Techno-Thief
The green was dark, illuminated only by the few offices and laboratories still in use at the Institute, their lights shining brightly from their windows. The sky overhead was cloudy, Luna's moon blocked from sight, ever deepening the darkness. Had anypony looked towards the line of trees that ran down one side of the green, they would have seen nothing, yet the shadows were not unpopulated.
Sweetie Bot stood in the shade, her enhanced vision scanning the building with extreme accuracy, despite the low light. For several hours, she had just watched, noting the number and movements of any guards, as well as which rooms and their late night occupants to avoid.
Get in. Find a terminal. Hack it. Get the address. Get out. The plan was simple and to the point. However, Sweetie knew that it was never that straightforward. If something went wrong, she'd have to fight herself out. She was too close to be caught now.
As the clock crept closer to one in the morning, she decided it was time to move. Using the guards' movement patterns and roughly calculating their stride and walking speed from their heights, she figured she had a 36-second window in which this side of the building was out of the sight of any guards.
She sprung forwards, her motors whizzing as she bounded towards the stone wall. The area was flat, smooth grass. There was no chance to hide if she was spotted. A timer appeared on her HUD; it was already down to 24 and she had only covered half the distance. Urgency lent her speed, and she soon reached the wall. 15 seconds to go.
Engaging her stick pads, she leaped onto the red brick wall, hastily beginning her ascent. She could hear the guards now, the two stallions exchanging banter and gossip. 12 seconds left. She climbed as high as she could, skirting around any illuminated windows, until she reached the second floor. Igniting her horn, she carefully began cutting a hole in the glass, just big enough to fit through. She placed a stick pad on the glass, gripping it as it came loose. 4 seconds.
Like a rabbit, she dived through the small hole, barely making it just as the guards come round the corner.
'Whew,' she sighed internally. '2 seconds early. That was too close.'
She picked herself off the floor, collecting herself before taking a look around. Her sight instantly flickered to night vision, showing her the interior of what seemed to be a lab in ominous shades of green. various piece of equipment that her system handily labeled dotted the room. However, the one thing missing was the one thing she wanted: there wasn't a terminal in sight.
"Of course," she muttered. "Because things can never be easy."
Walking towards the room's only exit, she turned up her audio sensors, straining to hear anypony moving outside the room. When nopony made themselves known, she placed a hoof on the door, easing it open as gently as she could. With the squeak of metal, the door swung open, revealing an imposing hallway lined with more doors on either side, small plaques denoting their purpose as they glinted in the low light.
Seeing the coast was clear, Sweetie emerged, her hoof steps quiet as she could make them on the granite stone floor. The classroom had come out at the end of the hallway. As she walked along, she read the plaques, her system instantly providing any relevant information it had stored. She seemed to have found herself in the Biology lab. Such a place was unlikely to have a terminal, being a rather practical science, though she checked all the labs anyway.
When they all came up empty, she walked to the end of the corridor, hoping for a signpost pointing her to a Physics or Mathematics lab. They were much more likely to house a terminal for use in complex calculations and models. The corridor continued to the left and right, more hallways like that which she had just left dotted along its length.
The hallway to her right was illuminated by a soft light coming from the room beyond. Her system quickly judged the distance from her current position and crunched the numbers at lightning speeds and applying it to her incomplete mental map of the building. If it was correct, that way lead to the second floor of the main atrium. From there, she could access the rest of the facility. And the Receptionist desk.
Or, more importantly, the terminal on said desk.
"Maybe I spoke too soon," she mused quietly as she made her way down the corridor. She was about to step out into the main room when her audio sensors picked up the sounds of hooves of the stone floor of the atrium. Hooves that were very close. As quietly as she could, she scrambled to the side of the hallway, hoping to conceal herself in the shadows. Not a moment later, a guard walked past, his eyes lazily scanning around him every so often.
By some stroke of luck, it seemed as if he'd already patrolled the corridor in which Sweetie was hiding, for he passed by without so much as a glance in her direction. She listened as the sounds of his hoofsteps receded before evacuating her fake lungs in a relived sigh.
