Bounty Hunters 2: Awakening

by Jasper77W

Chapter 14: Undetected

"Underground, huh..." Rainbow said, looking down at the tablet device which registered Dainty's last magical outburst. "I see."
The barricade came from underground, so it wouldn't be a far guess to think that they were hiding beneath the surface.
"Looks like you'll be getting some close range combat." Rainbow turned to Magnum.
"I'll be fine." Magnum said, and with a loud click slid the handle on a pump-action shotgun.
They stood on a roof, overlooking a huge hole generated in the ground when one of the barricade ships burst through the crust during the invasion. It spanned several kilometers- and god knows how deep. A perfect hiding place.
It all made sense now- this was the last hole that hadn't been fixed yet, among several others. The traitor inside the royal military could've easily pulled a few strings to keep it there.
"Let's go get the bucker." Daring Do said, making sure her whip was firmly clipped to her belt.
"Mic check." Rainbow said.
"Check." the ponies replied.
"Weapons check?"
"Check."
"Then let's go." Rainbow dropped down from the ceiling, then stretched her healed wings to slow her descent. Ah, how she missed that healthy feel.
The hole was sealed off by a metal fence that ran the length of the circumference, leaving several meters of space between the actual hole and the barbed wire.
"Hold on. We've got a pony moving in." Magnum reported from the roof.
"I see him." Rainbow whispered, quickly hiding behind a building and hearing a gentle thud as Daring landed behind her.
There was a dark orange stallion looking around nervously outside the fence, pacing relatively fast towards the gate. He had the key to the locks- since he unlocked it a second later. The gate swung open slightly as he squeezed through.
Rainbow heard a soft click come through the mic.
"Don't shoot him." she said quickly, looking up at the roof.
"Fine."
Rainbow looked back, but the stallion was gone.
"What the..." she whispered.
"I've seen those before." Daring said. "Mirage devices, now we test that theory-" she picked up a rock from the floor, then threw it up into the air, flying in a graceful arc and down towards the area behind the fence. With a gentle pulse of light, it was gone; disappeared.
"Huh." Rainbow said. "So we can't see what's inside. They probably can see out though- sneaking in won't be an option."
"I got a solution to that." Magnum said. "I knew it was a good idea to bring my thermal scope."
"What piece of sniper equipment don't you have?" Rainbow asked rhetorically.
"The new sixty-cals. I want one of those for Christmas." Magnum said. "But obviously Santa Colts won't be giving that to me."
"Why? I always hear you talking about how he hates you." Rainbow raised an eyebrow.
"Maybe I head-shotted him with a paintball gun when I was four." Magnum said. "My first taste of victory. The bastard went scrambling back up the chimney."
"Wait- he's real?"
"I couldn't be sure. Might've been a thief now that I think of it. But I never saw him again." Magnum sighed.
"Just get the thermals scanned." Rainbow muttered.
"Alright. Got an awful lot of activity in there- looks like those robot ponies. Got quite a few heat signatures patrolling around the crater." Magnum said.
"It's a hole, not a crater." Rainbow stated.
"Just call it a crater. If you die down there, it would be awkward when I tell your friends you slipped and fell into a hole." Magnum said. "And then died in it."
"Fine." Rainbow growled through gritted teeth, and heard Daring chuckle behind her.
"You have spare thermal scopes?" Daring asked.
"Nope. But I can give you this one- I've got some special optics that'll equalize the mirage effect. Catch-"
Rainbow looked up as a small piece of equipment fell. She caught it, then shook her hoof as the impact hurt her hoof.
"Alright... Let's see..." She peered through the scope. "Holy shuck. That's a lot of em."
"Yep." Magnum said.
There were two guards at the door, standing stationary. There seemed to be a few of those heavy robots with railguns walking around. From Rainbow's perspective, she could atleast see twelve squads of robot ponies patrolling around the crater.
"There's a gap between the sixth and seventh patrol squad." she said, observing the robots. "It's a small time frame, but it's our only chance of getting in undetected."
"Right. So I'll take down the two guards when you tell me to." Magnum said.
"Ready, Daring?" Rainbow looked behind her.
"Always." Daring Do replied.
"Alright... The signature from Dainty came from underground, about one mile down. From there we can then precisely locate her." Rainbow said.
"Better make this fast girls." Magnum said, and Rainbow heard Blaze beginning another one of his 'That's what she said!' moments; which was followed by a crack from Halcyon.
"There it is. Take the shot Magnum!" Rainbow said in a hushed tone.
There were two thuds as the silencers went off, and Rainbow saw the two guard robots' heads explode.
"Move! Move!" she ran towards the gate, followed by Daring. They easily flew over the fence, touching down lightly. There were cargo crates and containers scattered everywhere- there were also towers with spotlights searching the area.
"Shuck... The place is a lot more developed than we thought!" Daring exclaimed.
