Chapter 1: Welcome to Area 51
The research facility, underground levels, Area 51
People say that the modern world is full of secrets and conspiracies and the center of it is the so-called top-secret base known as Area 51 located in the Nevada desert. And in some crazy and a little twisted way they are right. But everything the people thought they knew about this base wasn't entirely true. The truth... was much worse than anyone could imagine.
As the sun was burning hot on the surface, somewhere deep underground there was a secret research facility beneath the military base known as Area 51. But what was special about this facility and why it was secret was because of the research and experiments the scientists were conducting there.
The scientists working in Area 51 were rumored to be the most brilliant minds on Earth. So it was reasonable to assume that they saw many strange and yet extraordinary things in the base, they probably even created everything there.
But on top of all those scientists was an old man named Doctor Spencer, a head researcher who has conducted experiments in Area 51 ever since the 1960s. Even though he has been in this dark science business for many years, Spencer never lost his touch and made some great discoveries and wonderful results that pleased the government and the military.
And yet despite all his success, Spencer couldn't stop growing old and it was obvious that he still had so much to do and accomplish. But all these setbacks didn't stop him from finding a solution to that problem and he was going to find it no matter if the government agreed or not.
Spencer was currently heading to the main laboratory where his research staff was preparing a device that changed the course of human history in the 1980s when it was first built. Once Spencer made it to the lab, he was greeted by one of his lab assistants.
"Good morning, Dr. Spencer," the assistant greeted.
"Good morning to you as well. Is everything going on schedule?" Spencer asked.
"Yes, sir. The device is being prepared as we speak. It shouldn't take until it can be activated," the assistant reported.
"Excellent. But before you activate it, I want you to run every possible diagnosis and simulation to make sure that there won't be any mistakes or malfunctions," Spencer requested.
"Yes, sir. Right away," the assistant replied.
With that said, the assistant joined the rest of the staff to complete the preparation of the device. While everyone was busy and no one was watching, Spencer walked to the nearest computer and used it to gain access to the device's operating system after he put in his access codes. Then he started writing a new program that he was planning to insert into the device his staff was preparing.
As he was writing a new program for the device, Spencer was in deep thought.
"And to think that after all these years, I would have to pay such a huge price for my ultimate achievement," Spencer thought.
As he was writing the program, Spencer was careful not to get spotted by the research staff.
"But I suppose it's only natural. After all, back in the 1960s, we had a chance. It was a pact made for the greater good," Spencer thought.
Surprisingly, he wasn't spotted by anyone from the research staff or even by the lab assistant.
"But today, the pact will be broken. Sure, the Equestrians or what's left of them won't be happy about it. But I suppose it's only fair since the Equestrians were using us to fasten their technological development," Spencer thought.
Once the program was finished, Spencer then started downloading it to the computer.
"It's ironic that even with all the technology we supplied them, it wasn't enough for the Equestrians to win their war against the Changelings. And the quick progress only led to the Equestrians' demise and all who survived were consumed by corruption and greed," Spencer thought.
As the program was being downloaded, Spencer checked how far his staff was at preparing the device. And it seemed that they were pretty close which was good news for Spencer.
"It's a shame really that I must make such a sacrifice but if it leads me to my goal, I'm more than willing to pay it," Spencer thought.
Once the program was downloaded, Spencer then sneaked out of the lab without the staff seeing him. After the staff finished preparing the device, the lab assistant was going to report it to Spencer but was surprised to see that he was gone.
"Huh? Where did Dr. Spencer go? I thought he wanted to observe the experiment," the assistant asked himself.
Sadly for him, he didn't get a chance to find out when all of the sudden, the device they were working on suddenly became active.
"What the? What's going on?!" The assistant asked.
"I don't know. The device just activated on its own," one of the scientists answered.
"But how?! We didn't even set the target coordinates in the computer," another scientist added.
"Where is Dr. Spencer? We must report him about this!" the third scientist panicked.
Their conversation was cut short when something unexpected happened. All the lights suddenly were turned off when the device absorbed all the power in the lab. And then... the device let out a shockwave that knocked out all the electronics in the lab. A second after that, the device created a portal to the coordinates that the program dialed.
As the portal was glowing in all of its glory, the research staff stood in awe at the sight.
"Oh... my... God," one of the scientists said.
"Yeah. This is... amazing!" Another one agreed.
"I heard that this device creates portals but I've never seen it myself," the third one said.
However, the moment was cut short when the lab assistant saw something strange appearing in the portal.
"Wait! I see something," the assistant said getting everyone's attention.
"What is it?" One of the scientists asked.
"I'm not sure but... I think something is coming through," the assistant replied.
This was confirmed when some glowing sphere appeared in the portal. And a second later, something did come through the portal. But as soon as it happened, the scientists froze in horror.
In front of them stood a huge creature with black skin, six glowing green eyes, sharp teeth, four legs with holes on them, sharp claws on the front legs, and a long tail with a sharp spike at the end of the tail.
Before the scientists could react, the creature raised its right front leg, extended its claws, and cut down two of the scientists. This immediately made the scientists scream in terror and run away from the creature. But as they reached the exit, they noticed that it was locked from the other side.
"Damn it! It's locked," the assistant said.
"What?! But how do we-"
The female scientist couldn't finish when the creature stabbed her with its tail, raised her in the air, and then ripped her in half. The remaining staff panicked and tried to run away but the creature caught them and killed them without any mercy.
This went on until only the lab assistant was left. Knowing that he couldn't get out alive, the assistant did the next best thing he could. He ran to the nearest computer and sounded the alarm that sent a signal to the surface alerting the military.
But as soon as the assistant did that, the creature appeared behind him and stabbed him with its tail. Then it raised him and brought him face to face with it.
"*coughs* I'm not afraid of you, you monster," the assistant said as he coughed blood.
The creature only hissed as a response before it killed the assistant as well.