"I really need to stop jinxing it," she grumbled to herself.
Now content that the coast was clear for the moment, she crept out onto the walkway overlooking the atrium. She could see at least 4 guards: two on the lower level and two on the walkways, both sets of guards walking regular circuits around their respective routes. After a moment of observing the guards' movements, she retreated back to the hallways to plan out her course of action.
She already had two plans formulated by the time she had relocated to one of the hallways further from the atrium and more out of the way of the patrolling guards. Both could work, but as to which one was safer, she had yet to decide.
On one hoof, she could go after a terminal in another department, such as she had originally planned. However, her patchy knowledge of the building's layout meant she would have to spend time finding the right place, which only increased her odds of getting caught.
Her second plan was a lot quicker, but also a lot more difficult to pull off. She would need a diversion, something to keep all the guards occupied while she hacked the receptionist terminal.
Her tactical systems went into overdrive, planning a route for both plans, factoring the guards' patrols as well as her incomplete map. Calculations streamed over the data feed of her HUD, planning contingencies and timings for nearly any outcome. Finally, it provided her with an answer.
Action Course 1 - Chance of Success - 37.8%
Action Course 2 - Chance of Success - 74.6%
Action Course 2 Advised
The choice was clear. Her systems even provided her with the most suitable and efficient distraction. With as much stealth as she could muster, she emerged from her hiding spot and trotted back in the direction of the Biology labs, keeping her eyes fixed to the end of the hallway should the guard return.
She slipped into the relevant hallway and quickened her pace towards the labs she had emerged from. Entering the room, she began to look around, her system tagging the components and materials she would need. With a powerful jump, she landed on the tabletop that ran around the edge of the room. Cupboards hung on the wall above her, their contents visible through their glass fronts.
As quickly and quietly as she could, she began gathering various jars and bottles, amassing a small collection of different chemicals along with a large, cone-shaped beaker and a lab coat.
A list of instructions appeared on her HUD, guiding her on which chemicals to pour into the beaker and how much. Many of the components were magically enchanted, glowing with various hues of soft light, and soon the resulting mix was a swirling mass of different colours. Satisfied with her concoction, she set about tearing a strip from the lab coat. Her system calculated a rough estimate of how long the material would burn for, and she ripped the cloth appropriately.
Placing a stopper firmly in the neck of the beaker, she grabbed both her chemical mix and makeshift fuse in her mouth. The easy part was done. Now the hard part.
Emerging from the lab once again, she made her way to the hallway that connected to the atrium just in time to see the guard walk past. Peering around the corner, she watched him as he walked on. Quietly as she could, she crept out after him, staying far enough away so he wouldn't hear her hoofsteps. Luckily, it seemed that the late shift had made the guard drowsy and inattentive, since Sweetie followed him with relative ease 'til they reached the opening to the next hallway.
Darting into the shadows, she waited 'til the guard had moved on before continuing down the new hallway. This seemed to be the Chemistry labs, if the plaques were any indication. She arrived at the end of the hallway; a large window like the one she had entered through stood tall, overlooking the green.
Placing the beaker on the stone floor, she popped out the stopper before lowering the end of the rag into the mixture and leaving the rest to lie on the floor. With a quick burst of laser fire, the rag ignited, small flames scurrying along its length as a small timer appeared on her HUD, counting down the seconds she had to hide.
She took off as fast as she dared, fleeing down the hallway before moving into one of the smaller corridors leading off of it. Backing up as to not be seen but still able to observe the main corridor, she lay low and waited.
Her system had told her what the mixture was supposed to accomplish, but it did little to prepare her for the chassis rattling, 154-decibel boom that came. She could feel the tremors as they flowed through both the air and ground, accompanied by the sound of breaking glass from many of the classrooms as various equipment was disturbed.
The rumbling boom was joined by a shifting array of colours that cast eerie shadows over the walls, pulsing and undulating while letting off a loud pop or crackle every few seconds.
'It's like the world's loudest firecracker,' she though with a smirk.
