Metal Sandsby Eternal AviatorChaptersPart II--Down the Rabbit Hole *Edited*Part III--A Frightened MindPart I--Needle in a Hay Stack *Edited*Part II--Down the Rabbit Hole *Edited*Part II--Down the Rabbit Hole *Edited* Part II--Down the Rabbit Hole Mid Sahara Desert 1800 Hours I yawned loudly as I continued my surveillance through the frontal viewing screen. The strong point of the sandstorm has apparently passed, so the IRNV camera was a little bit more clear than before. "Juggernaut to all units, radio check. My screens acting up a little." I blinked a few times and turned on my radio. "Sandstorm here, I hear you but I'm getting a little static." I replied as I wiped my eyes. "Cyclops, I got the same deal. Try resetting your transmitter and call again." Came the low voice of Johny. "Roger that, radio reset in progress. Stand by..." I wiped my eyes and hit the interphone hastily as I continued looking through the viewing screen. "Sandstorm, how we holding up, guys?" It was a few seconds before a response came. "Eh... I've been better." "Same here, just fucking bored." I smirked, but I couldn't say I didn't feel just the same. Checking the multifunction screen I looked at the G.P.S. path we were following to the second checkpoint. We were heading North by now from almost dead center of the Sahara, and the last bit of the sandstorm was about to pass. My hopes rose quite a bit when I saw that we had close to just a half hour until we reached the second location. I was about to tell everyone else but they had apparently seen it at the same time. "Cyclops to all units, we are zeroing in on objective Bravo. E.T.A.: twenty-five minutes." I laughed as I heard my crew mates sigh and chuckle in relief. Close to twenty minutes later, the sandstorm finally blew over us after nearly eight hours of its torment. We all cheered and laughed as the dark blue sky was finally visible again. After another five minutes of peaceful driving, a mangled and scattered object was visible in the distance. I probably would've had to be a bit closer to see it with the naked eye, but the object was a bit more white than the surrounding area than the sand, so I could see it. "All units, I have a visual on the objective. I repeat, objective is in sight." I said happily. "Alright! Bout' fucking time!" Cheered Johny. "Towing Curb Stomper all this way has taken it's toll on my fuel. Anyone think we can drain her tank and top me off?" "It's possible, I think I have the right thing in one of the bags." Replied Kelly. We pulled up by the mess of an aircraft and I got to a good defensive position, while Cyclops pulled up behind me about ten meters and began disconnecting Curb Stomper, and Juggernaut's back doors swung open. The three men plus the three from the second LAV filed out and steadily approached the wreckage. While I kept watch I admired the truly beautiful sight. The countless amounts of perfectly shaped sand dunes combined with the darkening sky and the bright crescent moon was really a sight to see. "What a view." I said. "No kidding." Said Ryan and Nathan in unison. A silence fell over the tank before my radio rang. "This is Juggernaut, the package has been located. I say again, we have found the cargo." Kelly announced happily. I looked through the right viewing prism towards the site and saw two of the soldiers lugging out a large crate while the other four moved with them and kept watch. After the crate had been loaded into the back of Juggernaut, we went with the refueling operation. Upon finishing with disconnecting Curb Stomper from Cyclops, Johny maneuvered the machine so the gas tank port was as close to the tank port on the LAV, and Kelly, with the help of one of the soldiers, retrieved a special vacuum pipe designed mainly for draining a gas tank of its contents. She and the soldier climbed onto the back of Cyclops and Johny climbed out of the turret to help. All together, they moved the pipe into the open tank and set up the large vacuum device. As I watched, I couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen soon. Manning the controls again, I activated the large 7.62mm remote controlled weapon station mounted on top of the turret, and scanned the area with the mounted camera just below the gun. Meanwhile by Cyclops and Curb Stomper, I saw them getting ready to put the emptied gas into the fuel-hungry tank. "I got a bad feeling about this. It was too easy..." I growled to myself. I had apparently left the interphone on though without me knowing. "I can tell, I'm seeing that you're manning the gunny up top." Said Nathan. "Don't worry, Robbert. We'll be out of here by dawn." I didn't pay much heed as I kept the camera roaming. I stopped the camera on the others, who were putting away the extractor and getting back in there vehicles while talking among themselves. I took a moment to look away from the viewing screen and turned to the multifunction display. I touched a button and the screen went from the G.P.S. map to the personal radar. I took in a sharp breath as two white icons flashed in the corner of the screen, and were moving closer. But it wasn't just the fact they were approaching us that worried me. It was the fact the symbols mean helicopter. My hand moved on its own to the radio. "Sandstorm to all units, Sandstorm to all units, come in." "Cyclops here." "Juggernaut reporting." "Curb Sromper coming in." "Be advised, my radar's lighting up with unknown air units approaching our position from the North. Hold off on loading up Curb Stomper and prepare defensive platforms. How copy?" I said firmly as my heart rate increased again. "Copy that." "Solid copy." "I Copy. All platforms active." I leaned back in my seat for a brief moment and took a deep breath before returning to the viewing screen now, and prepared to deploy I.R. smoke if needed. "All platforms, prepare countermeasures." Eric ordered as the helicopters were still out of sight, but oddly enough, I could hear them. "Woah woah, South side! South side! Their stealth is screwing with us!" Cried Kelly. I went back to the view screen and manned the munition platform, turning the camera towards the two aircraft and zooming in as far as it would go. My stomach did a cartwheel as I recognized the helicopter as the rarely seen Eurocopter Tiger. "Nathan, load guided shell and prepare to fire!" I yelled. "Cyclops here, guided rounds load, but I want to see if I can talk. Give me a second to see if they're here to fight." Johny said. "Affirmative, go ahead." I replied. "Keep it brief though." Added Eric. Half a minute later Johny came back. He sounded worried. "Sir, they're not responding." I sighed heavily. "Roger that, all units open fire!" I yelled. Two high-velocity armor-piercing shells flew at the Tigers, as well as four 7.62 machine gun turrets blazing rounds. The helicopters immedeatly banked in opposite directions and to my surprise, both guided shells missed. "Shit! They have ECM jammers, our guided systems are useless!" Johny shouted in a frustrated voice. "Nathan load high-explosive FRAG and target that left heli!" I yelled as I let the machine gun cool down. "Copy that!" Called back the gunner as the turret swung around to get a shot. Just then my cabin started beeping loudly, signaling that one was targeting me with a guided anti-tank missile. "Deploying smoke!" I called. Instantly a thick cloud of graphite particles, vaporized copper and water vapor completely surrounded the tank and the beeping stopped. Knowing what to do, Ryan floored it in reverse until the turret was out of the dissolving smoke screen, and Nathan targeted the heli. With a deafening boom the shell flew just ahead of the chopper before exploding violently in front of the cabin, coating the front of it in deadly shards of metal and knocking around the heli from the blast. "Good hit on target, one heli down." I said. I watched as the engines started smoking before bursting into flame and the whole thing plummeted to the earth. But the next thing I saw made me pale. An anti-tank missile flew straight at the disabled Curb Stomper and struck it hard. The whole thing started lighting on fire and before long, it was completely up in flames with a decently large hole in the side. MRAP=Mine Resistant Ambush Protected. Just not from ones from above unfortunately. But fortunately no one was in it. "Shit!" screamed Johny. "We need to kill that thing no--" He was cut off as my whole tank lost power and the engine stalled. I took a moment to register what just happened before looking around. I tried my interphone and radio but none worked. Looking through the left viewing prism, I saw something that just plain scared me. The Eurocopter that had just obliterated an LAV was spinning uncontrollably towards the ground, as if it had no power as well. After watching the terrifying sight I tried the radio again. "Sandstorm to all units, please respond!" I shouted. "Nothing's working!" Yelled Ryan worriedly. "Same here, E.M.P. maybe?" Suggested the gunner. "I don't think so..." I said pretty much to myself. I made up my mind and reached up towards the hatch handle. Grasping it I gave it a firm pull and pushed it open, revealing the evening sky. I didn't waste any time as I pulled myself out of the hatch to about my waist, and looked in the direction of Cyclops, who was about seventy meters away and Johny was standing on top of his tank. "Hey! What happened?!" I yelled in his direction. "I don't know! The whole thing just turned off on me!" He yelled back. A second later, Everyone else started getting out of Juggernaut and muttering among themselves. "What happened? E.M.P.?" Asked Eric as he walked up to Johny. The tank driver just shrugged. As I watched them all talk from a distance, I ducked back inside the turret and called to my crew mates again. "Nathan, Ryan, come on out and get some fresh air. I don't think we'll be facing anymore trouble for the time being." I said as I looked around and hopped off the turret. A few moments later I watched Ryan push himself up and out, followed by Nathan, who both sat on the turret edge and stretched. I did the same, I needed it. "I never knew the Sahara had such beautiful nights." I commented as I sat between the two. They both nodded in agreement. I was about to continue when the whole ground shook lightly. My face immedeatly turned serious as I bolted up. "Oh shit, earthquake!!" I screamed as me and the other two jumped off the tank and bolted towards the others. The ground shook again, very rough this time and taking down me and the others. When I had picked myself up I noticed that the others by Cyclops and Juggernaut were unfazed by the tectonic movement. "What the hell!?" I yelled to myself as I was about to start running. "Are you guys okay!?" Cried Kelly as she started to make her way over to us, but I held my hand up, making her stop. Just before the three of us could continue, the