Universal Soldier

Prologue

Unknown Location/ June 12, 2006

"Negative contact, continuing patrol," said a neutral, almost robotic, toned voice with a slight Texan accent. The owner of the voice was a tall human, about 6 feet and 6 inches tall, with tanned skin, short, light brown hair, and dark brown eyes. He wore MARPAT forest camouflage pants with bulletproof plates interwoven into it, and a forest MARPAT blouse, which he wore under a ballistic vest. Over his left eye, he had a set of advanced optics and advanced CPU which provided him, and the base, information. In his right hand was a M-4A1 Carbine with an underslung M302 Grenade launcher and a .45 Desert Eagle was holstered at his hip.

"Copy that GR-3-5," came the response over the radio. GR-3-5 was a Generation One Universal Soldier, or a UniSol for short.

The UniSol program had started in the 1960's and purpose was to create the perfect soldier. GR-3-5 didn't know much more than that, not with the routine mind whipes, but that didn't matter to him. All he wanted to do was get his job done and do it right.

Seeing movement to his right, GR-3-5 turned and scanned the dark, twisted, trees to his right. He didn't see anything, but that didn't mean there was nothing there.

"Possible contact, threat level... unknown. Awaiting orders," GR-3-5 said into his radio, scanning the area.

"Investigate. But do not attack unless you are fired upon or otherwise put in danger," came the response.

"Understood," GR-3-5 replied. Walking forward, he scanned for the target, looking for anything. He was at the edge of the forest when the creature showed itself. It wasn't human, that much was obvious. It had the head and body of a lion, with bat like wings, and a scorpion’s tale. It stood there and stared while he stared back, keeping his weapon aimed at this new creature.

"New contact. Unknown species. Threat level... moderate." GR-3-5 said. But then, without warning, the scorpion tail shot forward with blinding speed. A normal human would have been impaled, but GR-3-5 wasn't a normal human... in fact some even said he wasn't human.

He threw himself back and fired the M-4A1 with one hand. The tail hit him in the left shoulder and was followed up by the creature backhanding him. The creature was much stronger than it looked because he was sent flying for a few dozen yards. GR-3-5 landed on a red and white plaid blanket with food, plates, and drinks scattered on it.

Sitting up, GR-3-5 looked around. Surrounding him were six equines; two to his left, two to his right, one by his feet, and one above his head. Of the two to his left, the first one had cyan blue colored coat, a pair of wings, a rainbow colored mane, and rose colored eyes. The next one had a white coat, with a purple mane, blue eyes, and had a horn above its forehead. To his right was another with an orange coat, green eyes, and blond hair. The one standing next to the orange one was another with a pink coat, pink hair, and bright blue eyes. Laying at his feet was the unconscious form of another equine with a buttercup yellow coat, with long pink hair, had blue eyes, and a pair of wings. Standing behind him was yet another with a lavender colored coat, purple hair that had pink strip running through it, purple colored eyes, and had both a horn just above its forehead and a pair of wings.

"Six new contacts," GR-3-5 said as he stood up. "Species... Equine... subspecies... pony... three tertiary subspecies commonly referred to as... Pegasus, and... Unicorn, and… Alicorn. Threat level: Minimal. Lost contact with previous hostile... awaiting further orders."

There was no response other than a burst of static, so GR-3-5 took off the headset and ran a diagnostic on it. The radio was working. The microphone was working. The optics were working. The only problem was the speaker in the headset itself.

Putting the headset back on, he took several steps past the group of equines, turned around, and then trained his M-4A1 on them but otherwise took no other action. The equines stared at him first in fear and then with curiosity. It was the one with the rainbow colored hair that approached him first.

"So what are you, some kind of hairless Diamond Dog or something? Or are you a spy?" the rainbow maned pegasus said as she flew up to him, but otherwise she didn't pose a threat.

"I do not recognize the term 'Diamond Dog,' nor am I a spy. Awaiting further orders."

"Then what are ya'll?" asked the orange pony.

"That is classified. But you may call me GR-3-5."

"That'safunnyname. Itmakesyousoundlikeyou'rearobot. Your'renotarobotareyou?" said the pink colored one. "YouknowyoulooklikeyouwouldbecalledGreece. That'sfunny,howcananypony'look'likeaname. Itkindaremindsmeofthetime-"

"Greece is not what I am called. I am called GR-3-5."

"Yeah... Greece."

"That is not what I am called."