"Magnum- alert Shining Armor. He needs an army to take this place down." Rainbow said, then quickly dived behind a cargo container to avoid a spotlight. Daring Do dived behind one opposite her, nodding to indicate she didn't get caught.
"Girls- you've got a squad of ponies coming to fill in the space." Magnum said. "No robots. Normal armed ponies."
"Thanks for the heads up." Rainbow said, making sure her cleaver was in her pocket.
"I'll take them out. Get ready to drag the bodies in." Magnum said.
Rainbow peaked around the corner. "But there are twelve of them! One of them is bound to sound the alarm!"
"Just you watch." Magnum said, sliding a shell into the gun. "Ever heard of silenced shotguns before?"
"Wha..?"
Magnum pulled the trigger of the shotgun, sending a stream of buckshot pellets towards the squad of ponies. All it made was a loud click and thud, but the recoil forced Magnum to take a step back. How she loved that feel.
The pellets soared through the air, the wind affecting them slightly and causing them to curve to the right- just as Magnum planned.
There was a gentle pulse of light and a slight ripple in the air as they entered the mirage field, suddenly lit by the lights. They continued on their trajectory, completely undetected.
The first pellets hit. All head shots as the small steel bearings spread out, each one scoring a skull-shattering hit. Twelve pellets- twelve dead ponies with cracked skulls and slushed brains. They were dead before they hit the ground, and the entire squad was eliminated before Magnum's shotgun shell even clattered to the floor.
Rainbow gaped at what just happened. The entire squad just dropped down with busted heads, all dead from Magnum pulling the trigger once.
"Move the bodies." Magnum reminded Rainbow, and she and Daring quickly dragged the bodies behind cargo containers.
Rainbow took the mic off one of them, crushing the microphone but leaving the speakers intact. She placed it in her other ear, and grinned. Now she'll know if any ponies are dispatched, or whatever commands are issued through mics.
Daring Do did the same, and gave the thumbs up.
"Now to bypass the spotlights..." Rainbow sighed.
"Best if we don't shoot them out. Could have the whole base searching for us... But if we can cut the power..." Daring said.
"Hmmm. They probably have their own generator though. And I doubt they keep the switch on the surface." Rainbow sighed.
"Looks like we'll have to try sneak past em." Daring looked around at the containers. Those should be sufficient cover.
Rainbow quickly picked up a rifle from a downed pony, then found a silencer in his backpack. Screwing on the silencer, she nodded to Daring.
They both sprinted from cover, darting behind some containers not too far away; the edge of the spotlight beam scraping the tip of their tales.
"Did you get spotted?" Rainbow asked.
"Don't think so." Daring said.
They heard a loud metallic groan above them, and looked up to see a giant claw coming down to retrieve the container.
They quickly grabbed hold of the bottom when the container got lifted up into the air by a giant crane. The crane operator must've missed them, because the bright lights around the base made the shadows harder to see. They hung underneath the cargo container, watching as the ground grew further and further away below.
"Magnum- see that crane?" Rainbow whispered.
"Yep."
"Is the operator a pony or a robot?"
"Pony."
"Ok, good- when I tell you to, take the shot." Rainbow whispered, peering around her. So far, the spotlights haven't reached them yet.
The crane swung around, and their muscles strained to keep their bodies from dropping to certain deaths underneath. They were now much closer to the crater as the huge crane turned to place the cargo containers down.
"Shoot him!" Rainbow whispered, and heard a solid thud come through the mic. She heard the faint noise of glass shattering, and the crane abruptly stopped all movement. "Good shot."
"Thanks."
Rainbow and Daring dropped lightly from the container when the spotlight swept past, landing with a barely audible thud on their hooves, upsetting nothing but thin dust.
They were now in a labyrinth of cargo containers.
"Daring- check the container. See what's in there." Rainbow said, bringing out the thermal scope. "I'll check if there's anypony hiding behind these. I'll warn you if anypony comes."
"Alright." Daring gently and slowly opened the door to a large cargo container, the rusted metal making the barest groan. "Shuck. These are all robot parts! They've got enough for an army!"
"Hmmm." Rainbow hummed, scanning the area with the thermal scope. "Nothing on thermals. Good work- time to check the other containers."
They moved from one to the other, peering inside.
"Weapons and ammunition. If we can destroy these..." Daring eyed the missiles stacked on the corrugated ion, detonation caps disabled.
"Not our priority." Rainbow said, carefully checking around the corner.
"Girls- there's a small squad heading to check on the crane. Normal ponies, no robots. I advise you fake a report back or they'll just keep sending more." Magnum said, peering through her scope.
"Copy." Rainbow said, checking if her silenced rifle was loaded. "Thermals can't see through the damn cold walls. Can you tell me when they're near me?"
"Yup. I count six of em, all armed. Don't let those weapons go off or we'll be in big trouble." Magnum said.
"Roger." Rainbow said, and looked at Daring Do. "Ambush them?"