entire section of land lurched downward, like a massive disk under the sand. I was by now scared out of my mind as I realized whatever was happening couldn't be an earthquake, and sand poured into the now visible round crevice in the ground. There was solid earth below the sand, almost like this weird disk platform was on top of a... "RUN!!" Screamed Nathan as he, Ryan and me bee-lined it towards the vehicles, but it was too late. The whole thing, in which me, my crew, and the tank were on, collapsed like a CD snapping, and we all plummeted into the massive sinkhole. The only thing I heard before I blacked out was the screams of myself, my crew, and those on the surface as the world seemed to enclose upon me me. \_____/\/\/\/\/\_____/ Cold. The bitter cold stung my body like a thousand pushpins poking at me from every direction. I cracked my eyes open but a thin layer of frost obscured my vision to the world. Mustering up enough strength, I picked up my right arm and slowly swept the snow from my face. My arm then cramped up, making me groan in pain. I waited a moment before putting both arms to my sides and hastily pushing myself up so a sitting position. "Yes! Finally!" Cried a familiar voice. Stretching out my upper body, I looked over and saw Ryan had just made a small fire from a pile of wood on the turret of the Sandstorm. Taking a quick look around I saw I was on the back of the tank, which judging from the angle it was on, was partially buried in the snow. "Ryan...?" I asked weakly. He quickly turned his head in my direction and hopped down to meet me. "Rob! Oh man, it's good to see you're awake." He said happily as he knelt next to me and wrapped an arm around me. "Likewise, Ryan. Where are we...?" I asked as I began to push myself to my feet, using the side of the turret for support and now Ryan. "Hell... I wish I knew. All I remember is sinkhole and now this." He replied glumly. I sighed as I stepped onto the turret and sat by the fire, smiling as I put my hands almost completely in the small blaze. "Where's Nathan?" I asked as my expression darkened. I could tell something was off because Ryan hesitated before replying. "He still hasn't woken yet, he's right here." Ryan said in a dull tone. "Actually, I need your help lifting him up here. Maybe some warmth will help." He finished as he and I stood up and hoped over the other side of the turret. There lay a bundle of a heavy blanket where I figured Nathan was in. Gripping the thick material, I looked up at Ryan, who had done the same. "Ready?" I asked. "Yep. On three." Replied Ryan with a nod. "One, two, three!" We both lifted powerfully and picked up the unconscious gunner, and carefully guided him next to the fire, where we gently set him down and I unwrapped the pert of the blanket that covered his face. After that was done, we both sat next to him by the fire once again. That's when a big question formed in my head. "Why aren't we inside the tank?" I inquired with a head tilt. Ryan chuckled. "I figured you'd ask that at some point. That's why I have the fire up here." He said, making me give him a further puzzled look. "The hatch is frozen shut, and the fire should melt the ice on it." He explained, making me nod in understanding. We both sat in silence for close to ten minutes before the blankets stirred. "What the...? Where are we?" Mumbled the gunner as he moved around some more. "Why do I feel so tired?" Me and Ryan both greeted him happily and patted him on the back as he hastily unwrapped his torso and held his arms by the fire. After we had brought him up to speed on our situation, which honestly wasn't a lot of information, he just groaned. "I don't believe this..." He said. "Try opening the hatch, I don't want to sit out here anymore." He demanded as he got up and knelt by the round door. I got up too and we both grasped the latch and undid it, before gabbing the handle and pulling heavily. We groaned and stuttered before, with a few sounds of ice cracking, the hatch opened up and we all cheered in accomplishment. One by one we climbed into the chilly tank and manned our posts. I put on my headset and turned on the interphone. "Heh heh, okay. Ryan, Nathan, radio check." I said as I turned on the rest of the console before me. "Loud n' clear." Chuckled Ryan. "Let's get going." Said Nathan. "Okay. All systems are operational. Ryan, start us up." "Roger that. It may take a few tries though, it's probably frozen right now." Replied Ryan. A few seconds later, the powerful diesel engine rumbled to life and I laughed. "Well I'll be damned!" Cheered Nathan, making me and Ryan laugh more. "I don't know how the hell we're running, but I'm just not asking questions now." Said Ryan. "What are your orders, sir?" I had to think about that last question. We're in the middle of what's probably the Arctic, so... Hey wait a minute. "Turn us forty degrees to the left and head that way at top speed, I think I remember seeing something odd before over there." I ordered after a moment. "But first back out of our little snow dune." A few seconds later, the engine grumbled louder and we backed out of the pile, before turning and heading in the designated direction. After only about a minute of driving, I saw it. The top of a massive neon blue, transparent dome came into view. Under it looked like the top section of a large, spiky tower that ended just before the top of the dome. "What the hell is that...?" Nathan asked slowly. "Boss?" Ryan said. I hesitated before replying, still in awe at the sight before me. "I don't know, but whatever it is, we're going to it." I stated. "Keep your guard up." "Roger that." "Copy." \_____/\/\/\/\/\_____/ Not a lot happened from there. We kept our course to go past the covered tower when he hit a narrow path perpendicular to our direction that upon quick inspection, led to the tower. "Rob, we got nowhere else to go. If we don't stop here, we could freeze in this damn snow." Said Ryan in a worried voice. "He's right you know." Added Nathan. I thought about it before sighing in defeat. They were right. "Okay... Ryan, turn around and follow that path. Nathan, load canister and keep an eye out on anything that moves. I'll be on the gunny." "Roger that." "Wilco." Once we were on the stone road we moved at a steady pace towards the spire. We came over a hill and I'm pretty sure all of our mouths dropped. Not only was there the spire, but an entire city rested at it's base, glistening in the bright sunlight. To my surprise though, none of us said a word until we were at the edge of the city, where we stopped. "Okay, guys. We don't know what to expect here, and they probably don't know what to expect from us. Therefore we will not use any lethal force unless absolutely necessary, and the main gun will be only for last resort protocols." I stated firmly as I enabled the 7.62 platform and I.R. smoke, just in case. "Will do, sir." Replied Nathan. "Solid copy. Ready to proceed." Confirmed Ryan. "Okay. Keep the guns pointed and continue at twenty kilos. Be ready for any kind of necessary obstructions like roadblocks." I ordered as we rolled through the gap in the shield. All I'll say now is that once we rolled through the shield, things got a bit chaotic. The gap closed behind us and at least a dozen guards stormed out from the close buildings and surrounded us with spears, crossbows, and some other 800's weaponry. "Looks like we got company." Deadpanned Nathan. "What makes you say that?" Joked Ryan. "Woah wait a minute... These guys are horses!" He yelled. "Don't worry... Wait." I looked through one of the frontal viewing prisms and sure enough, there were about a dozen small equines surrounding the tank. "What the fuck..." "Like seriously. We're surrounded by little ponies carrying mid evil time weaponry inside the weirdest looking city ever." Stated Nathan. The three of us were about to continue our chat about ponies, the 800s, and ponies, when a male voice came through the tanks external microphone. "Unknown being, we request that you state your intention and oblige to our commands, or we will use force." Said a noticeably taller pony with a dark blue mane & tale with a light blue stripe, and a horn on its forehead. It also wore lavender armor with the emblem of a white shield on the chest. Now my head was faltering a little. These ponies could talk? "Um... What-what do you think, boss?" Stuttered Nathan, who was also apparently having a hard time processing what was happening. Regaining my bearings, I realized that this guy wanted us to bow down to him, when there arsenal would literally do nothing to us. That was not going to slide. I looked up at the hatch and brought my arm up to open it. "This is your last chance, surrender yourself and follow us now!" Came the voice before I could open the hatch. "Rob, they're getting ready to move on us. You gonna let that happen?" Said Nathan. "Hell no." I replied before undoing and throwing open the hatch, my FNX-45 Tactical in my other hand. I stuck out the upper half of my torso and trained my handgun on the taller one, making every other guard yell and ready there weapons. It was a very tense few seconds before I spoke in a loud voice. "Before either one of us does anything we might regret, I first want to state that we are not here to cause any harm. We--" I started. "Silence!" The leader yelled, stepping forward with an aggressive look on his face. I raised an eyebrow slightly but stopped talking, the reality of a horse telling me to shut up was still a little mind boggling. Even though he looked like he really didn't want to hurt me, much less get within ten feet of the tank, my trigger finger ribbed against the trigger. "You are trespassing on our grounds, and therefore pose a threat to the Crystal Empire and it's citizens." He stated. "I now order you to exit your metal machine and come with us to the tower." I didn't move, but the guards advanced a few steps, making my hand grip the pistol tighter. I took a breath before responding. "Why can't you just let us go? We'll follow that path behind me and you'll never have to worry about me again." I suggested. "Because, creature, that path leads to more smaller towns and villages. We do not want them getting harmed by you." Replied the commander. I thought about it briefly. As much as I didn't want to get captured, much less take orders from a talking equine in purple armor, I also didn't want to make any bad impressions and start a tussle. That would be bad. Sighing, I lowered my handgun, which seemed to make some of the other guards relax, and ducked back into the cabin and hit the interphone. "Alright boys. We're shutting down. Put all systems into lock so only we can access it, and come on out." I said slowly. "Are you sure, sir? I mean we could just--" Ryan started. "That's an order, Ryan." I almost yelled. "Sandstorm is not surrendering. We are simply taking the peaceful way out." Author's Note The U.S. Marines never surrender, they just don't fight when it's not needed. Part III--A Frightened MindPart III--A Frightened Mind Crystal Empire City Border Aprox. 