"Yeah, butifI'mcallingyouit, thatmustbewhatyou'recalled." the pink one said, bursting with energy as she jumped up and down.

"I... I'm... yes... no... I am confused. I am not programmed to think with this logic track."

"You're not programmed silly. I mean you're not a robotandrobot'sareprogrammedsothatmustmeantha-"

The pink one was interrupted as the pony with the lavender colored coat shoved its hoof in her mouth.

"Just ignore Pinkie Pie. You get used to her... eventually." suggested the lavender unicorn. "Anyways, what are you? You aren't a Diamond Dog, and you aren't an ape."

"That information is Classified, Above Top Secret."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked the rainbow maned pegasus.

"It means that he can't tell you." said the purple unicorn with a role of her eyes.

"Ugh... those colors on your clothes are just dreadful, darling." said the white unicorn with the purple mane. "With those greens, and browns, and all that black... just awful." Without saying anything, RG-3-5 removed the bulletproof shoulder pads and started to remove the ballistic vest. The ponies all looked at him with confusion as he did this.

"What are ya'll doing?" asked the orange colored one.

"My body armor and uniform is not to satisfactory standards."

"No, no, no. It's not that I don't approve of your clothes, I just think that it could be made to look better," the white unicorn with the purple mane said.

"Anyways, why are you here?" asked the lavender colored unicorn.

"I was ordered to portal the area ahead of the main task force," RG-3-5 replied. Hearing a sound behind him, he turned around to see the shadow of the creature that had attacked him. Before he could engage, the creature disappeared into the forest.

"... and where is this 'task force' or whatever they're called?" asked the rainbow maned pegasus with suspicion.

"As of last contact... they are twelve to forty-eight hours away. Currently traveling from the west. Warning: New contact... species... reptile... threat level: minimal. Standing down," RG-3-5 said as he saw a reptile with short, stubby legs, purple scale on its body, and a light green colored stomach, running towards them with several scrolls held in its claw.

"Spike's not a threat silly. He's just a baby dragon," said the pink one. RG-3-5 ignored the mares as the 'baby dragon' ran up to the lavender colored unicorn. He studied the group of mares, they were very intriguing. They were different from the scientists and officers that he was normally around, and they were so... so... colorful.

"Hey, big guy. Are you okay? You don't look so good," asked the rainbow maned pegasus as she flew around him. RG-3-5 looked at the small, black, device that was strapped to his left wrist. There was an urgently flashing orange light.

"I am overheating. I need to cool down."

"But it isn't even hot outside!" exclaimed the pegasus.

"I need to cool down."

"Then…" the lavender colored unicorn started, "... you can come back to the library with us... I guess."

36 HOURS EARLIER

"GR-3-5, please report to security area 12-B," the voice of Doctor C. Nile said. Stopping, GR-3-5 turned around and marched back the way he came. The walls, ceiling, and floor of Weapons Research and Development Facility 04/Mi/47 were all the same grey color.

He passed mess halls, med bays, barracks, medical labs, the cooling chambers, the armories, and various other facilities in the research station. GR-3-5 passed all of these without even the slightest indication that he knew they were there. He hadn't been ordered to enter, or interact with any of them, so he didn't.

At the end of the long, grey, hallway stood a large set of double doors that were nearly as tall as he was. Standing in front of the doors were two marines in their dress blues, standing at parade rest, hands clasped behind their back. As he approached, they popped to attention and one of them turned and pressed a button and the doors slowly swung open.

"They're waiting for you inside freak," said the one to his left.

"Understood," GR-3-5 said as he continued to walk forward. On the other side of the doors was a large, empty area that used to be a hangar bay for a squadron of Chinooks, but was now being used as a staging area for UniSol training exercises.

"-ere is a radiation signature coming from the target area that spikes every thirty days for three days. But so far, the radiation doesn't seem to harm humans or our equipment," came the voice of Doctor C. Nile. The doctor wore a grey turtleneck shirt, black pants, and had long black hair that was tied into a ponytail, pale skin, piercing blue eyes, and a hawkish nose that reminded most people of an eagle.

About twenty yards in front of GR-3-5 was a group of about fifty marines sitting in front of the doctor. In the dark corner of the old hangar bay stood eight generation three UniSol's and two of the brand new generation seven's; all in full combat gear.

"What is the security situation of the town sir?" asked one of the Marines.

