Resident Pon-Evil (Mission II) - Operation: Phoenix Fire

by Delta 727

Level 7: Up In Flames

The first mission to re-take Equestria has failed, as well as leaving Manehattan in a smoldering wasteland. In the nuclear fallout of the city, the military base housing the marefriend of Chaos and a large crowd of civilians had been destroyed in a second explosion. As the wreckage settles, Harmony's Elements and Nova Team return from the ashes and count their losses, attempting to discover what had caused this tragedy to happen: Desperate measures, or another betrayal.

*Begin Transmission*

There was not a sound. The air was a deep red, thick with ash. The street was lined with debris and wreckage from the surrounding buildings. Not a thing stirred.

Until a slight movement came from a nearby alley.

Chaos emerged from his mound of wreckage, coughing and stumbling into the street. As he managed to recover himself, he retrieved his tattered gun, and took a look around.

"Command, this is Echo. Come in," he said into his radio. The only response was static. "Command! This is Echo! Can you hear me!?"

"Give it a rest, Chaos," Blade said as he stumbled out from behind a small alleyway, loosely holding his gun in his hooves. "The signal's been out for hours."

Chaos sighed. "At least you're alive. What about the others?"

They heard a sound of coughing from their right. "Over here!" Chainlink jumped over a small, burnt out carriage wreckage, his Riot Gun missing, but his Juggernaut still hung over his back. "I've got a bad feeling that we've been bucked over. Again!" He grunted as he began to stalk over to his team mates.

"Don't worry about it," Blade replied. "They didn't betray us. Desperate measures were needed. They had no choice."

"Desperate measures, my flank!" Chainlink retorted. "They nearly blew us up!"

"And what were they supposed to do?" Chaos asked. "Sit by and let us all become infected?"

"Then why did they blow up the base?"

The team remained silent. No pony had an answer of why they would kill so many innocent ponies if they were safe.

Chainlink sighed. "That's what I thought. Now where are the others?"

"Right 'ere, y'all!" The team turned to see Marigold stepping out from a collapsed building, followed by Dingo, Itzel, Socket, and finally Cell, supporting X-Ray over her shoulder. As they all entered into the cleared street, Cell set X-Ray down on the pavement. X-Ray attempted to stand.

"Don't move," Cell said. "You're injured." She placed a hoof on X-Ray's right shoulder, but he immediately shook it off.

"Do not...! Touch me..." He said. He stood to his hooves, and returned his assault rifle back to his grasp. "Is everypony... Alive...?"

"Yeah," Echo said. "We're all in one piece." A whimper came from Itzel's bag, and all eyes turned to her. Itzel set down her bag.

"You alright, Tibs?" she said. Soon after, a small head poked out of the flap.

"Momma?" said TrailBlaze's shaky voice. "I-is it over?"

"Yeah. It's over. We're safe." Itzel turned to Cell. "She took a hard hit at the explosion. Can you take a look at her and make sure she's alright?"

Cell trotted over to Itzel, who set down her bag. TrailBlaze crawled out, and began to stretch her wings. But as her wings extended, she flinched in pain. Itzel looked to Cell, her eyes troubled. Cell trotted over to TrailBlaze, crouched, and began to examine TrailBlaze's wing, gently running a hoof from the base, up. Just as Cell touched above the base, TrailBlaze flinched back violently, and she squeaked in pain. Cell sighed, stood up, and looked Itzel in the eyes.

"Her wing is broken." TrailBlaze gasped, but Itzel remained silent. "When we get her back to base, we can get her into medical, but-" Itzel cut her off.

"The injury might be permanent." Itzel sighed, and leaned down to hug her daughter, avoiding her injured wing. "I know..."

TrailBlaze returned the hug, and shakily asked, "D-does this mean I'll never fly again?" Itzel didn't answer.

"Harmony's Elements and Nova Team, come in." A stallion's voice came over Chaos's radio. "This is Canterlot Police Command."

"Command, this is Echo. We hear you."

"Echo, casualty report."

"70 Special Operation soldiers, and about 30 civvies. Possibly several refuged survivors in the city. No members of the team are K.I.A., but we do have injuries in need of treatment in the Medi-Lab. Requesting immediate secure transport."

"And arrangements for a nice, long talk with Commander Traitor..." Chainlink muttered.

"... Copy, Echo," Command said. "We will have a secure transport sent to your location. Are you in a clear area for landing and take-off?"

Chaos looked around at the open street. "Yeah. The team should be able to land and leave fine."

"Good. Launch a signal flare at your location, and find nearby shelter until they arrive. E.T.A., three hours tops."

"Not fast enough, Command," Chaos said. "We need evac as fast as it can reach us. We have wounded who need medical attention. Book it, or wounded'll become an understatement."

"Understood, Echo. The Team is loaded and flying."

