Displacement

by hornethead

Into The Deep

Chapter 26: Into The Deep

James sat in the main cabin of the Clipper, inspecting one of Sparks' newest gadgets. It was his version of the human's NVGs. The whole thing was painstakingly constructed with almost perfect accuracy. He'd even replicated the IR emitter. This was a good thing since they're ultimate destination would have little to no light at all. The ship was currently loaded with both the Fixers and the Nightstalkers and in route to the mine shaft described in the journal, which was coincidently the same one James and his team had first encountered the force that had laid siege to the nearby trade hub. every operative was fully loaded out with weapons and food rations for each individual, plus reserves stowed in the aircraft with additional ammunition. All the unicorns were now armed with rifles and pistols, except Myst who preferred to only carry an M9 due to the fact that she wouldn't have to be on the ground with the rest. Still, it never hurt to be prepared.

James handed the device he was holding back to Sparks, approving of his work, and the pony began to distribute and train the rest of the ponies on their proper use. The human lay back in his seat, shifting his position to get a little more comfortable. He was wearing the new armor, as was all the other team members, and was delighted to find that his fit closely enough to wear his parka and tac vest over. This was great as their destination had gotten much colder since they'd last been there. Situated up by the mountains, Whitecrest tended to move into winter earlier than most anywhere else, except, of course, the more frigid regions far to the north. Gazing out a window, James could see how Whitecrest got its name. High on the towering cliff whose base it sat against, a brilliant glistening drift of snow lay along the top like frosting on a cake. Patches could also be seen in and around the town, hailing the start of the cold season.

Myst didn't fly towards the town, however. Instead, she angled straight for the mine shaft. James had already sent a letter ahead to inform Colonel Rokjaw of the operation. Myst would be dropping the two teams off before flying back to the town and waiting on call. Meanwhile, the Nightstalkers would set up an overwatch position to keep an eye on the backdoor and relay radio while the Fixers entered the mine. Sparks had come up with an ingenious solution to underground communication. He would be wearing a small backpack that had a reciever and transmitter in it, attached to it would be a spool of wire acting as the antenna. As they descended deeper into the mountain, Sparks would play out the spool, starting from the entrance, allowing them to keep in contact with the surface.

Soon, Myst came in over the comms to announce that they were going in for a landing. James looked back out the window to observe their landing zone. The area still looked trashed, but had been cleaned up a little in the past weeks. He could now see that a contingent of the Guard had been stationed at the small mining camp. Smart, if anymore of those things showed up, the town would get another early warning. The Clipper began to descend to the edge of the camp, It looked quite intimidating its new armor, a chariot of war coming down from on high. James ordered the gunner arm swung back to allow them to disembark. One of the unicorns checked the weapon mounted on it, clear and safe, before doing so. He had taught them well. The aircraft touched down as one of the guardsponies rushed forward to greet the arrivals. James grabbed the P-90 he'd be using for this mission, his rifle would be cumbersome in the tight spaces. Besides, it was more a fact finding operation than anything else. Sparks disembarked with an M9 and the shotgun James had used previously. Between the two of them, they should have enough firepower to take care of any threats they might encounter. The two unicorns from the Nightstalkers also carried armaments, one had an AK-47, the other had the M110 strapped on his back. They would help provide the overwatch along with the two pegasi, in case any badies decided to crash the party.

James walked op to greet the guard as his team filed out of the airship behind him and Myst took off, making her way back to Whitecrest.

The guard trotted up and saluted, "Sir, we've been expecting you. Welcome to camp Sierra-2. I'm Captain Alister, the officer in charge."

James returned the salute and began to assess the situation, "Thanks for the welcome Captain, anything to report? Any strange movements, noises, new tracks?"

"No sir. It's been quiet since we set up camp weeks ago."

"Thank you, you can return to your duties, my team will take over from here. However, remain vigilant, we can't afford to become complacent."

"Yes sir!" The officer saluted again and returned to his unit.

James turned to his composite team, "Alright, you all know the drill. Nightstalkers, set up the overwatch and aquire some extra tents for our use. Fixers, prep to depart in ten, we're going spelunking. Everyone get comfortable, we're gonna be here for a few days."

As the ponies rushed to their tasks, James took the unicorn armed with the M110 aside, "Remember what I taught you. Find an easily concealable position with a good view and a back door. And in the event you actually have to use that thing and you find yourself freezing up, remember; breathe."

"Aye, sir." The stallion trotted off and began searching for a good spot to post up.