"Aaargh!" The assistant screamed in agony that could be heard throughout the lab.
Later somewhere in the depths of Area 51
As soon as the facility went dark, the whole base was put in quarantine on the surface to prevent anything from escaping Area 51 and infiltrating the general population. The military was able to evacuate the scientists and other personnel on the surface but those who were inside the facility deep underground levels weren't so lucky.
The military intelligence questioned the scientists from the surface to find out what happened, what caused it, and if the base was infested or not. But unfortunately, the scientists had no idea what caused the facility to go dark or what happened exactly. But they did mention that the research team on underground levels were experimenting on something but they didn't know what exactly.
This meant that the only way to find out what happened was to send someone to the underground levels to investigate what occurred when the research team was experimenting on something important and yet dangerous.
Once the military convinced the government that it was the right course of action, they sent the Hazmat Team Delta from the surface to the underground levels to find out what happened and if the research team was still alive.
An hour after they entered the facility, the Hazmat Team Delta reached the top floor of the underground levels which was a small hallway leading to the elevator that could take them deeper into the facility.
The team consisted of seven members who were wearing armored Hazmat suits and were armed with M41A pulse rifles. The three members, including the lieutenant, walked in the front while the other four members walked behind carrying metal bags filled with explosives. Their mission was to investigate what happened, estimate the situation, and if it comes to it, destroy the underground level along with the hazardous research material.
As the team was walking in the hallway, one of its members named Flash Sentry was in deep thought.
"*sighs* hard to believe that I'm here of all places. I mean, this is Area 51 for God's sake. I enlisted in the army and joined the biohazard division sure but I never signed up for this," Flash thought.
Ever since he graduated from Canterlot High, Flash enlisted in the army as soon as he came of age. And after he completed the regular training, he then joined the Biohazard Division where he has served to this day.
And truth to be told, Flash did quite well when he was signed into Hazmat Team Delta and has proven himself to be a good and skillful soldier. Sure there were a few missions where Flash saw some horrific things that nearly traumatized him but he always managed to pull through and continue his career.
But now he was in the most secret and scary place in the world, he had a feeling that this mission would change his life forever.
"I hope this will be nothing but a routine mission. I still got a lot of things to do, like finding Twilight and making things right with her," Flash thought.
Before he could think about the girl of his dreams further, the team's lieutenant snapped his fingers in front of Flash to snap him out of it.
"Daydreaming again, Sentry?" The Lieutenant asked.
"Huh? No, no, no! Of course not, sir," Flash said in near panic.
"*sighs* I'll let you off the hook this time, Sentry. But if I catch you daydreaming again on this mission, you'll be in a world of hurt," the Lieutenant warned.
"*gulps* yes, sir. I understand," Flash replied.
"I hope you do because I need you to stay focused. If you get distracted even for a second, you or someone else on the team may die as a result," the Lieutenant said.
Flash let out another gulp before he nodded and moved on with the rest of the team. It wasn't long until they reached the end of the hallway where they saw an elevator they needed to get to the underground levels.
Once they were at the entrance of the elevator, the team put down the explosive bags and the Lieutenant was about to press the button to summon the elevator until something unexpected happened. The elevator was activated on its own and it was heading to the floor where the team currently was.
"Whoa! What's going on?" One of the soldiers asked.
"The elevator is coming up but I didn't press the button," the Lieutenant answered.
"How is it coming up if you didn't press the button, sir?" Flash asked.
"I don't know. Maybe someone is coming up here from the underground levels," the Lieutenant theorized.
"But how? I thought this place was quarantined," one of the soldiers said.
"I think we should be asking that is it friendly," another soldier said.
"What should we do, sir?" Flash asked.
"Ready your weapons and take firing positions," the Lieutenant ordered.
Everyone nodded and readied their pulse rifles before they took the firing positions and aimed their guns at the elevator entrance. The seconds passed as the elevator was coming up and the soldiers trembled in horror since they had no idea what was coming up in the elevator. This fact alone made the team so horrified that they were tempted to open fire as soon as the doors would open.
It wasn't long until the elevator finally came up and the doors opened. But to the team's surprise and relief, the elevator was empty and had relaxing music playing inside it. The soldiers sighed in relief before they lowered their weapons and got up from their firing positions.
"*sighs in relief* that nearly scared the shit out of me," one of the soldiers commented.
"Yeah, no kidding," another soldier agreed.
"I know it was tense but I don't think it was that scary," Flash added.
"Knock it off, soldiers! We still got a job to do. Now grab the explosives and let's-"
The Lieutenant couldn't finish when the power suddenly shut down and it became dark. Luckily the emergency lights still worked but they didn't light up the hallway enough.
"You've got to be kidding me," one of the soldiers said.
"I can't see a damn thing," another soldier complained.
"Cut the crap and turn on your flashlights," the Lieutenant ordered.
The team quickly obeyed and turned on the flashlights attached to their pulse rifles to light things up. But suddenly a loud clang came from behind them and the team reacted by aiming their guns at the elevator.
"What the?" The Lieutenant said.
"I've got a bad feeling about this, sir," Flash added.
The team carefully went closer to the elevator and used their flashlights to see if there was now something inside it. And to the team's horror, they saw blood dripping down from the ceiling. The soldiers carefully aimed their flashlights at the elevator's ceiling and as soon as they did it, they froze in fear.
Inside the hole in the ceiling, there was an enormous creature with black skin and six glowing green eyes. Unfortunately, the team couldn't get a clearer view of the creature even with their flashlights due to the darkness.
A second after the creature was spotted, it jumped down from the ceiling and came out of the elevator while making aggressive hissing and moves toward the team.
"Holy... Shit!" The Lieutenant yelled.
"Run!" Flash yelled.
Most of the team started running while the rest followed behind them as they fired their pulse rifles at the creature. The creature let out an angry hiss and retaliated by hitting one of the soldiers hard enough to kill him.
