The Equestrian Odyssey - A Tale of Two Worlds

by Kamahido

Chapter 18 - The Getaway

As Arc steps inside the Landmaster and closes the back door he turns to Rose as she scans Hugh.

“How is he?”

“His life is not in danger.”

Xenos frowns. “Then why is he out?”

Rose sighs. “Shock most likely. I will continue to monitor his vitals.”

Viktor looks to Arc soberly. “I’ll keep an eye on him.”

Arc nods. “Good. Max, you drive.”

“M-me, sir?”

Arc shrugs. “Hugh’s in no shape to do it.”

“Yes sir.”

He makes his way over to the driver’s seat as Arc turns to Xenos.

“Xenos, copilot. Rose, take Viktor’s station. Auriel… you know what to do.”

Xenos, Rose, and Auriel nod. “Yes sir.”

Auriel looks back to him as she takes her seat. “What’s the plan for getting past the guards at the gate, Arc?”

Sereb winces as he lies down. “And their towers.”

“Originally my plan was to ride Sereb out first and draw their fire.”

Sereb attempts to stand up. “I am still open to that.”

“Well, you’re not quite ready for that, big guy. So we’re moving on to ‘Plan B’.”

Ember frowns as she carefully helps Viktor apply pressure to Hugh’s wounds. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Arc.”

Auriel grimaces. “Agreed. It will make you quite a bit less mobile.”

Viktor looks over. “Maybe not ‘less’ but a different kind entirely.”

Arc sighs. “We’ve all practiced for this run accordingly. Now all that’s left to do is to see it through to the end.”

Everyone nods solemnly as Arc turns to Auriel.

“As soon as I leave, raise the shields.”

“I… yes sir.”

Sereb growls. “That will leave you vulnerable, Arc.”

Ember grits her teeth. “Yeah. No Blinking back inside if things get dicey.”

“I know. But this plan has the highest chance of success. Everyone has their orders, so let’s get this show on the road.”

As Arc steps to the back, Auriel stands up.

“Just a moment!”

“What is it?”

“You’ll need one last thing out there.”

“Oh?”

Auriel walks quickly over to Arc with the Spear of Righteousness. However as she hands it to him, she pulls off his helmet, raises his mask and plants a passionate kiss on his lips for several seconds before stepping back and smiling.

“A-Auriel?!”

She giggles. “For luck.”

Ember chuckles. “It worked last time, right?”

“Uh… yeah, I guess.”

She stoops down and picks up his helmet as Arc lowers his mask back into position. “You just be careful out there, okay?”

Arc nods. “I will.”

Opening the back door Arc steps out. Viktor turns to Auriel and grins.

“Glad to see you send off the commander with the proper… motivation.”

Ember laughs. “Way to go, Auriel!”

Auriel smiles as she returns to her seat. “I just wanted to kiss him in this form at least once.”

Sereb raises an eyebrow. “As a demon?”

Auriel nods. “We already kissed when I was a human. But it didn’t feel right. It was like I wasn’t being true to myself back then. Now I have no regrets.”

Meanwhile, Arc leans against the back of the Landmaster for a moment to collect his thoughts before walking over to the massive overhead door. Auriel channels the power from the Bloodstone and redirects it into the O.R.B. system as the shields spring to life. He kneels down in front of the door and gets to work Mio sits up weakly and looks over to Arc.

“What… what are you doing?”

“Leaving.”

Mio shakes her head. “That seems rather unlikely, as that door is made of the strongest alloys known to humanity.”

Arc shrugs. “Well, you’d better open it for me then.”

“That’s not going to happen. Oh, and by the way, it’s also magically reinforced. Just for an extra layer of protection.”

The elevator behind them begins to rise. Stingray looks over from tending to Hammer’s wounds and grins.

“Sounds like reinforcements are on the way. Would you like to surrender now… Hero?”

“Nah. I’ll see myself out.”

Hammer grunts. “No shame in knowing when you’re beat.”

Mio smiles. “Agreed. Colonel Diva is probably on her way as well.”

Stingray chuckles. “Right. And you haven’t done so well against her in the past.”

“Her and I have a score to settle. But that will have to wait for another day.”

Arc turns his head to the three sergeants.

“Oh… and sorry for the hole.”

Mio raises an eyebrow. “What hole?”

Arc steps aside, revealing a large bomb.

“The one this is going to make.”

He walks behind the Landmaster with the Spear of Righteousness slung over his shoulder and a remote detonator in his gauntlet. Mio hobbles over to her sisters.

“The missing Mana Bomb from Safehouse #5?!”

Stingray gasps. “How’d he get THAT?!”

Hammer grits her teeth as she grabs Stingray and pulls her to the ground. “MIO!”

“On it!”