1200 Hours (Equestrian Time) I huffed as I pushed myself up and out of the top of the tank turret and stepped down to the body, waiting for the other two. Ryan was next, gripping the outside of the circular opening and hoisting himself out. Nathan followed right after and we all stood by one another for a moment. We were about to hop down to the waiting guard division until a critical thought forced me to stay put. I put an arm in front of the other two also to keep them from going too. "Wait a minute." I said, looking over at Ryan and Nathan, who both now wore quizzical looks, before looking the captain in the eyes. "As aliens to us, we don't trust you at all yet or that you won't try to turn our machinery on us when we have our backs turned." I said firmly and the other two nodded slightly. "I say you let us drive our machine to a spot where you wish for us to stop, and we won't touch it afterwards." Ryan added. It was at this moment I could tell Shining Armor was at least an okay negotiator, because his reply was firm and quick. "And as aliens to us, we do no trust you yet or that you won't try to blast your way out of here once we start walking." He said, holding his head high as he was obviously proud of his retort. "Follow the guards, we'll take care of your machine." I shook my head slowly before raising my hands up. "Suit yourself." I said curtly as I jumped down, followed by the other two. The guards immedeatly started slowly approaching us with weapons at the ready. I looked around at the equines in golden armor, still a little mind fucked about the whole situation. I didn't even bother to raise my hands. "Oh no. You're not putting hand cuffs on me!" I heard Ryan spit at a guard. I looked over to see a guard with three pairs of handcuffs floating in front of him in a light blue aura. "Ryan," I said, making him look over at me. "Just let the guard do his job." Ryan faltered a little before giving in and extending his arms outward. Nathan and I did the same and pairs of silver handcuffs were slapped on our wrists. "Now please come with me." Shining Armor said 'kindly'. The three of us walked in silence, surrounded by guards with the captain in front. As I looked around I took in the scenery of the strange city we were in. It was so... shiny. Everything I looked at seamed to reflect sunlight in some way, making my eyes hurt a little with every head turn. There was something else I noticed. There were other ponies looking out from windows and around corners and doors at us, and all of them had the same kind of luster. I just hoped these citizens weren't the kind of ones who get all grossed out every time a speck of dirt lands on them; it'd be amusing, but annoying... "Man, everything here's like looking at a mirror of the sun." Nathan grumbled, not really targeted at any one of us. "Tell me about it. Even the people here are fucking glazed." Ryan replied. "Where are we, captain?" I asked Shining Armor. He turned his head to look at me with what looked like a small grin on his face. "The Crystal Empire of Equestria." He said, and I noticed an odd "surfer dude" tone to his voice. All three of us chuckled at the sheer absurdity of the statement. "Fuck this day." The walk went for another few minutes without a word from anyone, but when I looked over at Ryan I could tell something wasn't right. I could see his chest heaving, his eyes darted from place to place rapidly, and I thought I could see sweat glistening on his face. He looked around ready to just turn and run. Maybe Nathan and I weren't showing it like poor Ryan, but I know I could say I felt what he felt if only lightly yet. Lost and confused. That's when I couldn't help but just think of what I could do. What was there to do though? The only way we could feel less confined if we... escaped. "Robbert, we need to get out of here now. You need it, Ryan especially needs it. You can see it on his and Nathan's face, they want out. You need to do this for the sake of your friends!" The planning part of my mind encouraged. "But think of the downsides. You'll be public enemy no. 1. You'll be a potentially deadly alien on the loose in this Equestria. Think of what forces they have!" The reasoning side cried. "Forces? These guards are wearing probably one of the weakest metals on the periodic table as armor. They're carrying crossbows and spears for fucks sake! What military might could they have other than just a couple barracks filled with them?" Planning retorted, and that's what won me over. "Excuse me, captain," I said flatly, making Shining armor turn his head but not stop walking. "May I have a word with my crew?" The captain stopped and the guards did too, turning to face us just in case, as a thoughtful face swept over him. "You may." He said after a moment's hesitation. I turned and beckoned for Nathan and Ryan over to huddle up. Once we were in a tight triangle with our heads in the middle I felt safe to discuss my point-blank plan, but not without an extra precaution in case any of the guards decided to eavesdrop. "Code One." I said silently. The two nodded in understanding of my order of language swapping. After a case in which a Marine I knew was captured, he told his story of everyone in our barracks in person. One thing that really intrigued me was when he said he used another language, Latin I think it was, to convince his captors that he couldn't speak English and was of no use to them. They later tried using him for a slave trade but hey, the Marines didn't feel like negotiating at the time. After that I had come up with the idea of the three of us learning some foreign language for special scenarios, like this now, which we classified as Code One. "Okay ... Okay guys, mayroon akong isang plano upang makakuha ng sa amin out sa lugar na ito. Ito ay hindi masyadong mabuti, ngunit ang lahat ng ito na kailangan namin. Sigurado ka guys handa?" (Okay... Okay you guys, I have a plan to get us out of this place. It's not very good, but it's all we've got. Are you guys ready?) I said in Filipino, the language we had decided on. "Sobra, oo. Alam ko pa lang kami dito tungkol sa sampung minuto, ngunit hindi ako makapag tumayo ang kaisipan ng pagkakaroon upang manatili sa kung anumang pagkakulong nila binalak para sa amin." (Very much, yes. I know we've only been here about ten minutes, but I can't stand the thought of having to stay in whatever confinement they have planned for us.) Ryan replied with a slow shake oh his head. "Ano ang iyong plano, Robbert? Hindi ko nais upang manatili sa bilangguan ng isang dayuhan o kahit ano." (What's your plan, Robbert? I don't want to stay in an alien's prison or whatever.) Nathan added, glancing at the looming spire in the center of the city. If we weren't about to break out of an alien city I probably would've smiled. If Nathan and Ryan were thinking at all of the down sides to doing this, they were not showing it. That was good. The last thing we need is to look scared out of our minds while making an escape. I sighed, knowing there was no turning away from it now. "Mabuti na kukunin ko na gawin ito maikling. Sa aking marka namin ang lahat ng aming hilahin pistols at open fire. Huwag maghangad ng malalang hit bagaman. Hindi namin nais na mag-iwan katawan o makikita itong ilagay sa higit pa sa isang presyo sa aming mga ulo. Pagkatapos ay gumawa kami ng isang run para sa Sandstorm at umalis. Nakuha ko?" (Alright I'll make this brief. On my mark we all pull our pistols and open fire. Do not aim for fatal hits though. We don't want to leave bodies or it'll put more of a price on our heads. Then we make a run for Sandstorm and leave. Got it?) I said quickly but calmly. Nathan and Ryan nodded in response, and I gave them a quick pat on the back before breaking apart and turning to Shining Armor. "Excuse me captain, but, could you remove these handcuffs? You see, humans have very delicate tissue and skin on their wrists and we could possibly loose our hands if it is damaged." I said in the most persuasive voice I could do. The captain looked very skeptical about this request, and did hesitate for almost half a minute before nodding. "Okay then. Release them." He said. Three guards cautiously walked towards us with keys to the handcuffs. As they undid the chains I glanced over at the two and nodded to them. As soon as the metal fell from my wrists I was ready. "Dalhin hostages at hayaan ang mayroon em ito. (Take hostages and let em have it.)" In an instant I wrapped my left arm firmly around the guard's throat and pulled out my FNX-45 Tac. with my right and pushed it to his skull. The others did pretty much the exact same as everyone started shouting and yelling in all directions for a few seconds before the captain shut them all up and the three of us started backing up towards Sandstorm. "Let them go now!" Yelled Shining Armor. "Do not come any closer! Any of you! I can blow this horse's brains out with one flick of my finger!" I shouted back as all the guards circling us trained spears and some crossbows on us. "Boss!?" Ryan cried. "Mark!" I replied, giving the order. "Dalhin down ang crossbows unang! (Take down the crossbows first!)" The next second a burst of gunfire echoed throughout the whole area as the crossbow wielding equines fell down, crying out in unimaginable pain, while some actually passed out from it. The next sequence of shots was aimed for the remaining ones with spears who were charging at us. Anyone that wasn't hit was either hit soon after or ran for cover. "Come on, we gotta go now!" Screamed Nathan. I was about to release my hostage as I whispered into his ear. "Next time your friends will not be alive to face us." And with that I dropped him and sprinted the long road to the awaiting tank, Nathan and Ryan right next to me. As we got closer to Sandstorm I noticed there were no guards doing anything with it, apparently they had come to aid in our failed suppression and gotten caught in the firefight. I could hear a lot of guards coming our direction from behind us as we reached the tank finally, out of breath and still a little shaken at what we had just done. "Come on, get in!" I urged as we climbed into the tank and into our posts. "Ryan, start us up and get us the hell out of here! Nathan, load HEAT and be ready to fire on my command but do not turn the turret!" I ordered as I turned everything on and the screens and lights flickered to life before me. Not a second later I heard the loud roar of the powerful diesel V-92S2F engine and the tank started turning in place. As we finished turning I peeked through the rear viewing prism and saw a lot of armed guards marching towards us, Shining Armor--who had somehow not