The remaining two kept firing at the creature while retreating and providing cover to the four members who were making their escape. The creature then used its tail to stab another soldier and threw him after pulling out the tail spike.
The last soldier kept shooting and retreating until he fell on his back and dropped the pulse rifle. With the creature soon upon him, the soldier quickly pulled out his H&K VP70 pistol and fired it. He was able to fire several shots before the creature cut his shoulder and then threw him to the wall.
With the three soldiers dead and the rest escaping, the creature let out a shriek of victory before moving on. But when the creature was gone, the last soldier it killed started trembling. This went on a few seconds before it stopped. But then, the soldier opened his eyes but they were green and similar to a snake's eyes. The soldier then let out a hiss similar to the one the creature made earlier.
On the surface, 24 hours later
After they lost contact with Hazmat Team Delta, the military declared a full alert and requested immediate reinforcements to Area 51 but without making any suspicious to the public. Fortunately, the request was granted immediately and the reinforcements were sent to Area 51.
As the sun was rising from behind the hills and desert, dozens of army VTOLs and transport planes could be seen on the horizon as they flew toward Area 51's airfield carrying hundreds of troops and a lot of hardware.
Inside one of the VTOLs was a team called Hazmat Team Bravo which consisted of four members, the team leader Captain John Sumner, field researcher Michael Miller, combat engineer Jake O'Neill, and the team's second-in-command Lieutenant Jason Connor.
Like Hazmat Team Delta, Bravo took routine missions that involved going into a targeted location, identifying the biohazard, cleaning it up, and getting out. Strangely though, on each mission involving the biohazard, the team always had to use deadly force, especially when encountering hostile life-forms such as mutants and creatures.
But this time it was different. Unlike their previous missions, this one was going to take place in Area 51, the top secret base and research facility, also known as the heart of all conspiracies. The team never thought that they would ever end up in a place like that but they supposed that life was full of surprises.
As they were closing in on Area 51, the team's lieutenant, Jason Connor was in deep thought regarding the mission and recent events.
"I can't believe this. After six months, we were finally gonna get some R&R and then the command cancels our vacations and sends us to God knows where," Jason thought.
It was clear that he didn't like that the command canceled his vacation and called him right back for duty. Jason knew that the command did it because of the high-level emergency that occurred in Area 51 but it still annoyed him.
"*sighs* can't believe they're sending us to Area 51. All those stories about aliens and secret weapon testing are just insane. Still, I wonder what happened there," Jason thought.
During his years of service, Jason didn't believe even the slightest stories about Area 51. Even though he did believe that humanity wasn't alone in the universe, he didn't believe that the military was holding dead aliens and their technologies in the secret base where they were conducting horrific experiments.
But since Jason and his team were being sent to Area 51, he assumed that it must be important and also alarming. He and his team were briefed on how contact with Hazmat Team Delta was lost but anything besides that was left out.
"It's typical. The command tells us that there is an emergency but they don't tell us all the details just to keep their damn secrets hidden. Just what the hell happened down there? Jason thought.
But his thoughts soon changed when something else came to his mind, something that warmed his heart every time he thought of it. Without his teammates' notice, Jason carefully took a picture from his pocket and took a look at it.
In the picture, there was a beautiful woman with white skin, blue eyes, and dark blue hair. The woman's name was Luna who was a vice principal in Canterlot High, she was also Jason's wife.
But the reason why he felt so warm when looking at the picture of his wife was that she was nine months pregnant. That's the reason why he was so excited to go on vacation to see her because their baby would come any day now and Jason didn't want to miss it.
But when the command canceled his vacation, it nearly made Jason both angry and sad because he was worried that his wife may give birth while he was on the mission. Still, despite the circumstances, Jason had faith that he would make it back home before the baby will be born.
"Don't worry, Luna. I promise I will come back alive to be by your side when our baby comes," Jason thought happily.
But sadly for him, he was taken out of his thoughts when one of his teammates asked him a question.
"Is that your wife?" Michael asked.
"Huh? Oh, yes. Her name is Luna. We've been married for seven years now," Jason replied.
"The vice principal from Canterlot High? How did you two meet?" Michael asked.
"We studied in the same school. She always wanted to be a principal. And when her sister got the job, she was named a vice principal," Jason explained.
"Oh, that's nice. Still, what brought her up all of the sudden?" Michael asked.
"None of your business," Jason replied.
Michael was about to ask again about Jason's marriage to Luna and why his mood suddenly turned hostile until Sumner intervened.
"Hey! Knock it off, Miller," Sumner said.
"Yeah, leave my poor brother alone," Jake added.
"What? I was just asking questions," Michael defended.
"If Connor doesn't want to tell you about his personal life then it's none of your business," Sumner said.
"My bro is tough but he does have a soft spot for Lulu. After all, when they met, it was love at first sight," Jake said with a grin.
"Jake! I told you not to use my wife's nickname or spill out the details of my love life," Jason said.
"Whoa! Take it easy, bro. I'm just messing with you," Jake said.
"Well, I want you to knock it off. I'm not in the mood," Jason said.
While Jake and Michael were clueless about why Jason was in the bad mood, Sumner had a pretty good idea why his lieutenant was now like this. It was because he was called back for duty before he could even go home to see his wife, especially when Jason was going to be a father any day now.
But Sumner respected his lieutenant's privacy and didn't bring it up. Instead, he changed the topic.
"Well, what do you think?" Sumner asked.
"What do we think about what?" Michael asked.
"This mission, does it bring up any thoughts?" Sumner clarified.
"We're going to fucking Area 51. This is like a scene from the horror movie," Jake commented.
"I think it's fascinating," Michael said.
"How so?" Sumner asked.
"We're going to the government's most secret facility where the craziest things happen. I'm eager to see what secrets the government got hidden down there," Michael explained.
"Kind of expected that from you Mike since you've always been the team's egghead and conspiracy theorist," Jake commented.
