The Conversion Bureau: Prisoners of War

by Codexwriter476

...Or Flight

Birds chirped as Pester hobbled behind the group. They had decided to avoid the highway and opted for side roads on their advance to Buffalo. Murdoch took point with a shotgun in hand, with Kelly close behind with a pistol. Jackson took the rear, a pair of pistols holstered and hunting rifle and keeping a weary eye out for any Pegasi patrols. Most of the roads were completely empty as they approached a sign, welcoming them to Fonda. They had been hiking/ hobbling for two and a half days now and had yet seen hide or hair of ponies.

“Jackson. You and Toby stay here. I’ll move up with Kelly and make sure the town’s clear.” Murdoch turned to the two. For a short time now, everyone was starting to call Pester by his actual name, including the one guy who mocked him back at the camp.

“Stay low and quiet.” He added and rushed ahead, Kelly tailing behind. The town before them laid abandoned, natural overgrowth slowly making its way towards the foundations. Everything that wasn’t nailed down littered streets and alleys. There seemed to be some promise from an old car lot, still containing a few cars and an abandoned ambulance. “Kelly, go get the others and meet back here.” He looked to the ambulance. It would definitely give Toby a break.

Kelly took off, backtracking to the tree line to fetch the others when something caught the corner of her eye. It moved too fast for her to get a detailed look but she one thing: It wasn’t another human. Pistol at the ready, she quickened her pace to find the guys hunkered low next to a suburban home.

“We found a ride, but there’s something here. Let’s go.” She whispered and assisted Toby on his feet. Jackson pulled the bolt back a forward, exchanging a fresh round.

Back at the ambulance, Murdoch was looking over everything inside. More medical supplies, a few pistol rounds, and some bags of trail mixes. He made his way back to the front to see the three friends rush their way over to the ambulance, Toby wincing in pain at each forced step. He rushed to the back to open the doors.

“I saw something on my way to get them.” Kelly said only to catch the same glimpse from before pass behind Murdoch. She shoved him aside and fired off two rounds. The bullets pinged off the concrete, missing the blur entirely. As quick as it came, another strafed the group and disappeared.

“Son of a bitch!” Jackson shouted out, wincing in pain. An arrow dug deep into his arm with blood slowly seeping out the wound. Dropping his rifle, he took out one of the pistols and shot wildly into the air. Another arrow flew through the air and forced the pistol out of his hand.

“Jackson! Get in!” Toby shouted, Kelly closing the door behind him. Murdoch was now seating in the driver’s seat.

“Get going Murdoch! I’ll handle this.” Jackson said as another arrow pierced his thigh, the head poking out through the knee. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!” He muttered and collapsed to the ground just short of the doors. Murdoch got out, spraying a few shots from his shotgun and took hold of Jackson.

“Are you trying to get yourself killed?” Murdoch shouted, swinging the back door open and shoving him in. A fifth arrow made its mark, squarely into Murdoch’s back. He winced in pain and closed the door. “Kelly, get out of here!” He pounded the side and hobbled away in hopes of luring their attackers away.

“Murdoch! We’re not leaving without you.” Kelly shouted.

“Drive you damn bitch! Drive!” He shouted back, threatening to shoot her. Frightened, Kelly took hold of the wheel and started off down the road. Murdoch stumbled towards the nearby sales office, arrows striking his left arm. He dropped his shotgun and collapsed onto the ground, his breath slowing and labored. He looked back to see the blurs slow down and approaching him. Distinctive clops stuck the concrete as he slowly pulled out his sidearm. A blue aura surrounded the gun and tossed it aside, unarming the wounded behemoth. Standing before him were three Pegasi guards, their crossbows aimed at his neck and a much larger pony wearing a darker color of armor.

“In the name of her majesties, you’re under arrest...” The voice blurred as Murdoch slowly subdued into unconsciousness.

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The ambulance drove as quickly as possible down the highway bound for Buffalo, though getting past the frontlines maybe a problem. They all were silent, trying to cope with the loss of their friend, especially Jackson.

“The fucker. He just had to be a fucking hero. What’s he trying to prove? That’s his not the pussy from before?” Jackson said to himself, though loud enough for Toby and Kelly to hear. He stopped to review those words. “Damn it brother. What were you trying to prove?” He muttered under his breath, barely audible to the others.