Sure enough, over the noise she could make out the panicked shouts and galloping hooves of the guards as they came to find the source of the commotion. Sweetie watched like a predator from the shadows, counting them as they ran past. When the fourth guard had made himself known, she made her move, galloping like a bat out of Tartarus, her hoofsteps masked by the display behind her.
Taking a right on the walkway, she moved around the side of the atrium towards the large staircase at the end. Within seconds, she had bounded over to the desk, her motorised legs making short work of the distance.
She skidded to a halt before the terminal and got to work instantly. Flipping open her side panel, she pulled out a long black cord, extending it to its full length before jamming it into the correct socket on the terminal.
Instantly, she could feel the machine as her system filtered into it, making short work of the meagre computer defences it had. Before long, she could see the list of files and folders on her HUD, waiting for her to search through. The racket was still going on upstairs, though it was noticeably quieter. She could see smoke leaking from the walkway as the mixture reacted vigorously.
Drawing her attention to the interface, she began skimming the files, promptly locating a folder named 'Personnel'. Opening it up, she found two files: "Current" and "Dismissed". Ignoring the former, she quickly opened up the second, revealing the database within. She examined the list, realising it was in chronological order rather than alphabetical. She rushed through the list at a rate no normal pony could hope to match, scanning each entry before moving on.
"Come on, Professor. Where are you?" she muttered to herself. Her distraction was quickly running out of juice and it wouldn't take them long to figure out that somepony put it there.
At long last, the familiar name appeared on the list. Grinning to herself, she scanned the entry, committing the address to memory. With her objective complete, she withdrew her systems. Unplugging herself from the machine, she was about to begin her escape when her system flashed up, drawing her attention to a pile of leaflets on the desk. With a quick glance inside, she realised it was a map of the building, labelling all the departments. Her system took it all in, quickly filling in the gaps in her own map.
With that complete, she trotted back up the stairs, hoping to make her escape before they finished their examination of the flask. This was not to be however, as one of the guards chose this moment to walk around the corner. He spotted Sweetie instantly, his eyes widening in shock. Before he could open his mouth to shout to his colleagues, Sweetie made her move. Her horn flared, the weak laser beam striking him in the chest. He flew back, colliding with the wall before slumping to the ground with a groan.
Sweetie wasted no time in darting off. She heard the other guards exclaim in surprise, obviously having heard her scuffle with their friend. She heard shouting, but she was too focused on where she was going to listen. Galloping as fast as her hooves could manage, she barrelled through the Biology lab door, her eyes settling on the hole in the glass that signalled her escape route.
She started to run, bounding forwards as her system calculated the angles and numbers that she needed to make the jump. With a mighty kick, she leapt into the air. Her aim was spot-on, sending her sailing towards the hole, only to collide with something in mid-air.
She fell to the floor with a crash, the floor doing little to cushion the fall. Rubbing her muzzle, she looked up at the hole, just to see the force of her impact ripple across a field of blue magic. She scrambled over franticly, placing a hoof against the window, only to have it stop about a centimetre away by the same blue field.
They had a lock down spell. Of course they had a lock down spell. She groaned aloud in frustration. Nothing could get through that field short of the Princesses themselves. She brought up her map, scanning it for anything else that might present an escape route. All windows were out, as were the main doors and all side entrances. She scoured the map, but it was no use. The entire place would be completely sealed off from the outside world 'til the spell was stopped.
There was, however, still a chance. One of the guards was probably controlling the lock down spell. Such a spell would not be easy to maintain, especially on such a large scale. All she had to do was break his concentration long enough for her to escape. Looked like she was going to have to fight her way out after all.
She trotted towards the door and out into the hallway where she sat down to patiently wait for her pursuers.
She didn't have to wait for long. She heard their loud hoofsteps and laboured breathing well before they came into view. They stopped when they spotted her, her lack of action giving them pause, before they slowly began to approach.
"Hey there, little filly" he said, trying to make his voiceless threatening. "I'm sure you didn't mean to hurt our friend, but can you come with us? We'll get you home safe and sound, promise."