"You never can give a rest to your nicknames and sense of humor, huh?" Michael asked.
"It's my way to keep our spirits up," Jake said with a grin.
Sumner let out a sigh before he turned to Jason who was still looking at the picture of his wife.
"What about you, Connor? What do you think?" Sumner asked.
"Honestly, sir, I'd rather not think about it," Jason replied.
"Why not?" Sumner asked.
"While I admit that this mission is unusual and makes me wonder what's going on, I'm trying not to get distracted. Because if you get distracted, you'll end up dead," Jason explained.
"Are you sure that's the only reason?" Sumner asked.
"Yeah, bro. I mean, you're the team's muscles and brains combined. You're good at fighting and solving mysteries after all," Jake added.
"Thanks for the compliments but I'm seriously not in the mood for talking," Jason said.
The conversation was cut short when the pilot opened up the comm channel.
"Bravo Team. We're approaching our destination, ETA five minutes," the pilot informed.
"Understood," Sumner replied.
Then he turned back to his team.
"You heard what he said, gentlemen. Prepare for landing," Sumner said.
Everyone nodded and put on the safety belts and prepared for landing. Jason took a look at his wife's picture one more time before he put it in his pocket and put on the safety belt.
It wasn't long until the VTOLs and transport planes finally arrived at Area 51 which was under full lockdown as it could be seen from the air. Soon dozens of military aircraft started landing on the airfield bringing the troops and weapons that were requested.
Once the Bravo's VTOL landed and they departed from the aircraft, the team was met by a middle-aged high-ranking military officer named Colonel Carl Bishop who was now leading the military forces and containment operation on Area 51.
"Greetings, Captain Sumner. Welcome to Area 51," Bishop greeted.
"Thank you, sir. Hazmat Team Bravo reporting for duty," Sumner said as he and his team saluted the colonel.
"At ease, team. We can save the salutes for later. Right now, we need you and every Hazmat team we have to get a hold of the situation," Bishop said.
"We understand, sir. Anyway, have you been able to establish contact with Hazmat Team Delta or find out what happened to them?" Sumner asked.
"I'm afraid not, Captain, but we're gonna find out. That's why I need you and your team to suit up now, you're going in," Bishop replied.
"At once, sir. Just show us where we can get our suits," Sumner requested.
"You can get them from the storage facility over there. When you're ready, head to the sealed door that will take you into the base. Move out, people!" Bishop said.
The team saluted again before leaving the colonel and heading to the storage facility where they could get their suits. It didn't take long until the team arrived at the facility where the gear and equipment made for the Hazmat teams were stored.
As his teammates were suiting up, Jason started putting on his armored Hazmat suit (the one from Area 51 2005 game, the cinematic version). It took some time for Jason to put his suit on but he eventually got it and then completed it when he put the helmet on and activated its oxygen mask.
With the suit on, Jason then followed his teammates who had gone up ahead. Once he reached the sealed door, Jason told the guards who he was and why he was there which made the guards open the door. Then he walked past the guards and entered the base. Once Jason was inside, the guards sealed the door.
As the sealed door was closed behind him, Jason wondered if he would get out alive to see his wife again and their unborn child.
"I hope I won't die here. I can't leave Luna alone with our child. I don't think her heart could handle it," Jason thought sadly.
He was taken out of his thoughts when Sumner tapped him on the shoulder.
"You alright, Connor?" Sumner asked.
"Huh? Oh, yes, sir. I'm fine," Jason replied.
"Are you sure?" Sumner asked again.
Jason knew that he couldn't lie to his commanding officer so he decided to tell him what was bothering him.
"*sighs* I'm just worried about our new assignment and I... I guess I'm also scared," Jason admitted.
"You're not the only one who feels that way, Connor. I've known you and others long enough to see when we're all scared. After all, this is Area 51 where the most horrific things happen," Sumner said.
"I know, sir. I just... I just wish that I'll make it out of here alive to see my wife again. And now that our child will come any day now, I can't miss it or leave Luna alone in the world," Jason said in concern.
"I understand, Connor. Believe me, I know what you're going through. But as you said earlier, we must not get distracted. Just focus on the mission and you'll be out of here soon and get a chance to be with your wife and be there for her when your baby comes," Sumner said wisely.
Even though he didn't show it and it couldn't be seen through his helmet, Jason was touched by his commanding officer's words. He knew that it was probably to keep his morale up and boost his focus but Jason still appreciated Sumner for cheering him up.
"Thanks, sir. I needed that," Jason thanked.
"Any time, son. Now let's keep going, the others are waiting," Sumner said.
Jason nodded in agreement and followed Sumner deeper into the base. Once they passed the chemical wash, both the captain and lieutenant finally entered Area 51.
As soon as they entered the base, they could see a lot of things happening inside the base. Soldiers guarding the quarantined areas, scientists working on both biological and technological research, and engineers transporting heavy equipment with Power Loaders (form Aliens 1986 movie).
"Whoa! This place sure is full of activity," Jason commented.
"It sure is. But wait until you see what they got hidden under the floor," Sumner said.
"Not sure if I'm excited or horrified to see it, sir," Jason said.
"You and me both, son. Anyway, you should go and get a sidearm from the armorer over there," Sumner said pointing at the armory.
"They allow us to carry guns in the lab?" Jason asked.
"They do here in Area 51. I know it's unusual but this is an unusual place after all," Sumner confirmed.
"Uh, good point. Anyway, I'll go get the sidearm," Jason said.
"Good. Once you have it, meet me at the shooting range," Sumner instructed.
"Yes, sir," Jason replied.
With that said, he then walked to the armory where the armorer was maintaining the guns the military had on the base. Once Jason was there, he called out for the armorer.
"Uh, hello," Jason greeted.
"Hello, sir. Identification and business, please," the armorer requested.
"Lieutenant Jason Connor, Hazmat Team Bravo. I'm here to get my sidearm," Jason answered.
