Chapter 7: Function Call
The next day began exactly as so many others before it. Flynn ate his breakfast, spent over an hour hauling himself into the sitting tub for an awkward, uncoordinated shower, and refused to let the nurses help as he dressed himself. He gave no outward sign at all that today was not going to be like other days.
He knew he would not be seeing this bedroom again—though what they’d do with him if he decided not to emigrate at the end of today’s adventure, he didn’t know. Still, there wasn’t anything in here he wanted to keep. He hadn’t kept any pictures of his real family, not after they had abandoned him. There were no books or other personal effects he wanted to bring. It was a little like what the priests always said, when they talked about death and heaven on Sundays. “You can’t take it with you,” was commonly repeated in St. Justin’s. The only thing you could bring was who you had become, and what you’d done.
Flynn wasn’t sure he believed in heaven—not the digital kind, and not the spiritual kind. But somehow, that didn’t matter. It felt right that what might be his final act should be helping his friends.
He didn’t have a cell phone, but he did have the Ponypad. That would have to do—and it would avoid showing suspicion. When he rolled his way across the building, taking his Ponypad in his lap, nobody gave him a second glance. Yes, it was a little unusual for children to congregate at the dead end of a hallway that just happened to end in the old loading dock.
It would’ve been better if they had the time to get Jose into a wheelchair. Unfortunately, getting him one under such short notice was just too hard. He hobbled over at his own, snail’s pace, with Caroline walking beside him the whole way.
He looked worse today. His hands didn’t seem to grip the crutches so much as rest against the rubber, and he dragged himself forward with mean strength alone. Every breath looked like a struggle for him. If they failed at any point along this journey, he very well might just lie down and not get up.
Despite Celestia’s advice that they needed to do everything the same as usual, Caroline had worn her best dress today, a relic from a family she no longer had. The bright blue and green fabric wasn’t faded and threadbare like most of the clothing patients here owned, passed down through many dead. It was possible to mistake her for a normal girl while wearing it, albeit a somber one.
“This… is good,” Jose wheezed, apparently constantly winded. “We’re early. Ready for her.”
At that moment, a nurse walked out of one of the nearby rooms, glancing at them with confusion.
Before she could say anything, all three opened their Ponypads. Jose had to stumble into a couch, and take the pad Caroline offered him. She sat beside him, and Flynn just turned his on. He didn’t do anything with it, and indeed his character didn’t appear. The screen filled with a large, mostly empty room, with all sorts of strange, Victorian devices in it. Wheels, dials, knobs, whistles slowly belching steam for no visible reason.
Gina was inside, looking out through the screen at him with an awareness he’d never seen from her before. Somehow, it suggested she was looking at him, not his character in the game. Flynn shivered involuntarily.
The distraction did its work, though. The nurse muttered something quietly to herself, adjusted her habit, and made her way off down the hall without interfering.
“I know you have a dangerous mission today,” Gina said, sitting back on her haunches, looking subdued. “I don’t understand it, but I wanted to help.”
Flynn blinked, taking a few moments to process what he was seeing. “You went to Celestia?”
“No!” She shook her head, eyes dark. “Captain Blackbeak had a friend in town with the equipment to contact the Outer Realm. You can learn the boring stuff once you’re safe again, that doesn’t matter now. He knew a bird who knew a bird who knew a pony who told him you were in danger.”
He almost argued with her. If Captain Blackbeak knew about the Outer Realm, did that mean Celestia’s avatar had been on the Broken Chain all along, helping him fight… itself? Caroline probably would’ve said that everyone was Celestia’s avatar, and that he was being stupid. He wouldn’t waste mindspace with it right now.
Gina looked away, apparently manipulating the strange equipment. There were lots of flashing lights, dials, knobs—but no pictures. Somehow, that didn’t seem to matter. “Your help is almost there. Get ready, the plan’s about to start.”