James left the two teams to their work while he walked over to the entrance to the shaft and inspected the ground. Light snow fall covered the dirt, but many hundreds of foot prints were still visible beneath it. He searched up an down the tracks, but still could not find any that indicated wether or not some of the creatures had returned. Of course, this was not the only entrance, that he had seen for himself, but it was the only one where they had any kind of a clue as to it's layout. After James had sent his letter, the Colonel had been kind enough to send him back an old map from when the shaft had first been dug. The grizzled pony had also warned that the map was a few years old and other construction had been added to the shaft since it was built. Though, if his team found the points of the Lotkin egress, the map would hardly be of any use. Still, it was a nice gesture. Sparks soon trotted over to the entrance and began staking the end of his wire into the frozen earth. This would allow him to simply walk forward while the wire unspooled itself. When he had finished, he came to James' side, along with Flash and Feather.

"Everypony is ready, just waiting on your orders." The engineer reported.

James took a deep breath and unslung his submachine gun. "Alright, let's go."

The group of four entered the maw of darkness, a pit of black ink seeming to swallow them whole. James brought up his torch and switched it on, scanning the area to his front. Soon enough, they came to the great pile of rubble. The hole at the top had been enlargened some from the passage of many bodies.

"Ok, everyone, goggles on." James ordered as he stowed his torch and fixed his own NVGs over his eyes.

The other three donned their goggles as well and switched them on. James turned to his comrades.

"Everyone's gear working ok?"

He got nods from all three. Satisfied, he turned around and began to ascend the pile, keeping his weapon aimed at the hole. The loose rocks clicked and clattered as he climbed, making stealth almost impossible. Once he reached the top, he shouldered his weapon and slowly peeked over the edge. All that was waiting for him was stygian darkness. Without turning around, James used his left hand to signal his team to follow. He vaulted over the edge and scrambled down the other side, sending loose pebbles and scree tumbling down before him. When he hit bottom, he immediately dropped to a knee and scanned the tunnel to his front for movement. Nothing. The rest of his squad quickly followed and soon they were ready to advance. Before they did though, it was time for a sitrep.

James keyed his mic, "Sierra-2, Foxtrot. Comms check, over."

He waited for a moment. Then, "Foxtrot, Sierra-2. We're getting you clear over here, over."

"Outstanding, Foxtrot now approximately sixty yards in, continuing advance, copy?"

"Sierra-2 copies, keep in touch and good hunting, over."

"Stay safe yourselves, Foxtrot out."

Grateful that they would still have contact with the surface, the party continued on, James taking point. They descended deeper into the cold musty depths, senses hightened, ready for anything. Before long, they came to a small chamber with four different paths. However, only two had tracks matching the Lotkin going in and out of them, the two on the right, which should be south. James checked the small pocket compass he always brought, but of course the needle only spun wildly, unable to find magnetic north through all the iron surrounding them. He turned to the rest of his team for what people in his profession called 'chinese parliament'. Each member of the team would put in their two cents, regardless of rank or speciality and from that they would derive their next course of action.

James spoke in a low whisper, as quietly as he could, letting the throat mic do the work, "Any thoughts?"

Feather was the first to speak, "I say we go down the path with the most footprints. That's where we'll most likely find their base of operations here. More traffic means more activity around a central hub."

"Very well put, anyone else?"

"I agree with Feather," Flash said, "If only because the breeze coming from the other passage smells like, well... well, to quote you James, it smells like 'shit'."

James took a sniff of the air and the pegasus was right. There was definitely a stench not unlike fecal matter coming from the passage second to the right.

"Ok, that settles it. Sparks, you got some kind of spell that can tell u where north is, or something? My compass is no good around all this iron."

"Well, well, the mighty James and all his technology is for once not totally reliable. I wish I had a camera. Fortunately for you, the compass spell is one of the first things they teach you in the guard and the corps." The unicorn gloated.

"Yeah, yeah, get on with it."

James, Flash and Feather looked away as Sparks' horn began to glow, so as not to blind themselves. After the spell had been cast, Sparks announced that the tunnel to the far right would take them further south. Now with new bearings, James checked in with Sierra-2 again and marked off the passage they had come from with some tape he put on the wall. That completed, the group set off down the tunnel they had chosen. It went on for almost thirty yards before it began winding back on itself. Suddenly the came upon a ragged rift in one of the walls. It was definitely not part of the mine, as instead of clean cut corridors, the opening was hastily made, as something had simply picked and hacked through with no regard for safety and planning. James motioned for his team to stack up on one side. Then he cautiously peeked around the corner. With a flick of his wrist, he signaled his team and flew into the breach. Sparks came up beside him, rifle at the ready, Flash and Feather brought up the rear.

