Chapter 1: The Job
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Watch your back, shoot straight, conserve ammo, and never, ever, cut a deal with an alicorn.
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It was a cool night once again in New Seaddle, the gentle rain that had been falling over the last few hours having finally cleared off to let the lingering beams of Luna's grace filter down onto a city that had for the briefest moment been washed clean. Hell, even the rooftop I was currently crouched on was a bit less gloomy as I tucked my black wings more protectively over myself to keep hidden in the added light. Off in the distance the sweet siren song of the city's night life called out to me, but alas, here was where I'd been stuck for the past three hours.
I'd given up keeping my whole attention on the car park that I was supposed to be watching close to two hours ago, actually. Instead, my mind wandered a bit towards all of the flashy, colourful icons swimming around the city for those who can see into the digital realm. The visions tried to lure me away from my flesh and shuffle me completely into the Magtrix where my icon could cause so much delicious mischief. I think I had started to lick at my fangs in anticipation as a digital avatar of mine in Hackcraft was about to pounce on a tasty looking digital sheep when my vision was suddenly blurred by several pings alerting me to a wash of information. Most insistently was that of the little leader of our group of rag-tag mercenaries trying to get my attention.
I flicked over the channel just to hear his perfectly calm baritone, “Shadows, I swear if you fell asleep on me again I'm clipping those precious wings of yours and selling them to make up for the costs of this mission.” That threat always sent a shiver along my spine as I turned to give one of my black leathery appendages a nibble of reassuring protection, and then responded. Tranq was always so mean, but then he was just an Earth Pony and I didn't think he actually knew any of those crazy types that needed a bat pony's wings for whatever horrific thing you'd need them for.
“Yeah, yeah keep your bridle on Tranq, I'm awake and even doing my job I'll have you know. Magtrix seems to be clear of anypony else poking about here digitally at least and the markers I put on her commlink are starting to move towards the car park. Should be at the point we picked out in...mm...a four and a half minutes. Two guards flanking.” Ha! Like I can't be professional as all get out if I want to be. Tranquil Spirit, our fearless leader.
For my effort I only got back a grunt of acknowledgment and the direction of the conversation over the comms adjusts to the next person in our little pony merc trifecta, “That means your up Candy. Don't forget that the stipulation was that this needs to be squeaky clean...”
“Hey, excuse me, to whom do you think your talking? Just leave it to me and you'll be counting your bits and drinking those little drinks with the umbrellas, alright?”
“JUST make sure that you don't miss your opportunity chattering, Candy.”
I held in a bit of a giggle, grinning as I cast a glance over to the puff of cloud in the air I knew that Candy Cotton was bubbly chattering over our comms from. Never met a pegasus sniper who could talk your ear off so easily before, or one who was so light-hearted, yet professional. Of course she at least had Tranq to pull her back on task.
With the weather clearing off like this I couldn't imagine anything going... “Okay we're not going to jinx this like that, Shadows, come on now. Keep alert.” I softly muttered to myself and began checking over the area again visually and digitally. My team relied on my keen night vision and my Magtrix know how for these situations. Still nothing. Quiet. Too quiet? No, that's another terrible thing to think! Paranoid ponies might live longer, but I refused to let myself slip that far into being a cynic.
Eyes and ears open, good. The unicorn mare we'd been hired to remove from her employment with MARS Macrotechnology was, from what I'd found out, quite the little problem filly. Embezzling corporate secrets to the competition was quite the bold move, but that kind of corp politicking is what kept ponies like me in work. I offered a little salute with my hoof just as the last seconds tick down on the counter I'd set up for the team.
Then there was thunder and fire. A beam of light and death so glorious brilliant and terrifying to look at sailing down from that little black storm cloud that Candy had been hiding on like a strike from the Princesses of old. Even before it could impact though there was a shimmering of magic inside that car park, a transparent aqua bubble filling the air about our target and her two body guards. I could feel the shuddering impact in the air as the enchanted round from Candy's ridiculous sniper rifle slammed into the shield, my world suddenly coming alive with reports of gunfire in my local area. Our pegasister in wetwork had started a very dangerous clock that I immediate set into trying to cheat a few precious minutes back onto. What? Military grade weapon fire? Nonsense, exploding gas main, or maybe just a lightning strike near by. Nothing to get worked up over my wonderful little puppets.
While I was busy trying to earn the little scroll of 1's and 0's over a star field that adorned my flank as a cutie mark, I refocused for just a moment to see the effects of that shot. It took a few precious moments to realize exactly what was wrong. Somehow that damn aqua shield had actually managed to halt the progress of that bullet, which was still spinning angrily in vain to fulfill its destiny. Always something to hold in awe, how much magical ammunition really wants to off a pony when used. Terrifying awe of course.