been hit in the gunfire--leading them. "Nathan, fire at the shield!" I cried without looking away. The tank rocked backwards a little as the round impacted with a powerful explosion and the shield instantly disappeared from the whole city. What a weak defense. I also saw a lot of the guards in the brigade stop dead, most likely in shock, but the captain tried to urge them on. When none followed, he disappeared in a blue flash and my eyes widened. I turned around and manned the gun platform up top, looking around for the vanishing unicorn captain. When the tank sudently stopped though, I turned the gun forward and there he was, standing about five yards from the tip of the barrel, his mane and tail blowing in the strong winter winds. "Rob," Ryan said. "The captain's out there, I think he's following us." "I can see that, Ryan." I replied. "Nathan, see if you can drive around him." It didn't work as he reappeared in front of us once again as the tank pulled forward and stopped. "Motherfucker..." I said to myself. "What do we do?" Asked Ryan. I was about to reply when I saw Shining Armor's eyes shut tightly and his horn glow blue. I didn't know what he was planning on doing until the whole tank shuddered and the front end started rising slowly. "Woah woah woah!! What the hell?!" Cried Nathan. "Back us up, back us up!" I yelled, taking control of the gun station, but the angle of the tank by now got in the way. Sandstorm started backing up quickly, which only helped a little as the front started slowly rising again. "I think he's trying to flip us over, hang on!" I screamed as I reached up for the hatch and threw it open. Sandstorm was now at around a fifty degree angle as I unholstered my sidearm and took aim at the captain, almost hanging around the side. I pulled the trigger, and the round missed, but I could see his power weaken a little. I fired a second shot and it did the trick, hitting the top of his shoulder and leaving a small gap of flesh. Instantly the energy lifting us up stopped as the captain fell over, yelling in pain. Unfortunately I didn't have time to even start getting back into the tank as it fell forward extremely hard, the shock making me practically bounce off the side of the turret and land just on the edge of the body. I groaned in pain but didn't feel any broken ribs as I sluggishly made my way back into the tank and shut the hatch. "You okay, Robbert?" Inquired Nathan. "Nice job out there, I'm sure his pals will come get him." Ryan sighed. "I'm okay, just a little shaken." I breathed. "Let's just get out of here, straight ahead, Nathan." "You sure? Armor did say there were other towns and shit that way." Nathan said. "I'm sure we'll find some place to hide. Now get going and keep your eyes peeled." I replied. "Copy that. Sandstorm is Oscar Mike." \_____/\/\/\/\/\_____/ Aprox. 1400 hours There was no telling how long we were out in this blistering arctic climate. It felt like days, even though I know it wasn't. But the scenery was hardly the start of my stress. First we fall into a sinkhole that should have killed us, then we landed in this fucking blizzard, then we drove straight into an alien city full of short, talking horses, then we broke out, making us the most wanted, and now we're here (again). "You guys doing okay?" I asked softly over the radio. "You could say that..." Ryan grumbled. "Don't worry Ryan, we'll be fine..." I said, almost getting lost in the few words. "Everything will be fine..." Silence fell over the three of us once again for another good amount of time. I wanted to do something, to lighten the mood, to make my crew feel... safe again. But what was there? What could we do? We're on a foreign planet. I was kinda amazed that I was still able to think clearly. I don't think any normal man or woman would be sane by this point, but I had a feeling we wouldn't last much longer. It wasn't long before we noticed that the blizzard winds were starting to die down, leaving only the thick snow for us to tread through. "Hey boys, I think we may be getting close to something." Nathan said in an exhausted voice. "Yeah, I think so too." I said. "What'da you think it is?" Ryan added. "Not sure... Wait a second, are those trees? Guys I see trees!" I said just under a yell as I operated the camera on the weapon platform. "No way!" "I'm gettin' us there now, hopefully there will be an okay place to stay." Ryan informed happily. I was so relieved I leaned back in my seat and laughed a little bit. Refuge was not far. Unfortunately, the worst toll on our minds and bodies was yet to come. Author's Note Alright, now I feel terrible for the massive delay in getting this chapter out, but I re-wrote it a good five times before I got an idea that really stuck. So here it is, and I hope you enjoyed! My objective for this story is to really get to the realistic side of how a person(s) like the crew of Sandstorm would really react to the mental trauma of being torn from the very planet you lived on and being dropped into a place like Equestria. Even I can hardly imagine it. Also if you're wondering how a single 125mm HEAT shell was enough to take down the Crystal Empire's shield cast by Cadence, it's because I did a bit of logical thinking and thought that during the invasion of the wedding of Shining Armor and Cadence, when the shield was broken, it was because of just a lot of changelings body slamming it at once. All together that could probably be around three hundred psi (pounds per square inch). You can imagine how much force an eighteen kilogram projectile traveling at nine hundred-five meters per second could pack. Part I--Needle in a Hay Stack *Edited*Part I--Needle in a Hay Stack *Edited* Part I--Needle in a Hay Stack ~Northeastern Sahara Desert~ ~1400 hours~ "Alright, we're moving out!" Shouted Gunnery Sergeant Eric Swanson as he swung his right hand in a circular motion while standing inside the door of his MRAP, codename Curb Stomper. Hearing him clearly I ducked back into the cabin of my trusty T-90MS main battle tank, which me and my crew had nicknamed Sandstorm. It later became it's official codename. As I climbed into my seat, I turned on the interphone system and called my crew. "Nathan, Ryan, we good to go?" I asked as I began turning on various systems in front of me. Almost simultaneously, the two screens flickered to life and the low rumble of the diesel engine starting up was audible "Screens are green, good to go." Replied Nathan, the gunner. "All systems are a go, ready to roll." Called back Ryan, the driver. I loved how the tank only needed three people to operate it. It made being commander so much easier than the time I tried commanding the Abrams tank series for example. One less person is a bigger difference than you'd think. "All units, report. We ready to go?" Eric's voice rang through my radio on my right shoulder. "Alright." I put my hand to the radio. "Sandstorm, ready to roll." "Cyclops, up and running." Said Johny Tenka, the commander of the second T-90MS which would be behind me in the convoy. "Juggernaut here, all set." Came the only female voice in the group, Kelly Nork. "All units, get in formation! Me in front, Kelly in back, Johny and Robert take middle. Let's move!" Yelled Eric as I watched his massive truck pull forward. Ryan supposedly already knew what to do because shortly after Eric started driving, we began moving forward at a slowly increasing speed. I turned around and peeked through one of the rear looking prisms, and saw Cyclops and Juggernaut following suit. I looked for a few moments before turning forward to the console and looking at the video viewing device. After about ten minutes of cruising at about forty kilometers per hour, Kelly called in over the radio. "Juggernaut to all units; be advised, the weather report just came in from Castle. We've got a nasty sandstorm heading South towards our first and second search points." I chuckled after hearing that. "How long after we reach our checkpoint will it hit us?" Asked Johny a few moments later. "Umm... We should be clear for the first, but we'll be hit just before the second if we continue at our current rate." "Roger that. Everyone, increase speed to sixty kilos per hour. I don't want this to turn into looking for a needle in a hay stack." Ordered Eric. I saw him start gaining distance from me and tapped the interphone. "You heard him, Ryan. Sixty kilos." "Okay." I heard the diesel engine rumble louder and the distance between me and Curb Stomper grow smaller by the second. I looked away from the viewing screen and instead gazed through one of the left side looking prisms at the bright blue, cloudless sky and smiled. After a minute of peaceful sky watching, I put my hand to the interphone. Without looking away I spoke. "Quite a day out, isn't it, boys?" "I'll say, just sucks that the damn Sahara chose to hit us with a storm..." Nathan said annoyingly. "True that!" Ryan added shortly after. After about another two hours and twenty minutes of driving in the same direction, Eric called in, slightly exciting me. "Alright everyone, listen up. We are about one minute from the first search site. Juggernaut, prep your guys for the search. Sandstorm and Cyclops, you two will provide close range cover just in case things get hairy. Never know who may be out here..." Informed the commander as we all slowed our speed. We were close a fourth way to the middle of the Sahara by now, and Me and Cyclops had taken defensive positions around the wreckage of a C-130. It didn't look like much, just a bunch of twisted metal and pieces of the wings littered the sand and some larger parts were partially buried by the Sahara's harsh climate. Among the cargo plane husk was the main body, which was still mainly in tact. If whatever we were looking for was here, it would be in there. The two MRAPs had parked and each one unloaded three men armed with various weaponry & gear. Two men wielded M249 LMGs (Light Machine Gun), one carried a FGM-148 Javelin on his back with a G36K assault rifle in his hands, and three carried an MK-14 MOD 1 DMR (Designated Marksmen Rifle), a SCAR-L assault rifle, and a M15A4. these man did a quick perimeter check before they all filed inside. A painfully long two minutes passed before Juggernaut called in glumly. "No good, it's empty." A sigh came in reply. "Alright. Everyone load up, we're heading to the next location!" As the scout troopers climbed back into there selected MRAPs and the heavy doors clanged shut, we all started to move back to our original formation when an explosion erupted next to Curb Stomper. Immediately, the radio was screaming. "HOSTILES RIGHT SIDE, MULTIPLE ARMORED UNITS!!" "ALL UNITS MOVE TO ENGAGE!!" Screamed Eric as his MRAPs top machine gun turret began blazing in the direction of two Type-62's and two BTR-60 L.A.V.'s, each armed with 25mm explosive ordinance. "Looks like things just