Baa-Ram-Ewe!

by Darkonshadows

134. San Fransokyo Shuffle: Part 1.

-Equus, Meadow Hills, Fizzle-

“Ugh, how can this one lambkin be so annoying?!” I rubbed my forehead with my hooves in tiny little circles. The door was impervious to unicorn magic and a lot of other things, the bunker was pretty sound if not almost foolproof.

“I have to admit, the security this guy has on their bunker beats anything I’ve ever seen anywhere. Not that I’ve seen much.” Gallus stated from next to me. “I’ve heard a lot about lambkin, but I thought they were exaggerating.”

“While it’s true that Lambkin don’t exactly have an active military, aside from the occasional figurative black sheep, they don’t seem to have any issues when it comes to building incredibly ridiculous fortifications.” I calmed down and thought about how to drag them out of the bunker.

Lambkin tended to panic easily, but this was a ridiculous reaction to a world summit needing delegates from every corner of the world. Why was this guy even a delegate if they’ve never done their job? At least Jade was doing hers, even if she was making a complete mockery of it.

“I’ll say, how are we going to get the guy out of there?” Don’t honestly know Gallus, but I did have an idea. The griffon knocked on the door several times, yet there was no response. “The door looks impenetrable, kind of like the doors to Tartarus our teachers showed us on a field trip. That the lambkin even got a unicorn proof door installed is quite impressive.”

“Hmm… who says we have to go through the door?” That’s how we would do this, my loves would approve of the chicanery I just thought up. “Why make a door so resilient, when all the walls around it don’t match its integrity and are much easier to bust through?”

“Ah… that does seem to be a bit dumb, but this is a lambkin we’re dealing with. The door is effective enough on its own with all the dirt, rock and minerals in the way of simply digging past it.” Gallus had some good logic. “It’s still going to take forever to dig the guy out, so should I grab some shovels and get started?”

“No.” I had a better idea. “We need Maud Pie, can you go back to Ponyville and quickly procure her services?”

-Earth, California, San Fransokyo, Basemax HQ, Hiro-

Big Hero Six’s headquarters was coming along great and we’ve finally worked out all the bugs, no more training room rampancy… hopefully. I ran my purple gauntlet under my beak as I stared at the readouts while waiting for everyone to take a seat.

“Okay guys we’ve got something big going on around city.” I had an idea of who they were looking for, it wasn’t exactly hard to figure out when Aunt Cass had made an acquaintance of the one who was likely a target for a number of armed people. “Leap Lamb is at the center of it, her hotel room was recently shot up by a bunch of thugs.”

“Oh no… is she and her dog okay?” Looking to Honey Lemon, she seemed quite upset and was pulling at one of her ears. Caper Canine was adorable and Honey Lemon wanted to be on better terms with both her and Leap Lamb.

“That’s just it, from what little I know, there was no blood and she likely wasn’t there when they busted in while firing their guns.” I gave it a few seconds before someone finally asked about it. “Also the mattress to the bed is missing.”

“How are you getting this information?” Go-go’s tail twitched as she crossed her arms and she stared me down at the image of police tape on the scene.

“Mini-max is currently acting as a reconnaissance for us. Also I don’t know where Leap Lamb is, but she’s being actively hunted by people trying to kill her.” I paused and started typing things out in Basemax and sent a few queries to Mini-max, I brought up a screen showing the room in question filled with bullet holes. Mini-max had gotten a few good visuals on it.

My friends gained grim looks as they looked at just how many bullets were fired into this hotel room.

“Pom Lambchop, also known as Leap Lamb, has several highly impairing health issues.” Baymax informed us helpfully after studying the image. “She is in great need of our aid as heroes.”

“What kind of health issues could she possibly have?” Wasabi was still fixing his plasma blade gauntlet as we sat and looked at the screen that showed a layout of the city of San Fransokyo. “She took down El Fuego in minutes, are her health issues really that bad if she can do that?”

“Yeah, that was really cool.” Fred-meleon stated as he leaned back and kicked his feet up on the table. “We didn’t even need to suit up, she just wrapped a piece of cloth around her head and went at him bare hoof and no weapons.”

“With some reluctance if you hadn’t notice.” Good point Go-Go, maybe this recent event is why she was reluctant to get into a fight. It drew attention to her and that’s why she looked so defeated afterwards, because she knew people were gunning for her.