“Don’t worry Jackson. I’m sure he’ll pull through. He did help us get away.” Toby rested a hand on his back. “Now, let’s try and get those arrows out of you.” Grunting from his own pain, Toby did his best to remove the arrows, occasionally getting cut. He noticed something odd about the cuts however.

“Jackson. What color are your cuts?” He asked.

“Red dumb ass.” Jackson replied emotionless.

“Then why are mine purple?” Jackson looked to Toby’s cuts from the arrows he removed to see not red wounds, but purple.

“Kelly. Pull over.” Jackson said.

“What?”

“PULL OVER!” Jackson worked his way to the front and slammed his good foot on the breaks. The ambulance pulled onto the median. Jackson forced the back doors open, pushed Toby out and aimed a pistol to his head.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Kelly screamed.

“He’s infected with that pony juice!”

“Well so are you!” Toby retorted back in fear. “You may not see it on the outside, but its in your bloodstream now. Either way, we’re both screwed.” Jackson’s hand was shaking at the facts, decreasing his aim. He was right, they were both infected. Inside his mind, he had just lost family, friends and now his humanity. He couldn’t take it anymore and stared down at the pistol as if it was a good friend.

“I‘m not turning into one of them.” Jackson said, leveling the gun to his temple. The barrel was still shaking, scrapping against his hair.

“Jackson, No!” Kelly shouted and forced his arm away just as he pulled the trigger. The gunshot echoed in the air and birds scattered all about. Dropping the gun, Jackson fell to his knees and began to sob. Toby looked on as Kelly stood behind Jackson, a small trail of blood slowly crawling down her left arm.

“Kelly. You should keep going.” Toby broke the silence.

“No. I’m not leaving any of you.” She replied.

“In a matter of minutes, we’ll be ponies. Who knows if we’ll be brain washed and turn you in.”

“I don’t care. I’m not leaving.” Her remorseful anger grew, her fists clinching together. Before Toby could say anything else, he suddenly collapsed onto the ground, eyes shut. Jackson soon followed, leaving Kelly to watch over them. She turned and entered the back of the ambulance, closing the door behind her. She didn’t want to witness her companion’s transformation. She noticed the blood flow on her arm and started tending her wounds to pass the time.

An hour must have pasted when Kelly could hear soft moans outside the doors. Looking out the back windows, she saw two ponies resting where Toby and Jackson lay. She opened the doors and looked down on them. The one on the left was a dark blue colt with jet black mane with a single grey streak running down the middle, along with matching tail. Its wings were neatly folded against its body. On its flank was a pair of hockey pucks crossing over one another.

Kelly then looked to the other just adjacent. A dark red coat with a yellow mane with a horn protruding from its forehead. On its flank was a newspaper and tablet. A soft moan came from this one as its eyes slowly opened.

“Toby?” She asked the pony. The pony looked up to her, as if it knew her.

“Kelly? Why are you still here?” Toby asked just as the other colt woke up, rubbing the back of his head.

“God, why does my head hurt?”

“Good morning to you too Jackson.” Kelly said. The blue colt looked to her and frowned.

“You should have left like Toby said. We could have tackled you to the ground and carted you off somewhere.” Jackson raised his hooves at her.

“How? You don’t know how to fly and you can’t use magic.” Kelly replied, pointing to their new features. They both inspected their appendages and Jackson tried to fly, only to fall back down to earth two seconds later face first.

“Crap.” Jackson said blankly, possibly disappointed.

“As for leaving, I didn’t because you part of my plan to get through enemy territory to Buffalo.” Kelly said. During their little nap, she had removed every last trace of HLF regatta on her jacket, in its place were some hand made patches with Celestia’s sun on one sleeve and Luna’s moon on the other. Her Red Cross armband was snug just under the sun. “A little change in class and they won’t touch me.”

“Impressive.” Toby asked, getting up. He tried to take a step forward, only to have his back leg turn him over and crashing back to the ground.

“Great. Now we have to learn how to walk again.” Jackson raged, attempting the same thing to then take a bite out of the median’s grass. Withholding her urge to laugh, she assisted them to the ambulance. With her new passengers now sitting awkwardly inside, Kelly took the wheel and continued onto the highway once again.

Comments

[terrycloth]

So why aren't they brainwashed?

[Codexwriter476]

1375293 Field variants aren't as strong as those within the Bureaus, and it only removes a small portion of their memories and genetic structure whereas the Bureau varients removes all traces of humanity aside from the basic emotion sets and key memories.