got interesting. Ryan, move us right next to the wreckage with our front lined up with that tank! Nathan, load SABOT and hit the treads on the left tank!" I shouted as my heart started racing from just the awesome rush of being in combat. As our tank took cover behind some pieces and the turret took aim, I caught a glimpse of Cyclops doing the same on the other side of the husk. "These guys are old timers! Sandy, we got this!" Cheered Johny as his tank fired an incendiary shell, turning the right BTR into a slow rolling fireball. A moment later, Nathan called out. "Firing SABOT on your mark!" "Mark!" I immedeatly replied. A puff of smoke emitted from the front of one of the T-62s and hit the side of the turret, moving it a little to the right and knocking the camera out of focus. Not a second later the IRNV viewing screen was clouded by a brief smoke screen as the ultra-high velocity, non-explosive shell effectively destroyed the right tread on the left tank, as well as the wheel behind it. "Juggernaut, Curb, take cover from those T-62s! We don't want to risk any heavy hits." I ordered. "Copy that." "Copy!" "Good hit on target. Load armor-piercing and aim for the base of the turret! Like threading a needle, buddy!" I yelled in an excited voice. "Roger that, boss... AP loaded, on your mark!" "Fire!" I responded. After another second I saw the turret make a jut backwards, signaling it had been knocked literally out of its socket by the accurate hit. Another few seconds later the right tank's side exploded from a high-explosive shell by Cyclops, and it stopped moving completely. A moment later the right BTR floored it in reverse and took cover behind the nearest tank remains, before turning around and retreating into the desert. "Nice shot, Johny." I breathed as my heart rate slowed. "Everyone, we're clear. Let's get a move on." "Roger that. Everyone move back into formation, only this time I want Juggernaut and me in the middle. Another ambush like that is the last thing we need." Said Eric as we started moving in our original direction. After a couple of minutes we were in our designated positions moving at full speed. \_____/\/\/\/\/\_____/ The tank jutted to a sudden halt, nearly making me head on the console in front of me. Not expecting it, I took a moment before putting my hand on the radio on my shoulder and calling the MRAP behind my tank. "What's the hold up?" I asked as I peeked through the rear looking prism. "I don't know, Curb Stomper just shorted out." Replied Ryan. Through the thick dust and blowing sand I was able to barely see a few people by the back of the truck, slowly moving towards the front of it. Thick black smoke billowed from the front which was quickly blown away by the intense winds of the sandstorm which had hit them about an hour and a half after there last departure. "Captain, our engine just busted. We're checking it out now, give us a minute." Replied Eric in a loud voice, the intense winds putting a lot of static through the microphone. I sighed as I thought of what could've caused an engine failure; a rouge shell? No, it would've had an immediate effect. Deciding against further pondering, I just turned to the interphone. "Ryan, how we doing?" "All good, sir. If we end up having to tow Curb Stomper, we'd be okay to without any problems." Came the voice of the skilled driver. I nodded at him and looked up at the round door before tugging on the handle. The hatch flew open and hit the top of the hank with a loud clank. Shielding my eyes with my arm from the harsh gusts of sand, I slowly climbed out and hopped to the ground. As he made his way over to the front of the truck, Eric walked over to meet him. "What's going on with the engine?" I asked loudly, still covering the side of my face. Eric shrugged. "I have no idea, the guys are checking it out now though." "Eric! We found the problem!" Called one of the soldiers as he waved the two over. Me and Eric jogged over to the opened front of the MRAP. "What's the deal?" Asked Eric as he leaned over the engine, which was smoking a little less now. The soldier dug into his pocket and dug out a very old looking piece of flat metal with a few holes in it. "The deal is this thing somehow passed off as a head gasket during inspection. They must've missed it somehow. But right now the engine is warped and well... Curb Stomper needs a new engine." The man said in a sunken tone, tossing the head gasket to the sandy ground. It took more time than we wanted to spend, but we finally got the totaled APC hooked up to the back of Cyclops. After some situational planning, it was decided that I would lead the group the rest of the way to the checkpoint, followed by Juggernaut, and Cyclops with Curb Stomper in tow, in that order. "Alright, everyone follow my lead. We're gonna be moving a little slower with the extra weight on ol' Cyclops, so it's going to be a long drive. Close to four hours." I announced. "Are you fucking serious?" Groaned Kelly. "Yep, sorry for the inconvenience." I replied as the tank started picking up a steady pace. When we maxed out at thirty kilometers per hour I called through the interphone. "How's everybody doing?" I asked, hoping to lighten the mood a bit. "I'm fine." Replied Ryan. "All good here." Chortled Nathan. "Man, I would kill for some music right now..." "I hear ya, bud. It's so god damn boring out here." I chuckled at the musical desire. "Hey Rob," Said Nathan. "Yeah?" I asked, raising an eyebrow slightly and a smile coming to my face again. "You're phone still got any battery?" I rummaged through my right pocket and took out my iPhone 5. Tapping the home button I saw I still had nearly half charge. "Yeah, why?" I asked, but an idea was already forming in my head. "Wait, you guys want to listen to some music from my phone, don't ya?" I laughed. Ryan started laughing as well as Nathan. "Yep, you got us!" Said Ryan. "What song you thinkin' of, Nathan?" I went into my music app and started scanning through some good road songs. My eyes fell across one and I tapped it. "Trust me guys, I'ma play one you all know." I put my hand to my radio and turned it back on. "Hey, who's up for some tunes?" I asked cheerfully. Multiple answers of approval came instantly. Setting my phone to full volume and holding it by my mouth piece (which was linked to the radio and the interphone if they were both on) and the perfect road song began. Instantly there were laughs and comments of approval and I smiled to myself. Maybe this trip wouldn't be too bad. Author's Note Okay, the start of another hopefully great HiE! Hope you all enjoyed.
Part II--Down the Rabbit Hole *Edited*Part II--Down the Rabbit Hole *Edited* Part II--Down the Rabbit Hole Mid Sahara Desert 1800 Hours I yawned loudly as I continued my surveillance through the frontal viewing screen. The strong point of the sandstorm has apparently passed, so the IRNV camera was a little bit more clear than before. "Juggernaut to all units, radio check. My screens acting up a little." I blinked a few times and turned on my radio. "Sandstorm here, I hear you but I'm getting a little static." I replied as I wiped my eyes. "Cyclops, I got the same deal. Try resetting your transmitter and call again." Came the low voice of Johny. "Roger that, radio reset in progress. Stand by..." I wiped my eyes and hit the interphone hastily as I continued looking through the viewing screen. "Sandstorm, how we holding up, guys?" It was a few seconds before a response came. "Eh... I've been better." "Same here, just fucking bored." I smirked, but I couldn't say I didn't feel just the same. Checking the multifunction screen I looked at the G.P.S. path we were following to the second checkpoint. We were heading North by now from almost dead center of the Sahara, and the last bit of the sandstorm was about to pass. My hopes rose quite a bit when I saw that we had close to just a half hour until we reached the second location. I was about to tell everyone else but they had apparently seen it at the same time. "Cyclops to all units, we are zeroing in on objective Bravo. E.T.A.: twenty-five minutes." I laughed as I heard my crew mates sigh and chuckle in relief. Close to twenty minutes later, the sandstorm finally blew over us after nearly eight hours of its torment. We all cheered and laughed as the dark blue sky was finally visible again. After another five minutes of peaceful driving, a mangled and scattered object was visible in the distance. I probably would've had to be a bit closer to see it with the naked eye, but the object was a bit more white than the surrounding area than the sand, so I could see it. "All units, I have a visual on the objective. I repeat, objective is in sight." I said happily. "Alright! Bout' fucking time!" Cheered Johny. "Towing Curb Stomper all this way has taken it's toll on my fuel. Anyone think we can drain her tank and top me off?" "It's possible, I think I have the right thing in one of the bags." Replied Kelly. We pulled up by the mess of an aircraft and I got to a good defensive position, while Cyclops pulled up behind me about ten meters and began disconnecting Curb Stomper, and Juggernaut's back doors swung open. The three men plus the three from the second LAV filed out and steadily approached the wreckage. While I kept watch I admired the truly beautiful sight. The countless amounts of perfectly shaped sand dunes combined with the darkening sky and the bright crescent moon was really a sight to see. "What a view." I said. "No kidding." Said Ryan and Nathan in unison. A silence fell over the tank before my radio rang. "This is Juggernaut, the package has been located. I say again, we have found the cargo." Kelly announced happily. I looked through the right viewing prism towards the site and saw two of the soldiers lugging out a large crate while the other four moved with them and kept watch. After the crate had been loaded into the back of Juggernaut, we went with the refueling operation. Upon finishing with disconnecting Curb Stomper from Cyclops, Johny maneuvered the machine so the gas tank port was as close to the tank port on the LAV, and Kelly, with the help of one of the soldiers, retrieved a special vacuum pipe designed mainly for draining a gas tank of its contents. She and the soldier climbed onto the back of Cyclops and Johny climbed out of the turret to help. All together, they moved the pipe into the open tank and set up the large vacuum device. As I watched, I couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen soon. Manning the controls again, I activated the large 7.62mm remote controlled weapon station mounted on top of the turret, and scanned the area with the mounted camera just below the gun. Meanwhile by Cyclops and Curb Stomper, I saw them getting ready to put the emptied gas into the fuel-hungry tank. "I got a bad feeling about this. It was too easy..." I growled to