“I have diagnosed Pom with heavy bruising, heightened anxiety and stress levels, an Arrhythmia based heart condition, cracked ribs and a healing gunshot wound to the chest that has happened within the realm of a week. I have personally removed the stitches and aided in a quicker recovery. Given her general size and weight, any excessive bleeding can quickly lead to death by anemia. She has a device that is already monitoring her health and is capable of giving her real time information of her and her companion’s health. It has been stated by the Personal Exploration Terminal that Leap Lamb flat lined at least seven times in the course of getting her worst injuries treated and made mention of the train incident where she was nearly hit directly by two rocket artillery rounds.” Baymax wouldn’t be telling us this if there wasn’t a good reason for it. He does care about patient confidentiality unless it was very important that other people be informed of issues, issues that heroes like us would need to take into account. “Her capabilities are pushing her body well beyond their natural limits, the buildup of stress and injuries enacted upon her need time to heal and she is not receiving that time to make a full recovery. While she can still fight, it is not highly recommended as she is likely limited to anywhere between half or even a quarter of her full strength.”

“Were these injuries still enough to be a problem when she fought El Fuego?” Honey was looking at the table and rubbing at her arm now.

“Yes, it was actually to her benefit that she ended the fight as swiftly as she did. Apparently her hearing is fine, her super powers may be preventing hearing loss.” So wait, if what Baymax was telling us is correct, then did that mean Leap Lamb fought and beat El Fuego while at a serious disadvantage… and she still won?! “I cannot calculate how much her super powers are compensating for all of her current health issues, if they are at all. She was naturally born and has no genetic or mechanical enhancements, her capabilities are in fact supernatural and completely unexplainable by any realm of known science. Her companion Dolly, also known as Caper Canine, is a completely normal Dalmatian aside from showing signs of intelligence that are more in line with an animalistic person. It is unknown if Dolly has supernatural capabilities beyond her skateboard deflecting energy and showing signs of unnatural durability. I believe they both are currently in great need of our help.”

“Yeah, I also feel bad about spooking her when she first got here, we really need to make it up to Leap Lamb… so I can get an autograph from a real super powered hero!” Fred looked at the map of San Fransokyo and seemed to be ignoring the glares we were sending him. “Where do you think she went? I’m kind of surprised we haven’t dealt with something that isn’t related to the crazy super science stuff we get into around here.”

“I am more concerned about the tanks and artillery parked around the outskirts of San Fransokyo.” I stated as I brought up the images of them around the city. “I agree that we should help Leap Lamb if she needs it, but we also need to be on the alert for anything else happening tonight. This might be the most dangerous the streets have ever been.”

My friends sent each other worrying glances. We were mostly bulletproof, but even if we weren’t we did have several methods to deal with a large number of people that had guns.

“We’re going to use our ultra-armor upgrades.” I stated solemnly and my friends nodded, we needed the power boost.

“That is a good precaution, I would also like to remind everyone that Leap Lamb and Caper Canine are not in fact bulletproof.” They certainly weren’t Baymax, but they were apparently smart enough to avoid being in a hotel room that was going to be filled with bullets. “We should hurry.”

-Location: ???, Pom-

I was passing through an underground place that looked like a really bad fight had happened here.

“Is this a villain’s lair?” Dolly’s voice caused me to jerk and my heart to shoot up my throat. I looked at Dolly on my back, she was just yawning. The first thing she did when I let her loose from my wool was stretch herself out. “You are really comfortable to sleep on Pom. Whoa… cool… what do you think happened there?”

She was pointing at a piece of machinery sticking out of the ceiling.

“If you access the computer, maybe I can find out.” Dormarch stated from my left leg. I looked over to the computer and moved over to it. “The power switch is down and to the right. It should still have a viable power source.”

I turned on the computer and waited for Dormarch to do whatever it was he did.

“Okay, this is the villain lair of a steam punk villain named Baron Von Steamer and the guy doesn’t seem to understand computers very well. Several points of access to this lair were lost because… huh… from a battle with the robots that currently work at the Lucky Cat Café and those six heroes who accosted us entering the city?” Dormarch looked a little concerned to learn that, as was I. “We can get out of here and into the cities junkyard via a nearly unknown access hatch in… that direction.”

Dormarch was pointing me in a given direction and I nodded.

“Right, come on Dolly.” As I followed Dormarch’s directions for a few minutes, I had a thought. “Dolly do you think you could…”

“No.” Dolly stated flatly. “You’re not making me nearly leave you behind again!”

“Quiet Dolly, there are people down here and they could hear us.” I looked about nervously before entering a tunnel Dormarch had pointed us towards. “Dormarch can you call Dolly’s family?”

“No, we’re too far underground at the moment, also while the computer back there did have power it didn’t have any form of surface based communications up. So we can’t do so until we get above ground.” Thank you for telling me we didn’t need to go back Dormarch, I think it was better that we kept moving forward anyway.

I turned off the computer and started making my way for the tunnel.

“What would you need my ‘fam’ for?” Asked Dolly as she walked at my side.