"Of course, sir. Just a sec," the armorer said.
A second later, the armorer came back with the pistol Jason requested.
"Here, Lieutenant. Heckler & Koch VP70, 9mm, semi-automatic, fully equipped and functional," the armorer said as he inspected the pistol and put it on the table.
"Thank you. It will come in handy," Jason thanked as he took the pistol.
"Just doing my job, sir," the armorer said with a smile.
Once Jason got the pistol from the armory, he then headed to the shooting range where Sumner said he would be. When Jason got there, he saw Sumner there with Jake who was practicing his shooting skills with the same pistol that Jason had.
After Jake stopped shooting, he and Sumner noticed their lieutenant coming to the shooting range.
"Glad you could make it, Connor. O'Neill just finished the target practice," Sumner said.
"I noticed. I see he still has his skills," Jason said.
"*chuckles* are you kidding, bro? I can still shoot but my specialty is knowing how to fix guns and use them properly," Jake remarked.
"Don't worry, I haven't forgotten. I'm just saying that you're not the only one who knows how to shoot," Jason said.
"In that case, bro. Show us what you can do," Jake suggested.
Jason grinned behind his helmet before stepping into the shooting range. Once he readied his pistol, the targets came up and Jason started shooting. It didn't take long until he shot all the targets which made quite an impression.
"Not bad, Lieutenant. Your shooting skills are remarkable," Sumner said as he tapped.
"I aim to please, sir," Jason said.
"You're good, bro. But I'd like to see just how good you are," Jake said with a grin.
"You want a shooting contest with me, huh?" Jason asked.
"Of course. Do you accept?" Jake asked.
"Hell yeah," Jason answered.
With that said, both soldiers put fresh magazines in their pistols and stepped into the shooting range. When they were both ready, targets came up again and the soldiers started shooting. And after 20 seconds, Jason shot down all targets three seconds earlier than Jake.
"Son of a bitch! I can't believe I lost," Jake cursed.
"Don't be so upset, Jake. I'm sure you'll have better luck next time once you have practiced a little bit more," Jason reasoned.
"As much as I'd like to see where this conversation leads, we need to keep moving. Michael is already waiting for us with the colonel at the elevator so let's go," Sumner said.
"Yes, captain," both Jason and Jake said.
The team then started heading to the elevator where Michael was waiting for them with Colonel Bishop. But when they were halfway there, they heard an explosion coming from the hall where the elevator was.
"Holy shit! What the hell was that?" Jake asked.
"Sounded like an explosion. It came from where Michael and the colonel are," Jason pointed out.
"Double time, people!" Sumner ordered.
The three Hazmat soldiers quickly hurried to the hall where they saw Michael and Bishop standing in front of the elevator. But what got their attention was a wreck of a truck that was in flames in the hall. This meant that the truck was what exploded but Jason and others didn't know what caused it so they ran to the colonel for answers.
"Colonel, sir. What happened here?" Sumner asked.
"Captain Sumner, glad you and the rest of your team could join us. Things aren't looking good. Especially now that we know what caused the explosion," Bishop said.
"What do you mean, sir? What caused this?" Jason asked.
"Turns out that we have an unidentified intruder running around loose in the base," Bishop revealed.
"What?! An intruder? here? And what do you mean it's unidentified?" Jake asked.
"We don't know who or what the intruder is or what its exact goal is. Miller caught a glimpse of it after the explosion but other than that, we don't know what we're dealing with," Bishop explained.
"How bad is it, sir?" Sumner asked.
"The intruder compromised the elevator and blew up that transport truck. There's no telling what it will try to destroy next. Most of our men are down below leaving us understaffed so we don't have enough troops for the search," Bishop explained.
"What do you want us to do, sir?" Sumner asked.
"Well, Sumner. I know this isn't your line of work, but I need you and your team to help in the search," Bishop ordered.
Sumner simply nodded before he turned to the team.
"Okay, men, we break into two groups. Connor, you go with Miller to check the shooting range. O'Neill and I will check the hall," Sumner ordered.
"Yes, captain. We're on it," Jason replied.
"Let's roll, Jason," Michael said.
With their new orders, Jason and Michael left the hall to search for the intruder at the shooting range. On their way there, they encountered some minor disturbances such as the Power Loaders malfunctioning and things falling out of their places. But other than that nothing too serious.
Jason suspected that it was the work of the intruder who was probably trying to keep the base personnel distracted while searching for something else to destroy in the base. It didn't take long until Jason and Michael reached the entrance to the shooting range where they were supposed to search for the intruder.
"Okay. Jason, take point. I'll cover," Michael said.
"Understood, but only because I agree with that. Just remember next time that I have a higher rank than you," Jason reminded.
"Alright, alright. No need to get worked up, sir," Michael said.
Jason just sighed before he took point and opened the door. But as soon as he did that, countless bullets came from the other side forcing both Hazmat soldiers to take cover.
"Holy hell! Who's firing?!" Michael asked loudly.
"How should I know?!" Jason yelled.
The conversation was cut short when one of the soldiers was killed in the rain of bullets.
"Aaargh!" The soldier screamed.
"Shit! Man down!" Michael yelled.
"Return fire!" Jason ordered.
Both he and Michael quickly drew their pistols and opened fire at the intruder who was hiding behind the corner while shooting at them with an automatic weapon attached to its wrist. During the firefight, Jason contacted Sumner via radio and informed him about the situation.
"Captain! Do you read, over?" Jason asked.
"I read you loud and clear, Lieutenant. What's going on?" Sumner asked.
"We found the intruder! It's heavily armed and we have a man down. We're in pursuit, over," Jason reported.
"Understood. We're sending backup, over," Sumner said.
Once Jason finished the radio call with Sumner, the intruder then started running away from the shooting range while firing bullets everywhere to cover its retreat.