myself. I had apparently left the interphone on though without me knowing. "I can tell, I'm seeing that you're manning the gunny up top." Said Nathan. "Don't worry, Robbert. We'll be out of here by dawn." I didn't pay much heed as I kept the camera roaming. I stopped the camera on the others, who were putting away the extractor and getting back in there vehicles while talking among themselves. I took a moment to look away from the viewing screen and turned to the multifunction display. I touched a button and the screen went from the G.P.S. map to the personal radar. I took in a sharp breath as two white icons flashed in the corner of the screen, and were moving closer. But it wasn't just the fact they were approaching us that worried me. It was the fact the symbols mean helicopter. My hand moved on its own to the radio. "Sandstorm to all units, Sandstorm to all units, come in." "Cyclops here." "Juggernaut reporting." "Curb Sromper coming in." "Be advised, my radar's lighting up with unknown air units approaching our position from the North. Hold off on loading up Curb Stomper and prepare defensive platforms. How copy?" I said firmly as my heart rate increased again. "Copy that." "Solid copy." "I Copy. All platforms active." I leaned back in my seat for a brief moment and took a deep breath before returning to the viewing screen now, and prepared to deploy I.R. smoke if needed. "All platforms, prepare countermeasures." Eric ordered as the helicopters were still out of sight, but oddly enough, I could hear them. "Woah woah, South side! South side! Their stealth is screwing with us!" Cried Kelly. I went back to the view screen and manned the munition platform, turning the camera towards the two aircraft and zooming in as far as it would go. My stomach did a cartwheel as I recognized the helicopter as the rarely seen Eurocopter Tiger. "Nathan, load guided shell and prepare to fire!" I yelled. "Cyclops here, guided rounds load, but I want to see if I can talk. Give me a second to see if they're here to fight." Johny said. "Affirmative, go ahead." I replied. "Keep it brief though." Added Eric. Half a minute later Johny came back. He sounded worried. "Sir, they're not responding." I sighed heavily. "Roger that, all units open fire!" I yelled. Two high-velocity armor-piercing shells flew at the Tigers, as well as four 7.62 machine gun turrets blazing rounds. The helicopters immedeatly banked in opposite directions and to my surprise, both guided shells missed. "Shit! They have ECM jammers, our guided systems are useless!" Johny shouted in a frustrated voice. "Nathan load high-explosive FRAG and target that left heli!" I yelled as I let the machine gun cool down. "Copy that!" Called back the gunner as the turret swung around to get a shot. Just then my cabin started beeping loudly, signaling that one was targeting me with a guided anti-tank missile. "Deploying smoke!" I called. Instantly a thick cloud of graphite particles, vaporized copper and water vapor completely surrounded the tank and the beeping stopped. Knowing what to do, Ryan floored it in reverse until the turret was out of the dissolving smoke screen, and Nathan targeted the heli. With a deafening boom the shell flew just ahead of the chopper before exploding violently in front of the cabin, coating the front of it in deadly shards of metal and knocking around the heli from the blast. "Good hit on target, one heli down." I said. I watched as the engines started smoking before bursting into flame and the whole thing plummeted to the earth. But the next thing I saw made me pale. An anti-tank missile flew straight at the disabled Curb Stomper and struck it hard. The whole thing started lighting on fire and before long, it was completely up in flames with a decently large hole in the side. MRAP=Mine Resistant Ambush Protected. Just not from ones from above unfortunately. But fortunately no one was in it. "Shit!" screamed Johny. "We need to kill that thing no--" He was cut off as my whole tank lost power and the engine stalled. I took a moment to register what just happened before looking around. I tried my interphone and radio but none worked. Looking through the left viewing prism, I saw something that just plain scared me. The Eurocopter that had just obliterated an LAV was spinning uncontrollably towards the ground, as if it had no power as well. After watching the terrifying sight I tried the radio again. "Sandstorm to all units, please respond!" I shouted. "Nothing's working!" Yelled Ryan worriedly. "Same here, E.M.P. maybe?" Suggested the gunner. "I don't think so..." I said pretty much to myself. I made up my mind and reached up towards the hatch handle. Grasping it I gave it a firm pull and pushed it open, revealing the evening sky. I didn't waste any time as I pulled myself out of the hatch to about my waist, and looked in the direction of Cyclops, who was about seventy meters away and Johny was standing on top of his tank. "Hey! What happened?!" I yelled in his direction. "I don't know! The whole thing just turned off on me!" He yelled back. A second later, Everyone else started getting out of Juggernaut and muttering among themselves. "What happened? E.M.P.?" Asked Eric as he walked up to Johny. The tank driver just shrugged. As I watched them all talk from a distance, I ducked back inside the turret and called to my crew mates again. "Nathan, Ryan, come on out and get some fresh air. I don't think we'll be facing anymore trouble for the time being." I said as I looked around and hopped off the turret. A few moments later I watched Ryan push himself up and out, followed by Nathan, who both sat on the turret edge and stretched. I did the same, I needed it. "I never knew the Sahara had such beautiful nights." I commented as I sat between the two. They both nodded in agreement. I was about to continue when the whole ground shook lightly. My face immedeatly turned serious as I bolted up. "Oh shit, earthquake!!" I screamed as me and the other two jumped off the tank and bolted towards the others. The ground shook again, very rough this time and taking down me and the others. When I had picked myself up I noticed that the others by Cyclops and Juggernaut were unfazed by the tectonic movement. "What the hell!?" I yelled to myself as I was about to start running. "Are you guys okay!?" Cried Kelly as she started to make her way over to us, but I held my hand up, making her stop. Just before the three of us could continue, the entire section of land lurched downward, like a massive disk under the sand. I was by now scared out of my mind as I realized whatever was happening couldn't be an earthquake, and sand poured into the now visible round crevice in the ground. There was solid earth below the sand, almost like this weird disk platform was on top of a... "RUN!!" Screamed Nathan as he, Ryan and me bee-lined it towards the vehicles, but it was too late. The whole thing, in which me, my crew, and the tank were on, collapsed like a CD snapping, and we all plummeted into the massive sinkhole. The only thing I heard before I blacked out was the screams of myself, my crew, and those on the surface as the world seemed to enclose upon me me. \_____/\/\/\/\/\_____/ Cold. The bitter cold stung my body like a thousand pushpins poking at me from every direction. I cracked my eyes open but a thin layer of frost obscured my vision to the world. Mustering up enough strength, I picked up my right arm and slowly swept the snow from my face. My arm then cramped up, making me groan in pain. I waited a moment before putting both arms to my sides and hastily pushing myself up so a sitting position. "Yes! Finally!" Cried a familiar voice. Stretching out my upper body, I looked over and saw Ryan had just made a small fire from a pile of wood on the turret of the Sandstorm. Taking a quick look around I saw I was on the back of the tank, which judging from the angle it was on, was partially buried in the snow. "Ryan...?" I asked weakly. He quickly turned his head in my direction and hopped down to meet me. "Rob! Oh man, it's good to see you're awake." He said happily as he knelt next to me and wrapped an arm around me. "Likewise, Ryan. Where are we...?" I asked as I began to push myself to my feet, using the side of the turret for support and now Ryan. "Hell... I wish I knew. All I remember is sinkhole and now this." He replied glumly. I sighed as I stepped onto the turret and sat by the fire, smiling as I put my hands almost completely in the small blaze. "Where's Nathan?" I asked as my expression darkened. I could tell something was off because Ryan hesitated before replying. "He still hasn't woken yet, he's right here." Ryan said in a dull tone. "Actually, I need your help lifting him up here. Maybe some warmth will help." He finished as he and I stood up and hoped over the other side of the turret. There lay a bundle of a heavy blanket where I figured Nathan was in. Gripping the thick material, I looked up at Ryan, who had done the same. "Ready?" I asked. "Yep. On three." Replied Ryan with a nod. "One, two, three!" We both lifted powerfully and picked up the unconscious gunner, and carefully guided him next to the fire, where we gently set him down and I unwrapped the pert of the blanket that covered his face. After that was done, we both sat next to him by the fire once again. That's when a big question formed in my head. "Why aren't we inside the tank?" I inquired with a head tilt. Ryan chuckled. "I figured you'd ask that at some point. That's why I have the fire up here." He said, making me give him a further puzzled look. "The hatch is frozen shut, and the fire should melt the ice on it." He explained, making me nod in understanding. We both sat in silence for close to ten minutes before the blankets stirred. "What the...? Where are we?" Mumbled the gunner as he moved around some more. "Why do I feel so tired?" Me and Ryan both greeted him happily and patted him on the back as he hastily unwrapped his torso and held his arms by the fire. After we had brought him up to speed on our situation, which honestly wasn't a lot of information, he just groaned. "I don't believe this..." He said. "Try opening the hatch, I don't want to sit out here anymore." He demanded as he got up and knelt by the round door. I got up too and we both grasped the latch and undid it, before gabbing the handle and pulling heavily. We groaned and stuttered before, with a few sounds of ice cracking, the hatch opened up and we all cheered in accomplishment. One by one we climbed into the chilly tank and manned our posts. I put on my headset and turned on the interphone. "Heh heh, okay. Ryan, Nathan, radio check." I said as I turned on the rest of the console before me. "Loud n' clear." Chuckled Ryan. "Let's get going." Said Nathan. "Okay. All systems are operational. Ryan, start us up." "Roger that. It may take a few tries though, it's