they were going to run into. Sure enough, a dim light was visible down the corridor through a closed door.

The group stood awkwardly in front of the door in silence. No one volunteered to open it. Glances shifted throughout the group as the fighters began to mentally select people to go open the door.

“Ugh, must I do everything myself? Step aside, cowards.” Blue Scout ordered.

Red Scout stopped Blue Scout in his tracks by holding out his baseball bat in front of him. Blue Scout stopped suddenly, and growled in annoyance.

“Let me go. I’m sure anything that you do will just get us all blown up or burned.” Red Scout commanded.

A couple fighters in the group chuckled softly. Blue Scout rolled his eyes.

…

Red Scout approached the closed door with silent movements. He slowly pulled a pistol out from his back pocket, and positioned it in front of him. The group of fighters crowded close behind him, anxious to see what was about to happen.

Red Scout put his hand on the doorknob. Then, in a sudden, startling movement, he threw open the door and pointed his pistol out in front of him.

“Show yourself!” He screamed, pistol fixed in his trembling hands.

…

It was a small, enclosed office room. Inside was a small, square table with top secret papers strewn across its surface. Intelligence maps were tacked on the back wall. A small light bulb illuminated the room. Behind the table was a large leather chair, which was turned to face the wall away from them.

…

A mysterious person was sitting in the chair. A cigarette could be seen in the person’s left hand, which was swaying idly to the side of the armrest. Steady smoke clouds billowed from the strange person’s face, which was not yet visible to the group.

“I bet you’re all wondering why I’ve brought you here today.” The person uttered.

Red Scout kept his grip firm on the pistol. His face tensed up, ready for a sudden attack.

Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened. “Hey, I think I recognize that voice!” She stated.

Spike added, “Yeah, it sounds almost like…”

.........................................................
Music: Right Behind You (Repeat if needed)
.........................................................

The person turned around in their seat, revealing a strict, older-looking woman. All twenty-seven of the fighters gasped in shock.

“Oh my God, it’s the Announcer!” Red Soldier rasped.

The announcer ignored his unintelligent outburst. She took another breath of her cigarette, and stared at the fighters bemusedly. She glared at Red Scout, who awkwardly lowered his pistol.

“I brought you all here on account of your JOBS.” She emphasized. “You are currently standing in one of our many top secret intelligence bases scattered around the world. This one lies under a Mann Co. Nuclear Testing Facility in Australia.”

Red and Blue Sniper gasped lightly. The mercenaries and ponies listened closely to the Announcer’s words, to which she abruptly continued.

“As we speak, our top staff agents are frantically trying to decode messages sent to us by Gray Mann at Gray Gravel Co.” She explained.

“Hey, wasn’t that the company that pitted us against the robot horde?” Twilight asked.

“Did I give you permission to speak?” The Announcer hissed. Twilight lowered her head, and backed away slowly. Then, the Announcer continued, “He is, from what we uncovered, planning to launch another robot invasion. Our agents have determined that he will strike at two select Mann Co. facilities located across the globe.”

She paused, giving the fighters a chance to absorb the sudden information. A few of them were intimidated, while others just scoffed at the enemy’s persistence.

…

“We have intercepted blueprints of some of the most advanced robot models ever seen. We interpreted info on giants such as Major Crits, Colonel Barrage, and Sir Nukesalot.” The announcer added.

Rainbow Dash giggled. Half of both teams glared at her annoyingly, causing her to lose her smile. She grumbled.

“We have also gathered information on giant Medic bots, with immeasurable repair power. They appear to resemble the figure of the yellow one standing over there.” The Announcer stated, pointing at Fluttershy. The timid pegasus whimpered, and hid behind Red Medic’s leg.

…

“Whoa whoa whoa; can it, lady. What’s in it for us?” Red Scout demanded.

“The rewards will be substantial, but the risk will be as well. This invasion is at least three or four times the magnitude of the previous one. It will be life-threatening. However, we’ve received intelligence from the manufacturers at Mann Co. of new weapons that they’re close to completing. They may be awarded to you if you can hold off the invasion.” The Announcer explained.

She reached under the desk, pulled out a printed picture, and tossed it on the table. Red Scout picked it up, and stared at it in awe. Everyone standing behind him crowded together to get a view for themselves.

“Those weapons are made out of pure Australium metal. It’s the rarest and most powerful metal on the planet, and it’s owned entirely by Mann Co.” The Announcer stated.

“That’s the exact same stuff we were fighting over back at Doomsday!” Rainbow Dash observed.

“It’s so beautiful…” Blue Spy stuttered.

“Get a look at the shine on that rifle, mate. Ain’t it breathtaking?” Red Sniper whispered to Twilight. Twilight nodded hypnotically.

…

The Announcer swiped the picture from Red Scout’s hand, and stowed it under the desk again. Folding her bony hands on the table, she glared up at the mercenaries.

“We have estimated that the scale of the invasion will be too much for modern technology to combat. In order to stand a chance, new developments will have to be made.” She stated.

“What’re you implying, Miss?” Red Engineer jeered.

“I’m ‘implying’ that you will be given a new assignment. I need Red Engineer, Blue Engineer, Red Medic, Blue Medic, and the additions associated with them to step forward, please.” The Announcer ordered.

“Are you talkin’ about us? Are we the ‘additions’?” Applejack asked disgustedly.

“Yes! Now stop questioning, and do what I say!” The Announcer rasped.

The six fighters stepped forward reluctantly. The rest of the group stepped back, and watched in curiosity for what was going to happen next. The Announcer glared at the six, invoking intimidation. She did not even blink.

…

“I will be sending all of your companions to wait at the CTF map until you are done with your duty. The six of you will be sent to a quarantined facility to contemplate technology for the upcoming robot attacks. We don’t know when they’ll be, so we need to be on top alert.”

“So…you’re just going to…lock us up somewhere until we invent something useful?” Fluttershy stammered nervously.

“Yes, that’s pretty much the plan. Our top engineers are on strike this season.” The Announcer replied coldly.

“Wait, you can’t just lock us up like psychopaths! There’s much we need to talk about here!” Blue Engineer scolded.

“There’s nothing else we can do. Saxton Hale himself has ordered me to do this. You, Blue Medic, and the orange one will be locked in a separate facility from the RED bunch to avoid fighting. There’s no time to lose, so be on your way!”

“Vait, how do vee…” Red Medic began. He was cut off when the Announcer snapped her fingers, and the group disappeared out of sight. The remaining mass of fighters gasped in shock.

…

“W…What do you think you’re doing? You can’t just lock Fluttershy up in a room with no escape for a long period of time! She’ll…she’ll…” Twilight stuttered.

“Does it look like I care? Emotions speak nothing compared to strict orders. Now all of you will head to the next location without protest!” The Announcer exclaimed.

“C’mon, lady, what map are we going to?” Red Scout yelled.

The Announcer completely ignored Red Scout. She snapped her fingers again, and sent the remaining group of confused comrades on their way to the next map to wait indefinitely for the return of the scientist teammates. They could be waiting for hours, days, or even weeks.

The Announcer threw away her cigarette, lit up another one, and put it into her mouth.

To be Continued…

Author's Note:

All that waiting was not due to the chapter length. It was due to the fact that I've been working on other stories, I've been flogged by school, and I needed to brew up a plot. This is the result. No worries; there will be a CTF battle. I just need to add a little bit of substance to the sequence of events, and this is what I thought suited best.
Hope this turns out well...

Comments

[Noble Wings]

Dun dun dun