"Hit it again Candy," came Tranq's calm voice over the comm and only seconds later another lance of light and death erupts from that cloud. This one glances hard into the side of that barrier. Hitting it hard enough to causes a ripple that has its desired effect. A row of parked cars were instantly torn apart and erupted into flame while at the same time the shield caves in on itself, and a very happy enchanted round gets its wish. I barely manage to turn my head to avoid seeing what happens to a pony when that happens. Seeing it once had been enough for me months back after Candy had bought that absurd firearm.
Back to work for me, grumbling and cursing Celestia under my breath. What? Another gunshot? Several automobiles calling in the same area about significant structural damage? Fire alarms adding to the noise in the area. Outside my little sudden nightmare of digital icons and message traffic things were progressing smoothly. A cheer over the comm. Tranq demanding for calm and confirmation. Confirmation received. The order to clear out being given.
Quick as a bat, I darted to where my data tap had been sunk into a nearby bit of fiber cabling. With a mental command, the link burns out and pops free, allowing me to retract a leading wire back up into the lovely little device that let me work my digital magic, my cyberdeck. Cradling the device like it was my newborn foal, I sealed it up into its protective case. I winced a bit as I set my system to reboot to clear away my digital tally of wrong doing and at the same time all my beautiful marks on the digital world, unfurl my wings and take to the air. "Now if only getting paid goes this well. Hope those cars don't get taken out of our pay..."
Author's Note
I'm so sorry. I know that I've done a terrible thing but I wanted to be included in a contest.
(Ah, someone offered some editing tips! Thank you!)
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"A standard mission is 20 minutes of objectives, three days of planning, and 600 seconds of mayhem."
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The meet up point after the mission was a a run down warehouse in the sprawl. A nasty filthy place that I'd be happy to not have to go into ever again if it wasn't the allure of those golden bits. It would not due to discuss wet work and then accept payment for senselessly ending another pony life at a posh country club, upscale restaurant or five star hotel. No this was exactly the right spot to plant our flanks and wait for the Sparkle to show up. When the Sparkle was running behind that made everypony nervous.
Ms. Sparkle (no not the alicorn princess you remember reading about in history class) is the generic term for the type of pony who hires ponies like us to do the things we do. Hell ours wasn't even a mare but that's what they were called. You subsist on the crumbs of the shadow wars between the megacorperations and you'll have to deal with these ponies just like they depend on you to get the work they need done complete. Some are business slick and ooze corporate professionalism, others are sweaty low level middle manager barely better off then the grunts they push around. The thing the have in common is that you can't trust them worth a damn and that you desperately need the bits they have to pay out.
Ours at present was a stallion Earth Pony who I could only dig up likely works for MARS. We'd met him through one of Candy Cotton's contacts, the same mare she buys those enchanted shells from if I'm remembering it correctly, and a few magitrix searches hadn't brought up a whole lot on him. Of course your not supposed to go looking but you know how curious us bat ponies tend to get. Not like I've got anything else do while sitting here.
Tranq was pacing along the floor as Candy and I peek down at him from our perch. “I don't like this at all. We're out two shells for that thing rather then one, the target was guarded unlike our intelligence says and now the Sparkle is...” Then he pauses and looks up at me expectantly for a moment.
“Umm, 15 minutes,” I reply as my wings shift a bit and I toss a recently drained rat I'd caught off to the side. Hey, a mare's gotta eat!
“Is 15 minutes late!” he continues along, “This is not a good time for this kind of nonsense. If we've got a no show we do not have the resources to recoup and take the bits out of his flank...”
Yeah it wasn't usually a good idea to push Tranquil Spirits past the point where he gets this angry. I share a worried look with Candy as we both ponder what exactly is going to happen to the Sparkle does finally show up. It was around that time that a familiar sound caught our attention. My vision suddenly picking up several icons fanning out around the warehouse around us as hooves clip and clop on concrete. Then came the chuckling as several new ponies slide into view about us.
“Well well, look whose wondered into Nightmarerer Territory tonight of all nights ladies! Seems out little tip off of gate crashers was founded.” A green and yellow maned earth pony mare wearing one of those signature deep blue helmets grins up at Candy and myself as she speaks. “Afraid the toll for trespassing on our turf just recently went up in price too due to these hard economic times. So unless you and your pals fork over, let's saaaaay...fifty-thousand bits then we'll have to take it out of your hides.” It was around the time she said 'saaaaay' that you could hear several automatic weapons being readied.