"Shit! Do you think it heard what we said?" Michael asked Jason.
"It probably hacked into our comms. Let's try to avoid radio contact until we have taken that thing down," Jason recommended.
"Agreed. Let's move," Michael said.
With that said, Jason and Michael then went after the intruder. They chased it to the shooting range where the intruder slipped through the armory after it threw a grenade which forced everyone to take cover which was enough for the intruder to slip away.
"Damn it! It's getting away," Jason cursed.
"It's a slippery son of a bitch. I'll give it that," Michael commented.
"We can still catch it. You'll go back and find another way and I'll go after it. Hopefully, we catch it in the crossfire," Jason ordered.
"Okay, I'm on it," Michael replied.
Both soldiers then separated with Michael trying to find another way around while Jason went after the intruder. He followed it until he finally caught up with it in the garage where Jason saw another transport truck similar to the one the intruder destroyed.
Unfortunately for Jason, the intruder quickly spotted him and opened fire on him, forcing him to take cover behind the corner.
"Shit! I hate when this happens," Jason thought.
As the intruder kept firing, it didn't see Michael on the right who managed to sneak in. But when Michael was about to fire, the intruder turned away from Jason and started shooting at Michael instead.
With the intruder distracted, Jason took a good look at it and couldn't believe his eyes. The intruder was a humanoid of some kind wearing white armor with a cybernetic suit under the plates and wings on its back.
But what caught Jason's attention was that the intruder's head strangely resembled a pony's head with a rainbow-colored mane on it and a same-colored tail on the butt.
"What the hell?! Just what is that thing?" Jason wondered.
But during the shootout, he spotted a barrel filled with gasoline close to the intruder. That alone gave Jason an idea of how to take down the intruder.
"Okay, I hope this works," Jason thought.
He aimed his pistol at the barrel and fired a couple of shots at it. And as a result, the barrel exploded. And being too close to the intruder, the explosion caught it and threw the intruder to the wall.
But as soon as the intruder hit the ground, a strange field of energy surrounded it and made the intruder disappear, leaving behind only traces of white blood-like liquid and a piece of an arm with a gun attached to its wrist.
When it was clear, both Jason and Michael came out of cover to take a better look at the intruder's remains.
"What just happened?" Michael asked.
"I'm not sure. It's almost like the corpse just... vanished," Jason said.
"Yeah, I saw that. But how did it happen?" Michael asked.
"I don't know. Teleportation maybe," Jason theorized.
"Teleportation? Isn't it possible only in movies?" Michael asked.
"As I said, I don't know. I'm just as confused as you are," Jason said.
"Well, at least it didn't teleport all of it," Michael said pointing at the arm.
"Hmm, that's odd," Jason said.
"What is it?" Michael asked.
"The arm doesn't appear to be flesh and blood. I think it's synthetic," Jason pointed out.
"Synthetic? Are you saying that the intruder was an android?" Michael asked.
"Based on the white liquid and synthetic-like structure of the arm, I'd say yes. It was an android," Jason confirmed.
"Whoa, this just gets better and better," Michael said sarcastically.
"Indeed. But there's something else about the arm," Jason said.
"Like what?" Michael asked.
"The gun on the wrist didn't leave any shell casings during the firefight. I think it was using caseless ammunition similar to ours," Jason pointed out.
"Now that you mentioned it, I think you're right. But what does that mean?" Michael asked.
"I don't know. I just think it was worth mentioning. Anyway, we should report back to the captain," Jason said.
Michael nodded in agreement and went up ahead while telling Sumner about what happened via his commlink. Jason was about to go after him until he noticed something in the garage.
The truck that the intruder was after turned to the exit and made a rather hasty departure from the base. But what caught Jason's attention was what looked like a crystallized tree with six gems attached to it and the tree itself was covered by an army green covering. He only got a glimpse of it but there was no mistake in what Jason saw on the truck.
"Well, at least we protected that truck the intruder was after. Still, I wonder what it's carrying that's so important," Jason thought.
But he put that aside as another mystery of Area 51 and went to join his team in the hall. When Jason got there, the team was waiting for him at the entrance of the elevator with the colonel standing next to them. Once Jason arrived at the scene, the colonel was the first one to speak to him.
"Good work, Connor. I'm glad you're part of the team," Bishop complimented.
"Thank you, sir. It means a lot," Jason thanked.
"Miller told us what happened in the garage. We sent a team to recover what was left of the body. It's a pity that there wasn't much left. Still, you did a great job," Sumner told Jason.
"Please, sir. You're making me blush," Jason said feeling a little embarrassed.
"Nah, don't feel so embarrassed. Anyway, the elevator should be fixed now. Let's move out," Sumner ordered.
Everyone nodded before the team entered the elevator. Once they were in the elevator, the colonel gave them one last briefing.
"Okay, Bravo. We lost contact with Hazmat Team Delta 24 hours ago. Find out what happened to them and if they're still alive down there. And report to me all of your progress and findings. God's speed, gentlemen. We're counting on you," Bishop briefed the team.
With everything said and done, the elevator then started going down carrying the Bravo Team in it. As they were going down, Jake decided to try to keep the team's morale up.
"Well, I hope you enjoy your stay in Area 51. I hear it's the best vacation spot this time of year," Jake joked.
"Shut the hell up, Jake," Sumner said not liking the joke.
"Come on. I'm just trying to keep the morale up," Jake said.
Jason quickly intervened before the conversation could get worse.
"Anyway, what are those new guns you and Michael are carrying?" Jason asked.
"Glad you asked, bro. These are M41A pulse rifles, 10mm Caseless armor-piercing, fully automatic, 99 rounds per magazine. Developed and manufactured right here in Area 51 along with several other firearms. It's also equipped with a 30mm pump-action grenade launcher," Jake explained while showing Jason his new rifle.
"Wow, cool. But why does the ammo counter show only 95 rounds?" Jason asked.