“To at least send some information to Ocellus and Smolder in case we can’t ditch the mercenaries safely, I’m not leading mercenary’s right to them. So I want to tell them to look into Abigail Callaghan for a possibly way to get us home.” After I said that, Dolly froze up slightly. “What’s the matter Dolly?”

“You might have a way back home?” This is where Dolly started acting curiously, her face looked a bit pained too. “When did that happen?”

“Dolly wants to know when we found a possible way for me to return back home.” It didn’t take me a long time to get a response from Dormarch.

“After accessing the wireless network in the hotel and our room was attacked. I looked up various key figures in relation to San Fransokyo over the last few years that might come after us.” Dormarch answered. “Abigail Callaghan came up as a research specialist in dimensional travel technology which might aid Pom and her friends in returning home to where they come from. It was a part of the Yokai incident at Krei Tech.”

“Huh…” Dolly looked to me and seemed to be in thought about something. “What did you want me to do? I’m not going to do it because I’m sticking right by your side Pom, but I at least want to know.”

I sighed, knowing she was going to be upset with me and I could feel her getting upset already.

“You were right Dolly, I was going to send you away… I wanted you to find a Dr. Wendy Wower, she apparently knows where Abigail Callaghan is or how to get in contact with her. It would have been safer than being around me.” We both felt the pain of hurt as I said this, I winced and for some reason Dolly didn’t as she looked away rubbing her right paw along the black fur of her left leg.

“If I’m your sidekick, then I’m going to be at your side for this one Pom, regardless of the dangers involved! I don’t want safe, I want us both to be okay!” Dolly stated sternly as she looked up to me with a determined glare. “I know exactly what were you were going to be doing while I was looking for this Bow-Wower person. Don’t do you dare try and ditch me to do that! I’m supposed to have your back here and I intend to do just that! I actually want to meet Ocellus and Smolder with you and be able to proudly look them in the eyes and say that I was there when you needed me this time. I wasn’t there for you in Zootopia and you almost… you almost…”

“Dolly… you got hurt by that Professor Nimnul person… I’m just trying to look out for you and give you safer things to do than die trying to protect or help me.” Our bond strengthened and didn’t weaken as Dolly pressed herself against my legs whimpering, which was weird because Dolly sounded quite upset with me at the moment. “You supported me on the train and the fire at the studio, I just want you to be safer than I am. Did I ever ask too much of you after that? You’re still healing Dolly.”

I just pulled Dolly into a hug and she clamped her paws around me, he tail vaguely shifting back and forth.

“Quiet, we got incoming.” Dormarch’s whispered words drifted over the both of us before I could try to speak to Dolly again, we heard sounds coming from a different passageway. “Next location, sewer pipe to bypass blockage to junkyard access. Look for L 3 written on the walls. It is the third pipe on the left from there.”

I picked up Dolly in my front hooves and ran up to the ceiling on my hind legs as a light filtered down the junction we were passing through. I looked around and eventually spotted the ‘L 3’ where we needed to go.

“We’ll discuss things later Pom.” Dolly yipped quietly in my hooves. As we saw several mercenaries turn the corner, it was a good thing they weren’t in the habit of looking up.

“I swore I heard something coming from down this way.” One of them stated as they approached us, warily looking at every shadow.

There were four of them, we could possibly take two down immediately, but the others might react quickly enough to our presence to injure us. We could easily safely make a run for it without alerting them to us… or we could draw more people down here on a wild goose chase to rescue this group after we knock them out.

It was a vast difference of having less or more people to deal with later, plus the risks involved of not being at full capacity for something worse in the future. This was a fight we could afford to avoid, not one we could afford to lose.

I placed my forehead against Dolly’s and I closed my eyes, I pulled on our familiar bond and let my ideas flow to her and ideas started coming back. They came fast and our current feelings mixed leaving us both feeling a little off.

When she pulled her forehead away, Dolly opened her eyes and gave me a look of determination. She had a slight grin on her face as she took hold of her skateboard strap with her paws and tilted her head at the guys below us.

Giving Dolly a slight frown, I wasn’t going to enjoy what we had to do next even if I had agreed to do this silently. We were in sync with one another in this moment.

We didn’t know how many people were after us, but we would deal with this one step at a time. Maybe we could ask Baymax for help if we saw him, I was willing to give his five friends a fresh chance after our awkward first meeting.

Dolly would start the attack and then I would follow. We had to do this quickly and efficiently.

Dolly was facing nose to the floor while gripping onto my body and we waited as they passed by below us.

-Mook Horror Show-

The front two mercenaries aimed their beams down two tunnels not seeing anything aside from maybe a scrounging rat or a cockroach scuttling away from the light as they continued down the path. There were no signs of anything have disturbed the area.