Sweetie smirked internally and decided to play along with the poor, scared filly they though she was.
"I'm sorry, Mister," she said weakly, casting her gaze down. "He scared me and my magic just knocked him away."
She looked up at the stallion, her tear duct tanks opening up to add to the performance. She grabbed a quick glance at her foes. The one talking to her was an earth pony, as was the second closest. To their right at the back was a unicorn, his horn wreathed in a familiar blue glow. Bingo.
She brought her gaze back to the guard in front of her. "Sorry about the flashy thing. I found some pretty glowy things in one of the labs." She frowned in the most adorable pout she could. "I don't think they liked being together." She heard him chuckle, a good sign that he was buying the story.
"Can you help me get home, Mister? I think I sprained my foreleg." She made a show of putting weight on her 'injured' foreleg, faking a whimper.
"'Course I can, dear," he said softly." Here, climb on my back. We'll get that leg fixed up and find out why you were left here."
He lowered himself so that she could climb on. She heard him grunt in surprise.
"Damn, filly, you're heavy," he huffed.
"Yeah, Mummy says I eat too many sweets." She giggled. If she could get a cutie mark, it should be in acting. This was almost too easy. She was lucky that he hadn't noticed the rubber joint on her legs in the gloom of the hallway.
With a grunt of exertion, he lifted her up and began to walk towards his fellow guards. With a nod to the others, they started making their way back to the atrium. With all three of them walking side by side, it was time to act.
"You wanna know something, Mister?" she asked innocently.
"What that?" he responded.
"You really shouldn't let strange fillies ride on your back."
"Huh?" he said, turning around to face her, only to be met by a hoof colliding with the side of his face at 74 miles per hour. Sweetie felt his body slacken beneath her as he lost consciousness. Before he could completely collapse, she pushed off, launching herself at the pony to her right, the second earth pony. Before he could react, she was already bringing both fore hooves down on his face, dispatching him just as easily as his friend.
Within 4.37 seconds, all that remained were Sweetie and the unicorn, standing on either side of the hallway. His face was one of bewilderment and shock; hers, a mask of determination.
"I'll only ask nicely once," she said. "Lower the lock down spell."
Her words shook the unicorn from his stupor as he turned to glare at her angrily. "And if I don't?" he asked.
In response, she gestured to his two felled comrades. She could have sworn she heard him gulp and she smirked.
Apparently, her smirk annoyed him somewhat, for he steeled his resolve.
"Not a chance, filly. You may have the advantage in a hoof fight, but I'm pretty sure I can out-magic someone as young as you."
This caused her to smirk even more. "Who said anything about using magic?" she scoffed. "You can keep your magic; I have laser beams."
His look of confusion was all the time Sweetie needed. A red beam shot out, striking the unicorn on the horn, causing him to yelp in agony as he stumbled back. When he looked up, he saw Sweetie barrelling towards him, hoof raised. He was unconscious before he hit the floor.
Letting out an unneeded breath, she turned away from the three unconscious stallions and made her way back to the lab. Without the spell to block her, it was easy to leap through the window, gripping to the wall outside with a stick pad as she passed. Hanging from the wall, she waited 'til the coast was clear before dropping to the ground and bounding towards the tree line.
Retrieving her cloak from its hiding spot, she donned the garment once more. With one final look at the building, she disappeared into the night.
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Awesome update. Looking forward to more.
It's alive!
Since when does this live? ah well, take my extra battery packs!
Can't wait for more!
Keep up the good work!
I give you my 'go ahead' for this story - There is only a few good Sweetie Bot stories which aren't one shots, or finished yet.
I am really hopping that this story will withstand trial of time and that your willpower shall never fall lower proper level.
Success! Now she just has to get some time to find out what she succeeded at. I hope those files are what she needs. She's really stirred up a bee's nest here.
If you ever return to the site, PLEASE finish this. It's one of the best Sweetie Bot stories out there, and I hate for amazing stories to go unfinished like this.