"Copy, Command. Echo out." Chaos turned off his radio and turned to the team. "Three hours, tops. We'll be back soon." He pulled a small canister from his belt, and pulled the pin. He rolled it into the center of the street, stopping next to a carriage wheel, and triggering with a glowing cloud of purple smoke. He turned, without a word, toward a hollow wreck of an old office building. "Pack whatever supplies you can salvage. We've got a long night ahead of us..." The rest of the team followed after, entering the hollow husk of the building as the purple smoke continued to rise into the sky.

---

The bay doors of the hangar at the C.P.D. headquarters slowly slid open, and the secure transport glided in through the open doors. The transport hovered in midair above the landing platform inside, and the Pegasi attached to the transit turned in midair until the front of the transit was facing the bay doors. The transit set down just as the bay doors slid closed. The main hatch of the transit opened, and the team stepped out. First Chaos, followed by Nova Team, Marigold, X-Ray, Itzel, and hastily by Chainlink. Just as Chainlink exited the transit, Bolt stopped him with her hoof on his shoulder.

"Hey," She said. "You alright?"

"Yeah," Chainlink said, shrugging off her hoof. "Fine..." He stalked away after the rest of the team. They all stepped onto the large elevator platform, and it began to lift back to the main floor. As it rose through the dark elevator shaft and slid to the main floor, the floors were no longer crowded with soldiers stalking around to their duties around the base, but instead they lined the walls of the base, standing at attention. As the the elevator stopped, every soldier in the room saluted the team, all raising one hoof to their muzzles, then holding them out to the team. Not one of them spoke, but Chainlink snorted and began to stalk toward the main door to the back offices. Nova Team and Harmony's Elements caught up just as a guard had opened the door for Chainlink, who shoved the guard out of his way. Chaos looked at Blade.

"You think he'll be alright?"

"That depends," Blade replied. "But we should get after him before he takes Cherry's head off and feeds her to the Infected."

At that statement, the team ran down the hall after Chainlink.

Commander Cherry had been sitting at her desk, reviewing some files, when her office door burst open. Chainlink stalked in, his hooves empty of weapons. "Chainlink. Where is the rest of your tea-"

"Shut it!" Chainlink yelled. "You gave the order, didn't you!?"

"What are you-"

"Quit playing the idiot! You gave the order for the missiles, didn't you!?" When Cherry didn't answer, Chainlink said, "You'd best answer me, or you'll be answering to my buckshot in your brain!" Two SpecOps guards entered the room to restrain him, but Cherry raised a hoof to stop them.

Cherry sighed. "Yes," she said. "But all was not lost."

"You killed off an army of SpecOps and a whole baseload of bucking civillians! And you tried to butter us up with an arrival salute like we're bucking heroes!" Chainlink slammed his hoof on Cherry's desk, and the guards took one step forward. "Now would you like to tell me how 'all was not lost'!?"

Cherry looked him straight in the goggles, and laughed.

"What's so bucking funny?"

"Chainlink, we did not kill those civilians. They had been evacuated when you had exited the base, and directed to a safe zone. They have been evacuated back here and taken to a large living quarters in the west side of the base."

Chainlink stayed silent, then asked, "And the SpecOps you blew up?"

"Also in a safe zone outside of the base, about a quarter mile from the blast area. They have re-joined the ranks among the base. The only casualties are the Infected in the city, and minimal possibility of refugees in Manehattan."

"Then why destroy the city if you sent us in to save it?"

"The city was a loss in itself. Reclamations will be necessary in smaller cities that can easily be reclaimed with a smaller force." Cherry looked back down to her files. "Are you satisfied?"

Chainlink stood where he was, then turned and left the room without a word. He stalked past the rest of the team, and headed for the living quarters. As he passed, the team remained silent, until Cell turned to Itzel.

"Come on. Your daughter needs medical attention." Itzel nodded, and the two headed for the medical department. Nova Team and Harmony's Elements headed for the living quarters, but Chaos remained. He stepped into Cherry's office, and the Commander and soldier made wordless eye contact.

"I assume you wish to know if Morning Star and Flood are alive?" Chaos didn't say a word. "They are alive and well, and are waiting for you in the living quarters. If you want to hold a grudge for a while, I don't blame you." Without another word, Chaos left the room, and closed the door behind him.

But when he closed the door, he muttered, "You're lucky I lost my gun in the explosion." He trotted off down the hall, and headed for the living quarters, his mind a mix of relief and hatred he knew was misdirected, and he had hoped would pass in time.

---

"What weak, inglorious fools we mortals are.
That war must be, or any need of war.
And yet, the better day is coming when the teachings of the lowly Nazarene Shall be the rule of nations--as of beings;
The sword and bayonet shall be preserved, By the fair children of a nobler race, As relics only, of a barbarous past."
- Pvt. Andy May Clarkson (Story: A Hero Of War)

*Transmission Ended*

Comments

[redsopine]

And I was wrong clever move