probably frozen right now." Replied Ryan. A few seconds later, the powerful diesel engine rumbled to life and I laughed. "Well I'll be damned!" Cheered Nathan, making me and Ryan laugh more. "I don't know how the hell we're running, but I'm just not asking questions now." Said Ryan. "What are your orders, sir?" I had to think about that last question. We're in the middle of what's probably the Arctic, so... Hey wait a minute. "Turn us forty degrees to the left and head that way at top speed, I think I remember seeing something odd before over there." I ordered after a moment. "But first back out of our little snow dune." A few seconds later, the engine grumbled louder and we backed out of the pile, before turning and heading in the designated direction. After only about a minute of driving, I saw it. The top of a massive neon blue, transparent dome came into view. Under it looked like the top section of a large, spiky tower that ended just before the top of the dome. "What the hell is that...?" Nathan asked slowly. "Boss?" Ryan said. I hesitated before replying, still in awe at the sight before me. "I don't know, but whatever it is, we're going to it." I stated. "Keep your guard up." "Roger that." "Copy." \_____/\/\/\/\/\_____/ Not a lot happened from there. We kept our course to go past the covered tower when he hit a narrow path perpendicular to our direction that upon quick inspection, led to the tower. "Rob, we got nowhere else to go. If we don't stop here, we could freeze in this damn snow." Said Ryan in a worried voice. "He's right you know." Added Nathan. I thought about it before sighing in defeat. They were right. "Okay... Ryan, turn around and follow that path. Nathan, load canister and keep an eye out on anything that moves. I'll be on the gunny." "Roger that." "Wilco." Once we were on the stone road we moved at a steady pace towards the spire. We came over a hill and I'm pretty sure all of our mouths dropped. Not only was there the spire, but an entire city rested at it's base, glistening in the bright sunlight. To my surprise though, none of us said a word until we were at the edge of the city, where we stopped. "Okay, guys. We don't know what to expect here, and they probably don't know what to expect from us. Therefore we will not use any lethal force unless absolutely necessary, and the main gun will be only for last resort protocols." I stated firmly as I enabled the 7.62 platform and I.R. smoke, just in case. "Will do, sir." Replied Nathan. "Solid copy. Ready to proceed." Confirmed Ryan. "Okay. Keep the guns pointed and continue at twenty kilos. Be ready for any kind of necessary obstructions like roadblocks." I ordered as we rolled through the gap in the shield. All I'll say now is that once we rolled through the shield, things got a bit chaotic. The gap closed behind us and at least a dozen guards stormed out from the close buildings and surrounded us with spears, crossbows, and some other 800's weaponry. "Looks like we got company." Deadpanned Nathan. "What makes you say that?" Joked Ryan. "Woah wait a minute... These guys are horses!" He yelled. "Don't worry... Wait." I looked through one of the frontal viewing prisms and sure enough, there were about a dozen small equines surrounding the tank. "What the fuck..." "Like seriously. We're surrounded by little ponies carrying mid evil time weaponry inside the weirdest looking city ever." Stated Nathan. The three of us were about to continue our chat about ponies, the 800s, and ponies, when a male voice came through the tanks external microphone. "Unknown being, we request that you state your intention and oblige to our commands, or we will use force." Said a noticeably taller pony with a dark blue mane & tale with a light blue stripe, and a horn on its forehead. It also wore lavender armor with the emblem of a white shield on the chest. Now my head was faltering a little. These ponies could talk? "Um... What-what do you think, boss?" Stuttered Nathan, who was also apparently having a hard time processing what was happening. Regaining my bearings, I realized that this guy wanted us to bow down to him, when there arsenal would literally do nothing to us. That was not going to slide. I looked up at the hatch and brought my arm up to open it. "This is your last chance, surrender yourself and follow us now!" Came the voice before I could open the hatch. "Rob, they're getting ready to move on us. You gonna let that happen?" Said Nathan. "Hell no." I replied before undoing and throwing open the hatch, my FNX-45 Tactical in my other hand. I stuck out the upper half of my torso and trained my handgun on the taller one, making every other guard yell and ready there weapons. It was a very tense few seconds before I spoke in a loud voice. "Before either one of us does anything we might regret, I first want to state that we are not here to cause any harm. We--" I started. "Silence!" The leader yelled, stepping forward with an aggressive look on his face. I raised an eyebrow slightly but stopped talking, the reality of a horse telling me to shut up was still a little mind boggling. Even though he looked like he really didn't want to hurt me, much less get within ten feet of the tank, my trigger finger ribbed against the trigger. "You are trespassing on our grounds, and therefore pose a threat to the Crystal Empire and it's citizens." He stated. "I now order you to exit your metal machine and come with us to the tower." I didn't move, but the guards advanced a few steps, making my hand grip the pistol tighter. I took a breath before responding. "Why can't you just let us go? We'll follow that path behind me and you'll never have to worry about me again." I suggested. "Because, creature, that path leads to more smaller towns and villages. We do not want them getting harmed by you." Replied the commander. I thought about it briefly. As much as I didn't want to get captured, much less take orders from a talking equine in purple armor, I also didn't want to make any bad impressions and start a tussle. That would be bad. Sighing, I lowered my handgun, which seemed to make some of the other guards relax, and ducked back into the cabin and hit the interphone. "Alright boys. We're shutting down. Put all systems into lock so only we can access it, and come on out." I said slowly. "Are you sure, sir? I mean we could just--" Ryan started. "That's an order, Ryan." I almost yelled. "Sandstorm is not surrendering. We are simply taking the peaceful way out." Author's Note The U.S. Marines never surrender, they just don't fight when it's not needed.
Part III--A Frightened MindPart III--A Frightened Mind Crystal Empire City Border Aprox. 1200 Hours (Equestrian Time) I huffed as I pushed myself up and out of the top of the tank turret and stepped down to the body, waiting for the other two. Ryan was next, gripping the outside of the circular opening and hoisting himself out. Nathan followed right after and we all stood by one another for a moment. We were about to hop down to the waiting guard division until a critical thought forced me to stay put. I put an arm in front of the other two also to keep them from going too. "Wait a minute." I said, looking over at Ryan and Nathan, who both now wore quizzical looks, before looking the captain in the eyes. "As aliens to us, we don't trust you at all yet or that you won't try to turn our machinery on us when we have our backs turned." I said firmly and the other two nodded slightly. "I say you let us drive our machine to a spot where you wish for us to stop, and we won't touch it afterwards." Ryan added. It was at this moment I could tell Shining Armor was at least an okay negotiator, because his reply was firm and quick. "And as aliens to us, we do no trust you yet or that you won't try to blast your way out of here once we start walking." He said, holding his head high as he was obviously proud of his retort. "Follow the guards, we'll take care of your machine." I shook my head slowly before raising my hands up. "Suit yourself." I said curtly as I jumped down, followed by the other two. The guards immedeatly started slowly approaching us with weapons at the ready. I looked around at the equines in golden armor, still a little mind fucked about the whole situation. I didn't even bother to raise my hands. "Oh no. You're not putting hand cuffs on me!" I heard Ryan spit at a guard. I looked over to see a guard with three pairs of handcuffs floating in front of him in a light blue aura. "Ryan," I said, making him look over at me. "Just let the guard do his job." Ryan faltered a little before giving in and extending his arms outward. Nathan and I did the same and pairs of silver handcuffs were slapped on our wrists. "Now please come with me." Shining Armor said 'kindly'. The three of us walked in silence, surrounded by guards with the captain in front. As I looked around I took in the scenery of the strange city we were in. It was so... shiny. Everything I looked at seamed to reflect sunlight in some way, making my eyes hurt a little with every head turn. There was something else I noticed. There were other ponies looking out from windows and around corners and doors at us, and all of them had the same kind of luster. I just hoped these citizens weren't the kind of ones who get all grossed out every time a speck of dirt lands on them; it'd be amusing, but annoying... "Man, everything here's like looking at a mirror of the sun." Nathan grumbled, not really targeted at any one of us. "Tell me about it. Even the people here are fucking glazed." Ryan replied. "Where are we, captain?" I asked Shining Armor. He turned his head to look at me with what looked like a small grin on his face. "The Crystal Empire of Equestria." He said, and I noticed an odd "surfer dude" tone to his voice. All three of us chuckled at the sheer absurdity of the statement. "Fuck this day." The walk went for another few minutes without a word from anyone, but when I looked over at Ryan I could tell something wasn't right. I could see his chest heaving, his eyes darted from place to place rapidly, and I thought I could see sweat glistening on his face. He looked around ready to just turn and run. Maybe Nathan and I weren't showing it like poor Ryan, but I know I could say I felt what he felt if only lightly yet. Lost and confused. That's when I couldn't help but just think of what I could do. What was there to do though? The only way we could feel less confined if we... escaped. "Robbert, we need to get out of here now. You need it, Ryan especially needs it. You can see it on his and Nathan's face, they want out. You need to do this for the sake of your friends!" The planning part of my mind encouraged. "But think of the downsides. You'll be public enemy no. 1. You'll be a potentially deadly alien on the loose in this Equestria. Think of what forces they have!" The reasoning side