"It's currently under passive quarantine. No one get's in or out without us knowing. The U.S. Army is waiting on us before they shut down the entire city. It's your job to secure the portal and the surrounding area. DO NOT let anyone into or out of the school once you've moved in. Also, you need to detain the person known as Sunset Shimmer for questioning."

"What kind of kit will we have at our disposal?"

"You'll have two LAV-25's, five HMMWV's, a single UniSol Mobile Base of Operations, and your choice of firearms."

"Sir, the freaks ar' comin' wit' us?" asked another Marine.

"Yes, two NGU's, eight generation 3's, and a single generation one."

"NGU's, sir?" asked the officer in charge.

"Next Generation Universal Soldiers. They are superior to the others in nearly every way. If you were to put them against any of the others. Only the first gen's would even have a chance against an NGU," the doctor told them. It was then that the doctor noticed GR-3-5.

"Ah... there's our last freak now. Please, come forward GR-3-5."

GR-3-5 made his way around the marines and as he approached the doctor, the doctor slapped him on the back.

1 HOUR LATER

GR-3-5 sat inside the lead HMMWV, commonly referred to as a Humvee by the rest of the military, scanning the fields that were passing the windows. Sitting in the passenger seat was Corporal Dunn, and sitting behind him was Private First Classes Jackson and Rosenthal.

"So where you from freak?" asked Corporal Dunn as GR-3-5 drove the Humvee. "I'm guessing you're from like... Texas. I mean you've got the accent and all."

"What accent?"

"Oh come on, don't tell me you don't know where you're from freak," said PFC Jackson.

"I do not know where I am from," replied GR-3-5.

"What the hell do you mean you don't know?" said Corporal Dunn as he stared at GR-3-5 with mock horror.

"That is exactly what I mean."

"GR-3-5," came the voice of Doctor C. Nile over the headset radio. "get off at the next off ramp."

As the Humvee was turning off the next off ramp, the city came into view. It wasn't a very large city; it only had a population of about ten thousand or so. As he drove into the city, a lot of the residents came out of their houses or workplaces to stare at the convoy of Humvees, LAV's, and the large UniSol Mobile Base of Operations. Making several more turns, the Canterlot High School came into view. As they drove up, GR-3-5 saw teenagers crowding at the windows of the four story building.

"Marines, secure all entrances and exits. UniSol ssault team Bravo, cut power and communications. UniSol assault team Alpha, move to breaching positions." said the voice of the task force commander over the radio.

GR-3-5 swung open the door of the Humvee and ran to the entrance to the school, where he was met by four of the Generation 3 UniSol's. They stacked up on either side of the glass doors, waiting for the order to breach.

"Assault team Alpha, breach and clear in 5, 4, 3-" the lights inside the building went out, "-2, GO."

The UniSol across from GR-3-5 turned and kicked the door down. With a speed that belied his size, GR-3-5 ran into the building, rifle raised, and ran by the lockers that lined the hallways. Coming to the first door, he stopped, turned, and then kicked down the wooden door; literally splitting it in half. Stepping into the room, he looked at the roomful of teenage students that stood at the window and stared at him with wide eyes. None of them matched the description of the person known as Sunset Shimmer, so he stepped back into the hallway and continued.

It went like this for the next ten minutes, clearing room after room. He was vaguely aware of UniSol assault team Bravo joining in the search.

They were at the end of the hallway of the first floor when he received new orders. The Officer in Charge ordered him and one of the Generation Seven UniSol's to check and clear the gymnasium and changing rooms. Without a word, GR-3-5 ran back the way he came, turned left at an intersection of halls, and made his way towards the gymnasium. The gym had wooden floors, bleachers on either side of the basketball court that was sparkling from being freshly waxed; but there was no one there.

Seeing a door open that led to the soccer and football fields, GR-3-5 turned, his weapon trained on the intrusion. NR-4 stepped through the door, weapon aimed at GR-3-5. Seeing a friendly, GR-3-5 turned to his right, where he spotted two unmarked doors. The one to the right had a blue triangle with a picture of a stick figure wearing a dress, while the one to the left had a plain stick figure on a blue triangle.

"GR-3-5, clear the room to the right. NR-4, take the room to the left," came the voice of the Officer in Charge. Without responding, both UniSol's moved to the respective doors. After a moment, he stepped away from the door, and kicked it down. This door was weaker and it splintered into ten separate pieces. As he stepped through the now destroyed door, the sound of screaming teenage females assaulted his ears. Before him was benches, lockers, and forty partially dressed females.