Now normally a couple of Nightmarer goons weren't too big of a deal. They were mouth breathers for the most part, usually you could talk them down or just flat out intimidate them rather then get into a fight. Your average shadowtrotter if smart tended to be equipped with the kind of armour their little hold outs couldn't do much about. This was not a couple of Nightmarers and they were definitely far better outfitted then any gang had any right to be. If your like me this was sending up red flags everywhere, especially as I could see a lot more of the tech both on and in these ladies then I liked to see. Muzzles eagerly gripping triggers and bridles.
The poor filly who had addressed us probably would have done a lot better if Tranq hadn't already been so upset. It even took me by surprise when he was suddenly in front of her and I'd seen the Earth Pony do it before. Some kind of magic he had access too making his body far faster and stronger then it ever should have been naturally. He actually pivoted about with the momentum and bucked that filly so hard that her body impacted the chain link fence outside before flopping to the floor. A feat I would have appreciated quite a bit more if I hadn't had several automatic weapons aimed at me.
Candy and I barely got our flanks into the air as automatic weapons fire tore into our perch and begin spraying up at us as we beat wing towards the skylight. I may not be a pegasus but I can go fast when properly encouraged. Trust me when I say these mares knew what kind of encouragement worked best for me.
“Hit squad?” I called out over the commlink, tugging my pistol out as we hit the night sky only to be greeted by three similarly armed pegasi. Oooooh, pretty white and pink on the left had a nice target-able smartlink on her rifle! The world of the magitrix erupted in sparks and showers as I sent hard data crushing into the icon. My baby monitor complained as my tally of naughty deeds grew but the blue smoke suddenly spilling from her rifle made me grin.
“Obviously a hit squad! Friggen Mouth Breathers!” Tranq cried out inside, the sound of gunfire and grunting echoing off of the metal walls of the warehouse. I can't say that I wasn't worried about him as the four of us in the sky started shooting at one another. I'd seen him do a lot of crazy stuff in our careers together in the shadows but it sounded like the mares inside were just spraying the floor of the place with lead.
With a final curse the mare whose gun I'd bricked threw the useless weapon to the ground and drew a knife a she raced up after me. How do they always know when it was my fault anyway? Bracing for the impact I barely have time to pay attention to Candy's fight as well. Seeing their ally suddenly tangling with the less agile bat pony the begin to double team the frustratingly energetic and agile Candy Cotton. If it weren't for the over-sized rifle that my friend was hauling about she'd have likely already been in a better position and blasting away at these foals. Instead she was darting and weaving about with her backup revolver angerly answering shots into the dark.
Sensing that drift in my attention and the worry for my friend white-and-pink took that initiative and tried planting her knife right into the center of my back above my wings. I howled in pain as the light armor I chose to wear stopped it from piercing into my spine but not enough to keep it from hurting like hell. I could feel the blood soaking the material of my armour as I turned my head and grinned. Hell at this range it wasn't like I could miss, a few rounds from my semiautomatic pistol slamming into her unprotected hide. Heh, remember foals your nightmare night costume might look intimidating but it isn't as good as the real thing.
Bleeding and wobbling I manage to land on the warehouse's rooftop, squeezing off the last shots to distract the two on Candy's tail enough that her areal acrobatics end up with the two chasing pegasi colliding in mid air and then crashing into a dumpster far below. With a giggle Candy tosses something out of her bag down after them and from the dull thump I imagine if I'd been able to see the results I'd be reminded why I swore off chunky salsa all those years ago. All joking aside we both now focus on the goings on in the warehouse where out other ally had been holding his own it would seem. Any of the Nightmarerers whom happened to get within reach of Tranq were either unconscious or had at least been 'encouraged' to give up the fight. All of that wasn't without cost though as there were still several up on platforms he hasn't been able to deal with.
Now tough as an earth pony like him could be he was still a mess, gasping for air as he scans the room for more targets. I couldn't hold back the gasp as I saw just how much blood he was soaked in, even if it wasn't likely all his own. He looked like some kind of monster pony from the trids, sweat and other fluids soaking his matted brown fur. Candy was frantically getting her rifle set up after tossing her revolver aside and my eyes were scanning the remaining mares to see what they had on them. More spikes of data sprinting out into the magitrix to obliterate particular bits of cybernetics, one suddenly going blind as her replacement eyes were sent into reboot mode. The digital tally of all my wrongdoings in the defense of my friends climbing higher and higher as my baby monitory chirps out more warnings.