“Wait…” One of the front two mercenaries stated. “Behind us!”

There was no more light coming from behind them, the two of them swung around and immediately fired their guns. There was nothing there, where their two comrades used to be, they shined their lights upwards and down the tunnels looking in every direction and above themselves.

“Where the hell is our rear guard?!” The mercenary stated and began panicking as the moved forward and back towards the junction. They immediately spun around and fired several shots because the light from the other mercenary winked out behind them.

Again the bullets found nothing but darkness and the light showed no bodies.

Slowly the mercenary started shaking as they reached for their radio, they had set up a network beacons to stay in communication with one another.

“Help, we’re under…” The radio was knocked from the mercenaries hand by a pair of rear paws, as their helmet was knocked away by the front paws of a vaguely dog shaped blur. The last thing they saw in the light, in complete wide eyed terror, was a hoof flying straight towards their temple from above.

“Teams call in!” A voice sounded out from the radio.

“Alpha here, no sign of trouble.” One voice stated.

“Beta here, we spotted Shred Treads setting up another sniper nest.” Another voice stated.

“Gamma here, we’re okay.” A third voice called out. “We think we might have spotted the infamous assassin Agent Forty…”

The silence following Gamma’s statement was met with a cold sense of dread. After thirty seconds a response came.

“We’re writing off team Gamma.” The first voice stated.

“Delta here, no sign of contact.” Sounded out a fourth voice.

The radio on the floor was soon picked up by a paw and a mouth smirked before inhaling.

“AARRRrrrrWOOOoooo!” A Dalmatian belted out one of the loudest howls they have ever done in their life.

“Gah! That came from Epsilons position, Epsilon are you there!” The first voice called out once more, thy only received cheerful sounding barks. “Darn it, team Epsilon has been taken out too, by Caper Canine and likely Leap Lamb as well. Converge on their position from all sides!”

“Do not under any circumstances underestimate Caper Canine. Remember, shoot to kill, no hesitation!” The first voice continued. “We can get the device after they are dead! Switch all frequencies to predetermined set five, we do not want the world’s best assassin tracking us down or cornering us down here!”

“Affirmative!” Several voices called out.

-Dolly-

“Ugh… the smell is nauseating!” I grumbled while digging my nose into Pom’s wool.

“Please bear with it for a little while longer Dolly. We’re almost there.” Pom got us out of there fast, nobody would be able to get up to the pipe or be able to follow us to here quickly. “Also, remember that my nose is just as sensitive as yours is. I’m not happy about this either.”

The blood was kind of rushing to my head, but at least we were almost through it. Eventually we came out of the other side of pipe and Pom started to move along the wall.

“It should be just ahead.” Dormarch announced and I pointed at it with a paw, it had a ladder.

Pom nodded and climbed upwards and pushed upwards on the hatch, it didn’t budge. She propped her legs up against the wall and then forcefully pushed upwards and the hatch popped and a landslide of random junk went past us as we found ourselves climbing out of the hatch into a junkyard.

“Contact Dolly’s family.” Pom stated immediately.

“Contacting, this may take a moment.” Dormarch stated, a circle with an arrow rotated a few times and eventually an image popped up on the screen.

“Hello? Oh, hey Dolly, morning Pom.” Da Vinci looked to be a little less shy and her tongue was still a nice shade of blue like it usually was.

“Hey Da Vinci, we’re currently in a bit of a situation, being hunted by mercenaries again, but don’t worry we got this!” I stated with what looked to be a cheerful smile. “Anyway we need you to write down a few names for Pom’s friends to look into. Tell Hunter to send them through to his cousin who lives near where Ocellus and Smolder are staying, we might be held up from getting to Duckberg for a few days. We need some time to ditch these guys.”

Da Vinci nodded and went away for a few seconds and came back with a piece of paper and sat down.

“What are the names you need them to look into?” Da Vinci asked with a no nonsense tone.

“Professor Abigail Callaghan, Dr. Wower and anyone else along the lines of having anything to do with experimental dimensional technology like that that doesn’t have a criminal history.” Pom responded while putting a hoof around me. “We’ll be busy for the foreseeable future, so we’ll try to call back when things are a little less hectic.”

With that we cut the call and made our way warily down a junk pile, Pom immediately grabbed me and leaped back onto the pile as a barely visible translucent blue knife struck the ground and stuck into it.

She looked up at the figure that threw it at us.

“Hello there.” The blue and black suited figure stated as she fanned out several knives in each hand. “Hope you two are ready to lose that device and some blood.”

Comments

[Alchemik]

Well. That escalated quickly.