Flynn looked up. “You hear that?” They nodded. Neither was looking at their Ponypads—they didn’t seem to be on. Makes sense it would be my job. It’s easiest for me to carry one and move at the same time.
Without warning, all the lights in the hall went out. It was a very selective power cut—none of the hospital rooms seemed affected, only the public areas. Flynn knew that would extend to the kitchens, the offices, the multi-purpose rooms. Just not the rooms where medical equipment (and the lives of patients) would be depending on it. Celestia would not put the lives of other kids at risk.
Even so, the chaos was enough to set St. Justin’s into a panic. Flynn heard the shouting, the footsteps pounding down the halls. With any luck, it would be just enough chaos for them to get away.
Behind them, a door cankered with rust began to jostle in its position. Flynn turned, watching as it strained against something. It had been painted over, and that made it a little harder to open.
He wanted to help, but his own strength wouldn’t make much difference. None of them really could, or else they wouldn’t have been here in the first place.
The door banged open suddenly, with a single young man standing in the opening, clutching at his chest, and breathing heavily. He was wearing ordinary medical scrubs, without the markings of any hospital or medical service. A disguise, then?
“Why, hello there,” he said, straightening, and brushing a little dust away from his shoulder. Out the door was a steep ramp, and past that, a large, unmarked van. Its back was already open, waiting for them. “I’m Smooth Agent. You fine ponies are expecting me, yes?”
“Yeah.” Caroline was the first to recover, reaching down to help Jose to his feet, offering him the crutches. Both left their Ponypads behind. Neither of them would be needing them soon, anyway. “We’re Fairy Ring, Entry Vector, and Agave.”
“Or, you know…” Flynn couldn’t keep back his annoyance, despite the urgency of the situation. “Caroline, Flynn, and Jose. We have real names too.”
“Not today,” Jose gasped, glancing back for only a second before he began hobbling down the opening, out into the old driveway. “Any other day, Flynn. Not today. Please.”
Smooth Agent hadn’t just managed to unseal the door, he’d also somehow opened a section of the gate. The lock didn’t look broken or cut, yet it was unlocked now.
“Fine.” Flynn didn’t argue, just rolled his way forward with the others. He brought up the back of the group—had to fight the acceleration of the slope, instead of pushing to move himself forward. Mostly he just rode both hands on the wheels, slowing himself with friction at each passing moment. “You could use either one.”
Smooth Agent didn’t react to their brief argument, didn’t seem to even hear it. He did take Caroline’s place supporting Jose, gesturing for her to make her own way into the van. She didn’t protest, for once. “Yes, well. I like to think ahead. Been thinking ahead an awful long time—with time in perspective, these names seem the ones to last, don’t they? Our human perspective is only an instant, and then it’s gone. Only a memory.”
Flynn wanted to say something sour to that, but resisted for Jose’s sake. One way or another this will be the last day I’m with him. I can do what he wants.
Caroline looked back, watching him with interest. “So you work for Celestia?”
They reached the back of the van without anyone emerging to stop them. Smooth Agent tossed the crutches aside, then lifted Jose bodily into the seat. His friend struggled briefly with the movement, but ultimately didn’t resist. He was shaking slightly as he finally settled into one of the seats running along either side of the van, and Agent buckled him in.
“Work for her? That’s a bit subjective, I fear. I engaged in the same route of service, yes. I volunteer for her. Helping ponies like you is its own reward. Not to mention, it’s a far safer route than the other options.”
“Safer?” Flynn couldn’t help himself. The back of the van had a ramp already lowered for him, but he had to wait for Caroline to get out of his way before he could roll up. There were locks on the floor to hold the chair in place in an opening between the benches, and he made his way over with growing impatience. “We could all get arrested doing this.”
“Undoubtedly,” Agent said, grinning at him. “I’ve been arrested several times. Funny how my records always seem to go missing, and I always seem to disappear before trial. I imagine it’s quite the conundrum.” He looked up, back towards St. Justin’s, and he swore under his breath.