"Good idea." Daring looked up at the stack of cargo containers. "I'll go up there, take them down from behind. You do whatever you want." and with a light whoosh of her wings, she flew up to the second level of containers, so the final level would block her from sight. With her back to the corrugated ion, she nodded.
"Gotcha." Rainbow said, quickly diving behind a corner.
"They're coming round the corner. You should be able to hear them." Magnum said.
"Quiet now..." Rainbow whispered, her ears pricked.
They could hear hoofsteps, scattered. They were moving quite cautiously- and were prepared for a fight. The hoofsteps got louder, and Rainbow could hear a pair either side of her. She looked at Daring, and gave a reassuring nod. The fabric of her clothes shuffled gently as she slowly raised the rifle, her ears listening to which pony would be the first to turn the corner.
Left. That was her guess. She prepared to shoot at the left side, her rifle leveled at the currently empty space. She almost pulled the trigger when the barrel of a gun poked around the corner.
She fired a single bullet into the stallion's skull as he came around the corner, then swung the rifle behind her and shot the other stallion. She caught both bodies by the collar and gently laid them down, their guns scraping gently against the concrete floor. She heard Daring Do pull the trigger, and darted towards the shot stallion.
He collapsed into her arms, and she gently laid him down.
Another came around the corner, but immediately went down as a bullet from Magnum cracked his skull. Rainbow caught him.
The last one got an arrow through the head from Halcyon, slumped onto container, and slowly slid down into a sitting position, already a dead body.
"Good shot Hal." Rainbow said.
"Thanks." Halcyon said through the mic.
"Don't I get a congratulatory word?" Magnum asked.
"No, because you're at the point were I only care if you miss." Rainbow said, and Magnum faked a disappointed 'awwww'.
"Move the bodies." Daring said, hopping down. "I'll fake the call."
"K." Rainbow gently opened the door to one of the cargo containers, and started hauling the bodies in.
Daring took the mic off one of the stallions, checked his dog tag, and cleared her throat quietly.
"Alpha Six to HQ, over." she said in a relatively deep male voice, and Rainbow couldn't help but splutter a bit as she blocked her mouth to prevent herself from laughing.
"Copy Alpha Six. How's the crane?" came the reply.
Daring had no idea what the stallion's voice sounded like, but this seemed good enough.
"The crane's in good condition. We just need to rewire some hydraulics and motors. No mechanics needed, nothing we can't handle."
"Good to hear Alpha Six. HQ out."
"Alpha out." Daring said, turning off the mic. "Phew!"
"Good job mate." Rainbow gently slid the door of the container shut, inside were a pile of bodies stacked beside some disabled missiles.
"Keep moving girls. You're almost there- just go past these containers and you can start going down." Magnum said, peering through the scope. "I can't see around corners, so be careful out there."
"We'll keep our ears pricked." Rainbow said, quietly moving towards the crater and navigating through the maze of containers.
They kept their backs to the walls, so the spotlight would shine over them. They watched the area around them suddenly brighten, then dim back down again. The night was good cover, but they still had to rely on their own abilities.
"We've got a robot patrol squad heading your way." Magnum said. "Best avoid those bastards. They're a lot harder to kill, and the moment one spots you-"
"We get it." Rainbow said, tapping Daring Do on the shoulder and pointing at a container. "Don't get caught."
Daring opened the door, and they both got in. Closing the door behind her, they were instantly thrown into darkness. Rainbow couldn't see anything but the silver thread of moonlight coming through a micro gap in the wall.
They waited in complete silence, listening. Then there it was- the clunking of metal hooves on concrete. At first it sounded distant, then it was right outside the container. The flimsy metal walls that surrounded the two pegasi did little to comfort them- it seemed like they could just crumble. The walls seemed even weaker as the clunks echoed through the container, the robot pony continuing its march.
There were others now too, seemingly stomping on the ground in the silence.
For a moment the robot pony seemed to stop in front of the door while the others continued. The moonlight was replaced by red as it peered at the door, but after a grueling minute it moved on.
Rainbow and Daring both let out a quiet sigh of relief, and waited for Magnum to give the all clear.
"They're gone." Magnum said a few minutes later, and the two pegasi gingerly left the container.
After navigating the maze of containers, they finally reached the crater. It was surrounded by rails, and almost an infinite darkness below.
Rainbow brought out the thermal scope, scanning the shadows.
"Hmmm. No guards there- the signal was from one mile down, was it? That's roughly... Ninety-five floors deep."
"Damnit. The stairs are right under the damn spotlight tower!" Daring pointed at the only set of stairs leading down.
"That's what we have these babies for." Rainbow flexed her wings, waited for the spotlight to go past, and leaped over the railings. Gliding across the huge pit of nothing but darkness, she turned her wings so she would begin a steep decline towards floor negative-ninety five.

Author: Is anypony else excited for Nightmare Night? I know I am! Best of all, all I need in dark clothing. The implication being I already have the hat, coat and the cleaver. Yep, full size cleaver. Will post a pic on my dA page once it's done