She casts a Barrier Spell as Arc turns on the detonator and presses the red button atop it. A massive blast rocks the building as the door blows outward, smashing into the guard shack at the end of the bridge. Wasting no time, Arc Blinks through the door to the courtyard outside. Charging up massive fireballs in the palm of each hand he throws them at the two turrets on either side of the bridge. They hit their targets dead on, obliterating them. Grinning inside his helmet Arc turns to the Landmaster and points toward the bridge.

“GO!!!”

Tires squealing, the vehicle lunges forward. It smashes through the remains of the overhead door and across the courtyard. Minerva jumps out of her seat aboard the helicopter as Dave instinctively pulls the chopper away from the base.

“What the heck was THAT Miss Moore?!”

Minerva gasps. “He… he really IS attacking the base!”

“What do we do?!”

Minerva grabs a camera and latches her safety harness to a bolt overhead. “Broadcast it! Notify the station that we need to go live and stay with the Hero’s vehicle!”

“Yes ma’am!”

She raises the camera to her shoulder and mutters to herself. “I don’t get it. Why does he want everyone to see him carry out such a wild stunt?”

Meanwhile, Stingray, Hammer, and Mio look up and gasp.

“Impossible!”

“I… can’t believe it!”

“They really DID get away!”

Hammer chuckles as she looks at Arc. “Well, looks like they forgot their leader.”

She points to the Hero whom stands just outside the ruins of the overhead door as he watches the Landmaster cross the bridge and veer deftly onto the main road. Stingray turns back to the raising elevator.

“Well, our reinforcements should be up here in a few minutes.”

Mio smiles. “At least this mess isn’t a total loss.”

Arc shakes his head as he looks to them. “Haven’t you three figured it out yet. I always have a plan.”

Turning to the courtyard, Arc returns the Spear of Righteousness to his ring and raises his gauntlets. He fires his Hand Cannons numerous times, hitting each of the electrical poles leading to the base. The lights flicker and dim before failing entirely. Slowly the mechanical hum of the elevator stops as Arc turns back to the three women, as the only illumination now comes from the numerous fires that now burn around them.

“You three had best hope that we never meet again.”

They glare at him as Arc turns away. Reaching into his ring he pulls out a small item which he places on the ground. Casting the Matter Compacting counter spell he returns it to its normal size. A full-size, completely rebuilt gleaming white motorcycle stands before him. Arc Blinks onto the seat, starts the mana engine, revs it a few times, and looks back a final time.

“Hammer… take care of yourself.”

She looks at Arc quizzically as he guns the engine and takes off after the others. As he reaches the end of the bridge Arc makes a sharp turn onto the road as he talks into his earring.

“Arc to Sunburst.”

“Go ahead, sir.”

“Phase one is complete.”

Sunburst grins. “You found her?!”

“That I did. Are you ready on your end?”

“Yes sir. The Equinox is prepped and ready to go on your command.”

“Good. Notify Captain Tight Ship to take off. We’ll meet him at the agreed upon location.”

“Yes sir. How… how is she?”

Arc frowns. “Not the greatest. Notify Doctor Whooves to get aboard and be prepared to meet us in the Cargo Bay.”

“He’s already aboard your ship, sir.”

“Perfect. With luck we’ll see you soon. Arc out.”

He grins and guns the motor.

“Now then… let’s get caught up to the others.”

Cherry gasps. “Be careful, Arc! This machine is beyond powerful!”

“Yeah. But we need to put distance between us and the base.”

“You’re expecting them to retaliate?!”

“That I am.”

“But I thought that’s why you blacked out their base!”

“With luck that will hinder them, yes. But I’m guessing they have ways of pursuing us without power.”

Meanwhile, the three sergeants look toward the bridge silently. Hammer is the first to speak.

“Did… did that really just happen?!”

Stingray nods sadly. “Yes.”

Mio sighs. “We were defeated by… a bunch of weirdos.”

Stingray grunts. “I wonder how…”

A voice rings out behind them.

“IDIOTS!!!”

They whirl around to see a very angry Diva walking toward them.

“Colonel Diva, we…!”

Stingray is cut off as Diva’s boot connects with her gut. Mio gasps for breath as she feels a powerful Telekinesis Spell tighten around her neck. Kneeling down, Diva grabs Hammer’s bandages and gives them a firm squeeze. The young woman screams out in pain as Stingray rushes to her sister’s side.

“Colonel, please!”

Mio gasps. “Yes, we… did our… best!”

Hammer cries out in agony as fresh blood seeps through her bandages. “That and they outnumbered us, ma’am!”

Diva stands and kicks Hammer in the face. “But it was YOUR FAULT they got that far, Hammer!”

Stingray winces. “We’ll do better, ma’am!”

Mio begins to turn blue. Yes! Please… give us… another chance!

Glaring at them, Diva opens a portal and points to it as she releases her grip on Mio.

“Get in there!”

Stingray, Hammer, and Mio hurry to obey. They put their arms around Hammer’s shoulders and help her through as Diva follows them and shakes her head.

“Screwups…”

Diva and the sergeants emerge in a dimly lit cave. They hurry on their way toward a large cavern with massive airplane in it. She points to the craft.