It was yet another passage way, only much larger and with out the overhead supports of the one they had left. They warily traveled down it, the tunnel taking them deeper into the bowels of the earth. Gradually, it began to widen until they were suddenly standing at one end of a gargantuan subterranean cavern. High above, James could barely distinguish a small source of light. Dotted all around the walls of the cavern were man sized holes. The most distinguishable, and disgusting, thing he noticed however was the smell. The smell of blood and sweat accumulated on the dirt. The smell rotten food left unattended for weeks. The smell of death. All around the floor was scattered large wooden structures and metal frames, obscuring the vision of the four warriors.

"Alright guys, there could still be hostiles here, so maintain three-sixty security. I don't want anything getting the jump on us." James cautioned.

The four fell into a tight circle, eyes out, scanning their environment for possible threats. Stealthily, they made a circut of the chamber, only coming across old rusted armor and weapons, occasionally scraps of rotted meat and pools of fetid water. James felt his gorge rise and suppressed the urge to vomit. In between the spaces of the structures, James caught a glimpse of something hopeful. Bars. Bars meant cages, cages meant prisoners, prisoners that could still be there and alive. James pointed out the area of interest to his teammates and together they made their way towards it. They entered a section of the cavern filled with rows of cages. Rotten hay lined the bottom of each one. Quickly, they searched row after row, finding each one empty, until....

"Guys! There's something in that cage in the corner!" Flash whispered loudly.

The team maneuvered to the cage he pointed out and peered inside. On the floor of the cage, was a prone form in the shape of a pony. Half the rotten hay lining the cage floor looked as if it had been eaten.

"It's a unicorn!" Sparks exclaimed quietly.

"Are they dead?" Flash asked, concerned.

"I can't tell, we need to get in the cage." Said James.

"Step aside, I got this." Feather moved to the lock and took out a small set of tools from his pack.

He inspected the lock as best he could through the goggles before selecting three tools and gently inserting them into the lock. He jiggled and moved them around a bit before he gave one of them a twist, producing a sharp click. The hinges squealed as the door swung open. The four cringed and froze, scanning the area for anything the sound might have attracted. After a moment of silence, they all relaxed. James and Flash entered the cage and knelt down to examine the pony. He was male and very old, not to mention extremely dehydrated and mal nourished. They could count all his ribs. James put his ear down by the pony's mouth and listened. Faintly, very faintly, he could feel a weak flow of air coming from the pony's mouth.

"He's still alive! Quick, we need to give him some water!"

Flash took an extra canteen from his pack and handed it to James. The human tried to wake the pony, shaking him gently. Slowly, the old unicorn's eyes began to flutter open. His pupils were dilated wide, having not been exposed to sunlight for too long a time.

Weakly, he croaked, "I told you, I can't go. Please just let me be."

James whispered softly to the emaciated pony, "It's ok, you're safe. Drink this water slowly, we're getting you out of here." He pushed the open mouth of the canteen to the pony's lips. The old unicorn started to slurp it down greedily. James pulled the canteen away as the pony began to cough.

"Who- who are you?"

"Try to relax, we're with the Royal Guard, we're gonna get you out of here. Sparks, can you get him back to the camp with your magic?"

"Yes, I think so."

"Good, give me the comm pack, I'll strap it to mine. Flash, you go with him. Make sure you blind fold him before you reach the surface so you don't blind him. Myself and Feather will continue searching around. Keep comms open and stay safe." James then keyed his mic, "Sierra-2, Foxtrot."

"Foxtrot, Sierra-2, what can we do for you?"

"We've found a captive, he's in a bad condition. I'm sending him up with two of mine, I need you to prep an IV and signal Myst for a pick up, let her know she needs to get a patient to the hospital in town, ASAP. Over."

"Affirmative, Will comply, anything else? over."

"No, we're good. Myself and the other member of my team will continue exploration, we'll be back topside shortly, out."

Sparks gently lifted the unicorn out of the cave and levitated him out of the chamber while Flash followed close behind. James and Feather continued to explore the chamber. Aside from what they had found before, there was nothing else of interest. Eventually they came across another tunnel at the other end of the cavern. Curious, yet cautious, they stepped inside. They had only gone about twenty yards when Feather detected something that didn't quite feel right.

"James, the ground feel a little wierd to you?"

"Yeah, it seems a bit loose and... saggy?"

The ground James had just stepped on sank into the dark earth. He took a step back and where his foot had been was now just a hole.

"Ok, that's not good. We're heading back to the chamber to link up with the others. Flash, Sparks, you up?"

"Flash here, we've just finished loading the unicorn into the Clipper and Myst is on here way back to town. Now we're on our way back down."