Flynn followed his eyes, and saw that several nurses were standing in the doorway, watching them with fearful urgency on their faces. Harold, the old security guard, was making his way down the ramp, can of mace already in his hand. But he couldn’t use it where he was, less he cover all of them.
“Pardon me a moment,” Agent said, slamming his fist into the side of the van, right into a glowing white button. The ramp began to retract, the doors closing slowly. Flynn could see he would reach the back of the van before it closed.
“Stop right there!” Harold barked. “I don’t know what you think you’re doing with those kids, but you aren’t going anywhere.”
Flynn didn’t see what happened next, exactly. Agent dodged out the side of the car, rolling with the dexterity his accent was imitating. He removed something from his pocket, then there was a scream. The back of the van shut, Harold’s attention no longer on it.
“He’ll win,” said Gina’s voice from his lap, reminding Flynn abruptly that he wasn’t alone after all. “It won’t take him long. He’s supposed to be a tough pony. Don’t know if I believe that, but I’ve never actually been to the Outer Realm before, so maybe the standards are lower.”
“They are,” Caroline said, from across the van. She looked down at the Ponypad, grinning. “But probably not as low as you think.”
“Yeah right,” Gina answered, her tone skeptical. “If you were a mighty race, you would never let Celestia make you into weaklings.”
It seemed weird to Flynn that Gina would know so much about his world—just a little too convenient to make sense. But the urgency of the situation made it difficult to worry about that just now.
The driver’s side door opened, and Smooth Agent entered. There was a little blood running down his nose, and there was a tear in his jacket, but he looked otherwise intact. “Well then.” He didn’t bother with his seatbelt, and the engine was already running. All he had to do was yank the brake, and they started to roll away. “You kids have some delightful friends at St. Justin’s. They don’t seem terribly eager to part with you.”
Across the empty aisle, Flynn watched Jose slump to one side, resting against Caroline. His face no longer looked olive anymore, more of a jaundiced yellow.
“Drive quickly!” Caroline called, wrapping one arm around their friend. “We don’t have much time.”
“On it,” Agent called back, and tires squealed on the concrete. “We’re less than five minutes away. Once we get there, this’ll all be just a bad dream.”
Then Flynn heard the sirens.
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Alas, I never find good guards in fics. They're always... Sub-optimal.
8449155
Celestia already emigrated all the good ones.
8449156
Yeah, CelestAI WOULD do that. Convince all the people that would stand a good chance of stopping her plans to immigrate unless she can convince them to work for her.
I'm not sure which category I'd fall into.
I'm not going to accept giving up my humanity and I'm not likely to stop people from immigrating... But I can't see myself helping her in ways like this either. The kicker is that I'd look like someone who WOULD be willing to. If it weren't for her programming I'd probably be a curiosity.
Oh dear, sirens. Quick, drive to the Brain Drain 5000!
8449156 8449155 Also considering where it is I doubt they are paying the best for guards. Also consider this is a charity hospice. It almost sounds like the city uses it as a dumping ground
Neat to see Smooth Agent again!
The race is on, and of course I want everyone to make it... but I am worried for Jose... which means... good job!
Heck yeah. Awesome update!
And this begins the thrilling climax, a rcae against time, the police, and organ failure. To say nothing fo the conflict going on in Flynn's mind; I truly have no idea what he'll choose, and I don't think he does either.
All right! Sonata and Aria are going to help them get to the Equestria Experience center!
Oh, wait. Not those kind of sirens.
Oh come on, you know exactly what he's doing.
You know what? Good. Someone ought to be putting up a fight against a guy who breaks into hospitals while calling himself by a pony name.
love the story more pleas
You're not gonna let a kid just slip away, right?
... (checks back up and is reminded there's a Sad tag 
)
(I mean, as a Christian I should probably think Jose's going to a better place either way- as his erstwhile caretakers presumably would- but it goes to show how invested you get us. Plus, if God existed in the FIOverse, things probably wouldn't have gotten as far as they did.)