“Get aboard and we’ll see about salvaging this pathetic failure of yours!”

Mio looks at the trail of blood behind them. “But what about Hammer?”

“Patch me up and get me back in the action!”

Stingray grits her teeth. “But, you can’t…!”

“We have to stop this guy here and now!”

Diva runs toward the cockpit. “That idiot’s right for once! Now get her wounds dressed as best you can and prepare for takeoff!”

Sitting down in the pilot’s seat, Diva begins the startup process as she mutters to herself angrily.

“There’s no way I’m going to let that two-legged FREAK get back to Equestria THIS TIME!!!”

Meanwhile, Arc speeds off after the Landmaster. Minerva and Dave follow them in the helicopter.

“We just received word from the station, Miss Moore! You’ll be on the air in thirty seconds!”

“Good! Try to keep us as steady as possible!”

“You sure you can talk and shoot?!”

“Not much of a choice right now! Unless you can shoot AND fly the chopper!”

Dave sighs. “I guess it’ll have to do!”

Minerva takes a deep breath and mutters to herself. “It’s all come down to this. Time to do what I was born to.”

A voice comes over her headset from the station as they interrupt the regularly scheduled program.

“This just in! Our very own Minerva Moore is reporting on a high speed getaway of none other than our town’s very own Hero of Light. What can you tell us, Minerva?”

“Not much right now, Tom. There was a large explosion at the military base outside Angel Grove.”

“And our Hero caused it?”

“It seems that way. After the blast a large armored vehicle blew through security followed by our town’s hero on a very strange looking motorcycle.”

“Could he have been chasing the perpetrators, Minerva?”

“I don’t think so, Tom.”

She zooms in on the Landmaster.

“As you can see, the vehicle seems to have the same symbol on it as his armor.”

“So you believe he was responsible for the explosion?!”

Minerva sighs. “I can’t think of any other explanation, Tom. But for now we’ll stay aloft and see where he leads us.”

Meanwhile, Arc speaks to his troops via his earring

“Arc to Ember.”

“Go ahead.”

“How’s Hugh?”

“Coming around. He’s in a lot of pain though.”

Viktor looks toward the speaker. “We’re applying pressure to the wounds, sir. But he’s still a bit… punchy.”

Max grimaces. “Maybe he hit his head.”

Xenos sighs. “Or the shock of the explosion knocked something loose.”

Rose shakes her head. “I believe it was a combination of the two in addition to the trauma and blood loss from his wounds.”

“Keep an eye on him. Rose, anything on scanners?”

“Nothing, Arc. With any luck it’ll be smooth sailing to the rendezvous point.”

Ember grits her teeth. “We’re not usually that lucky.”

“Twilight?”

Ember looks down at the mare in her arms. “Don’t worry, princess. We’ll keep you safe. I promise.”

“Rose to Arc!”

“What is it?”

“I just picked up an aircraft heading our way!”

“Ignore it. That’s just Minerva. Remember, I asked her to…”

“No, no! A different craft! And it’s coming in fast!”

Ember gasp. “Can we outrun them?”

Max looks in the rear view mirror. “In this?! Not a chance!”

Arc groans. “How much longer until they overtake us?”

“Two minutes!”

Auriel gasps. “What do we do?!”

“Nothing we can do other than try to evade them at this point. Rose, I need to know whatever you can tell me about their offensive capabilities.”

Rose shakes her head. “There’s nothing to tell!”

Auriel appears confused. “How…?

“I only picked them up because of a slight disturbance put off by their craft hitting a bird.”

Max gasps. “So it’s a stealth aircraft!”

“Sounds like it.”

Xenos raises an eyebrow. “General Mustang must have quite the arsenal at his disposal over there.”

Ember clenches a fist as she holds Celestia tight. “Yeah. And he’s not about to let us go that easily.”

“How are you doing over there, Auriel?”

“Shields are functioning normally.”

Arc shakes his head. “I mean are YOU okay?”

Auriel blushes slightly. “Oh… yes, I’m fine.”

Ember glances through the windshield. “Good thing there’s no one living out this way.”

Arc chuckles. “I picked this route for just that reason. There was another road we could have taken to get us to the rendezvous point in half the time. But it led us through the heart of Angel Grove.”

The sound of an aircraft can be heard some distance away. Rose frowns.

“They’re… slowing down?”

Xenos turns to her. “But why…?”

“And dropping altitude fast!”

Max gasps. “You think they’re going to crash into us?!”

Arc grits his teeth. “I doubt it. That’d kill them too, after all. Whatever they’re going to do, they’re going to do it, and soon! Stay on your toes, everyone! Things are about to get REAL!”

Comments

[Booster Spice]

Thats why you use drawbridges. You blow the door, you lose the bridge.

[Kamahido]

10950244
I will forward your suggestion to General Mustang as soon as possible.

[Ghost Alvasa]

hmmm....