GR-3-5 cautiously walked into the locker room, rifle scanning back and forth. Whenever he came across the face of a female, he would pause for a second and would compare their picture to that of Sunset Shimmer. He had almost cleared the entire room when he found her. She was hiding in the corner of the locker room, trying to look as small as possible. She had light orange skin, orange and red hair, bright green eyes, and was wearing nothing but a pair of white panties and a bra.

"Target identified," he said as he stared at her. Most other people would find her beautiful, but he didn't. Mostly because he was pretty much a robot in all but name.

"W-what do you want?" she asked, but GR-3-5 didn't answer her question.

"Stand up with your hands in the air," he told her. At first she didn't respond, so he motivated her by clicking off the safety of the M-4. She seemed to realize the severity of her situation. Very slowly, she stood up with her hands in the air as she also tried to cover herself.

"Turn around and place your hands against the wall."

"What are you going to do to me?" she asked as she did so.

"You are being placed under arrest for questioning and quarantine by the Central Intelligence Agency. You do not have the right to remain silent. You do not have the right to a lawyer or a jury. And you do not have the right to a fair trial. Is this understood?" he asked as he placed her hands behind her back and secured them with a zip-tie.

"... I-I..."

"Is this understood?" he said again as he pulled her away from the wall, and pulled out his pistol and placed it against the back of her head. This wasn't to motivate her; it was to prevent her, or anyone else, from trying anything. But it certainly did prove to motivate her.

"Y-yes." the teenager said. Her voice filled with confusion and fear. All the other teenagers had now stopped their incessant screaming and were now busy trying to cover themselves... and trying to avoid eye contact with the detainee. The vast majority of the failed.

"Target secured. Current threat level... Moderate. Awaiting orders." GR-3-5 said into the radio.

"Bring the girl back to the front of the school. We will have a team waiting to extract her." came the response.

"Understood." he replied. He pushed Sunset Shimmer forward, left hand on her shoulder, and pistol still held to the back of her head. He exited the locker room, where he was met by a squad of Marines and a group of UniSol's. They escorted her to the front of the building and then sat her in front of the statue and kept his weapon trained on her.

"Hey what do ya'll-" came a voice behind him. Immediately, GR-3-5 whipped around, weapon tracking where his eyes were looking. In the corner of his eye, he could see NR-4 taking the position he had been at.

Standing about ten feet in front of him was a tall teenage male that was slightly shorter than GR-3-5. The teenager wore a red jacket with a yellow bandana around his neck, blue jeans, and had blond hair.

"On your knees!" GR-3-5 yelled out as he quickly walked towards the teenager.

"What the-?" the teenager started to say as he reached behind his back, which was the last thing he should have done.

GR-3-5 holstered his pistol, and reached back to punch the teenager in the face. The teenager automatically responded by ducking down and attempting to punch GR-3-5 in the stomach. Thanks to the faster reflexes than a standard human, he easily caught the fist and punched the teenager square across the jaw, spinning the teenager around. The teenager kicked out at GR-3-5's head but he easily ducked underneath and landed five solid punches on the teen's side. Kicking out, GR-3-5 tripped the teen. And as soon as the teen hit the ground, he was already on top of him, bringing both hands behind his back.

"Stand down! All units stand down!" yelled Doctor C. Nile. Immediately, GR-3-5 stopped what he was doing and stood at attention.

"Corpman!" the doctor yelled as the teen started to cough up copious amounts of blood.

"GR-3-5, get the girl inside the Mobile Unit," the doctor continued to yell. "And for Christ’s sake, somebody get her something to wear!"

GR-3-5 returned to Sunset Shimmer and yanked her up by one arm, getting a yelp of pain from her. He brought her to the UniSol Mobile Base of Operations and sat her down in front of it and waited for new orders. He hoped they would finish quickly. He was starting to feel warm and needed to cool off. Hopefully the mission would end soon.

"Hey freak," said a marine that approached him after what seemed like forever. "They want you inside. Something about overheating or whatever."

Immediately, he stood at attention and walked into the Mobile Unit. Once inside, he shed his gear until he stood naked in front of a group of scientists. They directed him into the cooling chambers, where he sat at the seat specifically made for him. As he sat down, the chamber slowly started to cool down until it reached negative thirty-eight degrees Fahrenheit. Slowly, he started to fall asleep and darkness overtook him.