The roar of Candy's rifle draws quite a bit attention away from Tranq's attackers, our pegasus friend opting to hit a support beat rather then a mare, causing three of them to tumble from their elevated position and well into reach of the angry earth pony below. It was a beautiful thing to see as it had finally broken the spirits of the other mares, the last of the ganger fleeing out of the warehouse and back into the streets leaving the three of us a mess of exhaustion and hurt. My wings were starting to stiffen as the muscles in my back ached from my stab wound and I could see Tranq settling onto his side as Candy flew down to start doing her first aid thing on him. I'd keep for the moment at least and he needed quite a few bullet holes sealed up.
It was about then that I cast my glance about the rooftops, settling down as well to recover, when my baby monitor let out it's last little chirp and I stared in horror at the tally it read. 42. Now you may not know this if your not as digitally inclined as I am but you do not ever, ever, EVER, let that tally go over the magical line of 40. Going over 40 attracts the demi-goddesss of the magitrix.
I managed at least to make a push for tugging the thin fiber optic cable that ran from my equipment up into my forehead out before a spike of some of the worst data on the magitix split into me. My eyes filling with the light in the digital world as a crimson alicorn avatar descended down upon me, emerald hammer smashing into my icon. The assault nearly totaling my equipment and sending me out into the cold wastelands of reality. If I'd been a younger hacker it would have. See my deck wasn't just something that you could pick up at your local Stuffer Shack. It was extremely illegal, extremely modified and all together unrealistically expensive. It could not be replaced and it would take me years to get the settings of a fresh deck to where I liked them.
Oh right the angry alicorn glaring down at me from the magitrix. I managed to give it a glare as I booted up a program. Her angry green hammer slam had of course had the desired effect of locking me into the matrix, one of those nasty things that demi-goddesss had the ability to do. She'd already have my physical location at that, which at least was in the rat infested barrens where the response times would be slow. Well slowish at least. Several protective icons suddenly erupt to life around me as I attempt to reset my ability to run away, the alicorn favoring me with a sly smirk before she brings the hammer down again. Each of her blows utterly cripples and destroys a shield but they buy me seconds I desperately needed to start my log off process. My deck powering down I managed to even say a little pray to the old pretty white Celestia before I bit into the cable leading to my brow and severed it forcefully.
I was once again reintroduced to the world around myself without all the glamor and light of the magitrix that overlays reality. I even had a moment to think of how horribly drab things looked before I felt the sudden rush of dump shock hitting me. The data port in my head that translates all of the digital information I access through the magitrix suddenly missing leaving its internal software to corrupt and crash which wouldn't be that bad if it wasn't connected to my brain! Pain and anguish wash over me as my tired, hurt body slumps to the ground into unconsciousness.
I don't know how much time had really passed when I finally woke up. Candy as resting over me as she stared out of the window firmly hugging her rifle. The ominous sounds of helicopters humming in the background. The lights were off but I could still see things thanks to my night vision. It looks like she'd been crying pretty hard for quite some time.
“Candy..” Oh damn was that my voice? I could barely hear myself as I mumbled. Still it was enough to draw her attention to me, “What happened?”
Absolutely nothing good from the look in her eyes and even as I lay there somehow I got the feeling that she had managed to feel worse then I did even though she hadn't seem to suffer a scratch in the fight itself.
“I couldn't carry you both. He was too heavy and Knight Errant showed up out of no where.” she said between sniffles, “So...I left him.. I left him Shadows. He wasn't dead but I left him..”
Knight Errant? All the way into the barrens? My mind tried to puzzle it out only to have my migraine smash into my like that alicorn bitch demi-goddess had done to my deck. Oh. Of course. They were there because of me. We get betrayed by our Sparkle, win against some gangers and then my little bit of carelessness gets us into a far worse mess. I'd left too many digital hoofprints in my wake and now Tranquil Spirits was going to get brought up on it and one of my only friends is blaming herself for him getting captured.
“Not...your fault... tracked me. The goddess caught me being naughty..” I managed that much after a few more minutes of listening to her sniffle. My eyes had closed at some point and even then I could feel the sudden chill of that revelation settling over the room. For the briefest moment all the self-inflicted pain of being helpless inside of Candy Cotton had an beautiful prone target laying right within sight. If I had actually seen the hatred I could feel being aimed at me by my usually upbeat friend I probably would have broken inside. It wasn't until I heard the cocking of her revolver's hammer and felt the cool barrel pressing to my temple that I think my inner pain had sunk as low as her own.
“Voleur Crux. You are going to recover and then you and I are going to rescue him or you are going to die trying. Do you understand me.” She used my real name like my mother had so many times. That way in which you know it had become so very, very serious.
I somehow managed to nod my head in acknowledgment as my mind settled back into the blackness of unconsciousness...
Author's Note
I really need to find some editor or something for this stuff. Sorry about all the likely errors that exist in it.