"The magazines are filled to 95 rounds so the rifle won't jam during firing. I should also mention that there are several variants of the pulse rifle but the one I'm holding is the most common," Jake explained.
"But why are you and Michael the only ones with pulse rifles?" Jason asked.
"Only two rifles were available in the armory. But don't worry, bro. I'm sure the troops below will give you one when we reach the bottom," Jake assured.
"As for me, I'm good with a handgun only. It's more than enough for me," Sumner added.
"Yes, sir. I know from experience that you were always good on the field with only a pistol," Jason agreed with his CO.
"Still, extra firepower would be nice," Jake said.
"I'm sure we can deal with whatever we will encounter down there. After all, we've been through a hundred missions together and we have always survived no matter the odds, and this mission won't be any different. Let's just stick together, cover each other's backs, and we'll be home soon," Sumner encouraged.
"Oorah!" The team yelled a Marine battle cry.
Even though there were many unknowns on this mission, the team was confident that they will survive this and make it back home like they always have. They just have to stick together and they'll be fine as Captain Sumner said.
As they were descending into the depths of Area 51, there was only one thing or someone who was giving Jason the strength to see this mission through so he could make it back to witness the moment that will change his life forever.
"I will come back to you and our child, Luna. I promise," Jason vowed.
Meanwhile in the heart of Area 51
As everything was happening on the surface, somewhere in the heart of Area 51 which was located in the deepest parts of the facility was a secret vault that was sealed by a steel door. There was also an old computer next to the door but it was inactive and dusty as well.
The door and the computer were a bit dusty suggesting that the vault has been sealed for a very long time. It was a mystery what was in the vault and why no one has opened it but based on the vault being in the heart of Area 51, whoever sealed the vault went through a lot of trouble to hide what was inside it. And being sealed and hidden from the world for so long, the vault was now only collecting dust.
But the moment of silence was suddenly broken when the computer next to the steel door was powered up. Once the computer was online and the screen on, the computer's automatic systems kicked in.
"Systems online. Initiating the reopening of the vault."
The vaults then started to open, letting out the "bad" air that was inside as a result of being sealed for so long. Once the steel door was open, it revealed seven stasis pods inside the vault.
Each of them had a test subject perfectly in stasis inside them but they couldn't be seen because the pods' windows were frozen. The pods also had numbers from 1 to 7 on them indicating the order of the test subjects who were inside the stasis pods.
"The cryogenic systems shutting down. Initiating the revival of the test subjects 1-7."
The computer then started shutting down the stasis pods and initiating the revival process. Once the pods were shut down, they were automatically opened by the computer.
Once all seven stasis pods were open, the occupants inside them woke up and stepped out of the pods. As the number of pods indicated, there were seven test subjects. Six humanoid ponies and one humanoid dragon.
These subjects were known as Mane 6 which consisted of Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. And the dragon was Spike, Mane 6's dragon companion, and Twilight's assistant.
As they were recovering from stasis, Twilight was the first one to speak.
"*yawns* I certainly slept well," Twilight said to herself as she yawned.
But as she was about to stretch her legs, Twilight suddenly started to feel weak and fell to her hand and knees which got the others' attention.
"Twilight!" Everyone yelled in worry.
They quickly ran to Twilight's side to help her up.
"Are you alright, sugarcube?" Applejack asked as she and Rainbow helped Twilight up.
"Yeah, I think so. I feel a little dizzy but other than that, I'm fine," Twilight replied.
"Oh, darling. Are you sure you're alright?" Rarity asked.
"Yeah, you don't look so good," Spike added.
"*sighs* I'm telling you that I'm fine. I'm just dizzy, that's all," Twilight insisted that she was fine.
"No offense, Twilight. But I must agree with others on this one. You look like you're going to puke," Rainbow said.
"Rainbow is... right, Twilight. You need to... relax," Fluttershy said shyly.
"Yes! You need to relax so we can party later on!" Pinkie yelled.
Twilight let out a groan as a response but she knew her friends were right so she started to take it easy for a couple of minutes. But then Twilight noticed something alarming, she noticed that she had no memory of the time before entering the stasis pod.
"*gasps* what in the name of Celestia is this?!" Twilight screamed.
"Hey! Don't tell so loudly, Twilight. I'll become deaf," Spike complained.
"Yeah. It hurt my ears," Rainbow added.
"Sorry. I just realized something," Twilight said after she apologized.
"What is it, Twilight?" Applejack asked.
"I can't remember anything from the time before the stasis," Twilight revealed.
A few seconds passed before everyone showed their reaction.
"What!" Everyone yelled.
"Geez, now it's my turn to complain about everyone being loud," Twilight thought sarcastically.
"What do you mean you can't remember anything?!" Applejack asked in near panic.
"Yeah! How can you even forget anything? You're the team's brainiac for crying out loud," Rainbow added.
"I know, guys! This is shocking to me as well but I'm telling you that I can't remember anything," Twilight said.
"But how is this possible, darling? How can you not remember anything from the time before we were put in these pods?" Rarity asked.
"I don't know, Rarity. Maybe it's a side-effect of being in stasis for a while," Twilight theorized.
"Speaking of, how long have we been in those pods?" Spike asked.
"I'm not sure. It felt like a day of sleep but these pods can hold the subjects in them in deep freeze for years," Twilight explained.
"In other words, we have no idea how you lost your memory or how long we've been sleeping in those things," Rainbow said.
"I'm afraid so, yes," Twilight confirmed.
That's when a terrible idea came to her mind.
"Wait a minute," Twilight said.
"What is it, darling?" Rarity asked.
"I can't remember anything but what about you?" Twilight asked.
"What do you mean, Twilight?" Applejack asked.
"Do you remember anything from before the stasis? If I somehow lost my memories then the same could have happened to you," Twilight brought up.
Now that she mentioned it, Spike and the girls tried to remember anything from before the stasis but to their surprise, they couldn't remember anything at all like Twilight.