"Outstanding, we'll meet you half way, this place is too dangerous--"

*CRACK*

"Feather, what was that?"

James looked over to his friend, who was frozen mid step, a look of horror upon his face. Beneath one of his hooves a large crack in the stone had appeared. And it began to spread.

"Oh, you've gotta be fucking kid--"

James was cut off as a great maw opened in the earth beneath them and swallowed the two like a ravenous demon from the depths of hell.

Comments

[akatsukislayer]

Pandora is too damn loud i almost missed being first all the time

[Amethyst_Spark]

First?

[SpeedyAstro]

Read the newest chapter from another story. That story updates with a new one.
Read the newest chapter from this story, and it updates with this one.

I am amazed.

[NotAvaliable]

I need to stop reading this chapters before commenting. It always gives everyone else the edge.
And why does every chapter have to end in a Cliff... dropper? collapser?

[Perception Filter]

BUM BUM BUM!

[akatsukislayer]

1106840 We can all agree that i won that round of internet fight even if it was only because PB was tired or somehing

[akatsukislayer]

1106859 denver.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw7483-whywontopstopbeingafaggot.PNG

[akatsukislayer]

1106868 denver.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw3636-1330028963222848.gif

[501st Party Brigade]

1106869 it ain't pony related so I just don't give a buck.

[akatsukislayer]

1106892 I am thinking of trying to get him banned for spam, it isn't worth the effort and he really didn't spam that badly.

[501st Party Brigade]

1106902 That or he really doesn't like us.

[ChainReaction]

Good chapter, good chapter. Flutteryay for you

[Roran Dreamon]

1107477 Does it look like I care?

images.sodahead.com/polls/002430427/3628429706_tumblr_lqm4mgjNoI1qihq0ko1_500_xlarge.gif

[4tehPlot]

1107426
25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2byayGqH71r3k1m8o1_500.png

[EvilEnchantress]

free falling

[Dancing Dead]

1102049>>1101952

imagemacros.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/technoviking.jpg

narwhaler.com/img/nd/7/caesar-says-gtfo-nd7FXY.jpg

http://cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/250x250/22790171.jpg

ts3.mm.bing.net/th?id=I4808306763826998&pid=1.5

images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111013201541/smuff/images/7/75/Gtfo.gif#gtfo%20gif

ts3.mm.bing.net/th?id=I4546386789598618&pid=1.5

protias.com/Pictures/GTFO/gtfo_ani.gif

cdn.smosh.com/sites/default/files/bloguploads/avengers-gif-all-gtfo.gif

api.ning.com/files/dhoYFAi5qVkvCnUtUOgn-XwADU0E84z7E05WjHOOJeptlwaOuMblLZtybAMm7dHP5KQ0-D48ZTiv-Xb0NyZWCUOAniKuIn*u/Obama_GTFO.gif

[CyberCommand]

1106942>>1106942>>1106902 you guys should be banned for spaming this is a comments post not a blog post or a chat room now for the last timeimages5.fanpop.com/image/photos/24900000/GTFO-my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-24917608-600-375.jpg

[CyberCommand]

you have the right idea

[CyberCommand]

just making sure that every one knows that the 50.cal is the best cal

[akatsukislayer]

1110288 The only one spamming here is you.

[CyberCommand]

1110302 look at how meny comments i have now cout the amount of comments you have now
mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw6217-GTFO.gif

[501st Party Brigade]

1109929>>1110288 Why are guys still on about this we already stopped and were only having fun. Besides if anyone is spamming it's you two with gtfo photos seriously you both put up more than both of us. And if you are still upset
mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw620_130515737194.jpg
And have a nice day.

[M3Xkillers]

1106795 Nnope

[M3Xkillers]

1106849 It is Cliffhanger

[NotAvaliable]

1111837
But they're not hanging. They have already fallen.

[M3Xkillers]

1111968 I see what you did there.

[Dancing Dead]

1111429

[501st Party Brigade]

1112152 At least you seem to have a sence of humor.

[Dancing Dead]

1112227

FINALLY
i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/162/317/2vA1a.png?1313349760
SOMEONE WHO UNDERSTANDS

And also: *sense

[Emerald Zweihander]

love the story mate.

[Focusphobia]

1111429
Hilariously enough, that's a suppository.

[Bread Shot]

Fuck..... i posted somethign and my computer crashed cuz i delelted it..............
FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!
Anyways heres some congrats to good Humored PWNYS Yeah cuz dey PWNYS!:501st Party Brigade,akatsukislayer and Dancing Dead i would have joined but i nu noes how to post gifs and pics Mybe you can respond to this and tell me how?

[damnaion]

dam

[Godiswithus3]

Well crap.