"Now that you mentioned it, I can't seem to remember anything," Spike said while rubbing his head.
"*gasps* you're right, darling! I can't remember anything!" Rarity panicked.
"Me neither," Applejack said.
"Uh, my memory doesn't... remember anything... either," Fluttershy said shyly.
"I don't remember anything either but I still feel like fun!" Pinkie yelled while jumping.
"What the heck is this?! Why none of us can remember anything and how did it happen to all of us? I can't remember a darn thing," Rainbow asked.
"I'm not sure. But as I said earlier, maybe amnesia is a side-effect of being in stasis for so long," Twilight theorized.
"Then how can I remember everything from the time we lived in Ponyville?" Spike asked.
"What do you mean, Spike?" Twilight asked.
"Well, I can remember clearly everything we did and went through in Ponyville. Like the time we first got there, defeated Nightmare Moon, met Zecora, and patched things up with Trixie," Spike explained.
"Hey! I can remember all those things too," Rainbow said in realization.
"*gasps* me too!" Rarity added.
"Yay! Those memories are still in my head!" Pinkie yelled happily.
"Um, same here," Fluttershy said quietly.
"Yeah, me too. But how is that possible? If we all can remember all our experiences in Ponyville then how come we can't remember how we got into the pods and what happened before that?" Applejack asked.
"Maybe the stasis made us lose our recent memories but the ones from our far past remained intact," Twilight theorized.
"Still, I'd like to find out what exactly happened before we got stuck in those tin cans," Spike mentioned.
"Agreed, but we must-"
Twilight couldn't finish when she felt like stepping onto something. She quickly looked down and saw a piece of paper under her hoof. She carefully picked it up with her hand and took a look at it. And to her surprise, there was something written on the paper in her handwriting.
"*gasps* this can't be," Twilight said in shock.
"What's wrong, Twilight?" Spike asked in concern.
"The text on the paper, it's written in my handwriting. But I don't remember writing this," Twilight revealed.
"What?!" Everyone yelled.
"But how is that possible?" Rarity asked.
"Yeah. How come it's written in your handwriting if you don't even remember writing that paper?" Rainbow asked.
"Maybe I wrote it before entering the stasis," Twilight theorized.
"We can find out about that later. What the paper says, Twilight?" Applejack asked.
Twilight then returned her attention to the paper to read what was written on it.
"If you're reading this, then it means that you and others have woken up but don't remember anything that happened before the stasis. I can not say much but you're not in Equestria anymore, you're in the place called Area 51, a secret military/research facility in the human world," Twilight read.
As soon as she read where they were, the girls and Spike were about to tell in shock again but stopped when they noticed that Twilight hasn't read everything from the letter. So they stayed silent and listened as Twilight read the rest.
"If you're wondering why you're not in Equestria anymore or what happened, I can't give you those answers. But if you want to find answers and recover your lost memories, you must find a scientist named Dr. Spencer. He's the only one who can tell you why you are in Area 51 and what happened to Equestria," Twilight read.
There was also a PS at the end of the paper.
"If you see or meet anyone from Equestria, do not trust them," Twilight finished.
Once she finished reading the paper, Twilight turned to her friends who were a bit surprised, shocked, and a little confused.
"You girls okay?" Twilight asked.
"You just read us that mystery paper that told us absolutely nothing," Rainbow said.
"Ah wouldn't say that, Rainbow. It told us where we are and where to find answers," Applejack disagreed.
"Area 51, human world, lost memories. This is a lot to take in," Rarity said while taking deep breaths.
"This place... scares me," Fluttershy said as she trembled.
"I'd say this isn't the right place for a party. It's too horrific and haunted," Pinkie commented.
"And what did the paper mean that we can't trust anyone from Equestria?" Spike asked.
"Stop! Look, I don't know what this all means. But at least now we know what our next step is," Twilight said.
"Uh, could you clarify, Twilight? I kind of forgot," Rainbow said in embarrassment.
Twilight facepalmed at Rainbow's short memory before answering.
"The paper told us that if we want to find answers and recover our memories, we must find Dr. Spencer," Twilight said.
"Does that name ring any bells?" Applejack asked.
Everyone shook their heads as a no before continuing the conversation.
"Look, even if we don't know who Dr. Spencer is, we need to find him if we want to know what's going on," Twilight said.
"But how do we know that we can trust what's said in the paper? It could be a trick," Rainbow brought up.
"How can it be a trick, Rainbow?! It's written in my handwriting meaning that I wrote it," Twilight argued.
"But it could be a fake. It might be just some bait to lure us into a trap," Rainbow disagreed.
"I'm afraid Rainbow has a point, Twilight. The whole thing could be a setup," Spike agreed with Rainbow.
"Even so, this is the only course of action available. Even if this is a trick, we don't have much of a choice but to follow this lead. If this Dr. Spencer can answer our questions, return our memories, and tell us what happened to Equestria and why we're here, we need to find him," Twilight explained.
Spike and others looked at each other for a minute before nodding in agreement. Even though there were many unknowns, Twilight was right that they should find Dr. Spencer if they wanted to know the truth.
"Okay, Twi. We're with you," Applejack said.
"Thank you, it means a lot," Twilight thanked.
"Hey, we're in this together," Rainbow said.
"Yeah! It's like the Musketeers say, all for one and one for all!" Pinkie said in encouragement.
"Yeah, Twilight. No matter what happens, we'll stick with you till the end," Spike added.
What her friends said made Twilight tear up a little for having such wonderful friends. But this wasn't the time for crying so Twilight dried up her tears and just smiled at her friends.
"Alright, girls... and Spike. Let's go!" Twilight said
"Yeah!" Everyone yelled in determination.
With that said, Twilight and her friends embarked on the journey to discover the truth and find out what happened to Equestria. Little did they know however that the truth they were now seeking would change the harmony they represented forever.