cried. "Forces? These guards are wearing probably one of the weakest metals on the periodic table as armor. They're carrying crossbows and spears for fucks sake! What military might could they have other than just a couple barracks filled with them?" Planning retorted, and that's what won me over. "Excuse me, captain," I said flatly, making Shining armor turn his head but not stop walking. "May I have a word with my crew?" The captain stopped and the guards did too, turning to face us just in case, as a thoughtful face swept over him. "You may." He said after a moment's hesitation. I turned and beckoned for Nathan and Ryan over to huddle up. Once we were in a tight triangle with our heads in the middle I felt safe to discuss my point-blank plan, but not without an extra precaution in case any of the guards decided to eavesdrop. "Code One." I said silently. The two nodded in understanding of my order of language swapping. After a case in which a Marine I knew was captured, he told his story of everyone in our barracks in person. One thing that really intrigued me was when he said he used another language, Latin I think it was, to convince his captors that he couldn't speak English and was of no use to them. They later tried using him for a slave trade but hey, the Marines didn't feel like negotiating at the time. After that I had come up with the idea of the three of us learning some foreign language for special scenarios, like this now, which we classified as Code One. "Okay ... Okay guys, mayroon akong isang plano upang makakuha ng sa amin out sa lugar na ito. Ito ay hindi masyadong mabuti, ngunit ang lahat ng ito na kailangan namin. Sigurado ka guys handa?" (Okay... Okay you guys, I have a plan to get us out of this place. It's not very good, but it's all we've got. Are you guys ready?) I said in Filipino, the language we had decided on. "Sobra, oo. Alam ko pa lang kami dito tungkol sa sampung minuto, ngunit hindi ako makapag tumayo ang kaisipan ng pagkakaroon upang manatili sa kung anumang pagkakulong nila binalak para sa amin." (Very much, yes. I know we've only been here about ten minutes, but I can't stand the thought of having to stay in whatever confinement they have planned for us.) Ryan replied with a slow shake oh his head. "Ano ang iyong plano, Robbert? Hindi ko nais upang manatili sa bilangguan ng isang dayuhan o kahit ano." (What's your plan, Robbert? I don't want to stay in an alien's prison or whatever.) Nathan added, glancing at the looming spire in the center of the city. If we weren't about to break out of an alien city I probably would've smiled. If Nathan and Ryan were thinking at all of the down sides to doing this, they were not showing it. That was good. The last thing we need is to look scared out of our minds while making an escape. I sighed, knowing there was no turning away from it now. "Mabuti na kukunin ko na gawin ito maikling. Sa aking marka namin ang lahat ng aming hilahin pistols at open fire. Huwag maghangad ng malalang hit bagaman. Hindi namin nais na mag-iwan katawan o makikita itong ilagay sa higit pa sa isang presyo sa aming mga ulo. Pagkatapos ay gumawa kami ng isang run para sa Sandstorm at umalis. Nakuha ko?" (Alright I'll make this brief. On my mark we all pull our pistols and open fire. Do not aim for fatal hits though. We don't want to leave bodies or it'll put more of a price on our heads. Then we make a run for Sandstorm and leave. Got it?) I said quickly but calmly. Nathan and Ryan nodded in response, and I gave them a quick pat on the back before breaking apart and turning to Shining Armor. "Excuse me captain, but, could you remove these handcuffs? You see, humans have very delicate tissue and skin on their wrists and we could possibly loose our hands if it is damaged." I said in the most persuasive voice I could do. The captain looked very skeptical about this request, and did hesitate for almost half a minute before nodding. "Okay then. Release them." He said. Three guards cautiously walked towards us with keys to the handcuffs. As they undid the chains I glanced over at the two and nodded to them. As soon as the metal fell from my wrists I was ready. "Dalhin hostages at hayaan ang mayroon em ito. (Take hostages and let em have it.)" In an instant I wrapped my left arm firmly around the guard's throat and pulled out my FNX-45 Tac. with my right and pushed it to his skull. The others did pretty much the exact same as everyone started shouting and yelling in all directions for a few seconds before the captain shut them all up and the three of us started backing up towards Sandstorm. "Let them go now!" Yelled Shining Armor. "Do not come any closer! Any of you! I can blow this horse's brains out with one flick of my finger!" I shouted back as all the guards circling us trained spears and some crossbows on us. "Boss!?" Ryan cried. "Mark!" I replied, giving the order. "Dalhin down ang crossbows unang! (Take down the crossbows first!)" The next second a burst of gunfire echoed throughout the whole area as the crossbow wielding equines fell down, crying out in unimaginable pain, while some actually passed out from it. The next sequence of shots was aimed for the remaining ones with spears who were charging at us. Anyone that wasn't hit was either hit soon after or ran for cover. "Come on, we gotta go now!" Screamed Nathan. I was about to release my hostage as I whispered into his ear. "Next time your friends will not be alive to face us." And with that I dropped him and sprinted the long road to the awaiting tank, Nathan and Ryan right next to me. As we got closer to Sandstorm I noticed there were no guards doing anything with it, apparently they had come to aid in our failed suppression and gotten caught in the firefight. I could hear a lot of guards coming our direction from behind us as we reached the tank finally, out of breath and still a little shaken at what we had just done. "Come on, get in!" I urged as we climbed into the tank and into our posts. "Ryan, start us up and get us the hell out of here! Nathan, load HEAT and be ready to fire on my command but do not turn the turret!" I ordered as I turned everything on and the screens and lights flickered to life before me. Not a second later I heard the loud roar of the powerful diesel V-92S2F engine and the tank started turning in place. As we finished turning I peeked through the rear viewing prism and saw a lot of armed guards marching towards us, Shining Armor--who had somehow not been hit in the gunfire--leading them. "Nathan, fire at the shield!" I cried without looking away. The tank rocked backwards a little as the round impacted with a powerful explosion and the shield instantly disappeared from the whole city. What a weak defense. I also saw a lot of the guards in the brigade stop dead, most likely in shock, but the captain tried to urge them on. When none followed, he disappeared in a blue flash and my eyes widened. I turned around and manned the gun platform up top, looking around for the vanishing unicorn captain. When the tank sudently stopped though, I turned the gun forward and there he was, standing about five yards from the tip of the barrel, his mane and tail blowing in the strong winter winds. "Rob," Ryan said. "The captain's out there, I think he's following us." "I can see that, Ryan." I replied. "Nathan, see if you can drive around him." It didn't work as he reappeared in front of us once again as the tank pulled forward and stopped. "Motherfucker..." I said to myself. "What do we do?" Asked Ryan. I was about to reply when I saw Shining Armor's eyes shut tightly and his horn glow blue. I didn't know what he was planning on doing until the whole tank shuddered and the front end started rising slowly. "Woah woah woah!! What the hell?!" Cried Nathan. "Back us up, back us up!" I yelled, taking control of the gun station, but the angle of the tank by now got in the way. Sandstorm started backing up quickly, which only helped a little as the front started slowly rising again. "I think he's trying to flip us over, hang on!" I screamed as I reached up for the hatch and threw it open. Sandstorm was now at around a fifty degree angle as I unholstered my sidearm and took aim at the captain, almost hanging around the side. I pulled the trigger, and the round missed, but I could see his power weaken a little. I fired a second shot and it did the trick, hitting the top of his shoulder and leaving a small gap of flesh. Instantly the energy lifting us up stopped as the captain fell over, yelling in pain. Unfortunately I didn't have time to even start getting back into the tank as it fell forward extremely hard, the shock making me practically bounce off the side of the turret and land just on the edge of the body. I groaned in pain but didn't feel any broken ribs as I sluggishly made my way back into the tank and shut the hatch. "You okay, Robbert?" Inquired Nathan. "Nice job out there, I'm sure his pals will come get him." Ryan sighed. "I'm okay, just a little shaken." I breathed. "Let's just get out of here, straight ahead, Nathan." "You sure? Armor did say there were other towns and shit that way." Nathan said. "I'm sure we'll find some place to hide. Now get going and keep your eyes peeled." I replied. "Copy that. Sandstorm is Oscar Mike." \_____/\/\/\/\/\_____/ Aprox. 1400 hours There was no telling how long we were out in this blistering arctic climate. It felt like days, even though I know it wasn't. But the scenery was hardly the start of my stress. First we fall into a sinkhole that should have killed us, then we landed in this fucking blizzard, then we drove straight into an alien city full of short, talking horses, then we broke out, making us the most wanted, and now we're here (again). "You guys doing okay?" I asked softly over the radio. "You could say that..." Ryan grumbled. "Don't worry Ryan, we'll be fine..." I said, almost getting lost in the few words. "Everything will be fine..." Silence fell over the three of us once again for another good amount of time. I wanted to do something, to lighten the mood, to make my crew feel... safe again. But what was there? What could we do? We're on a foreign planet. I was kinda amazed that I was still able to think clearly. I don't think any normal man or woman would be sane by this point, but I had a feeling we wouldn't last much longer. It wasn't long before we noticed that the blizzard winds were starting to die down, leaving only the thick snow for us to tread through. "Hey boys, I think we may be getting close to something." Nathan said in an exhausted voice. "Yeah, I think so too." I said. "What'da you think it is?" Ryan added. "Not sure... Wait a second, are those trees? Guys I see trees!" I said just under a yell as I operated the camera on the weapon platform. "No way!" "I'm gettin' us there now, hopefully there will be an okay place to stay." Ryan informed happily. I was so relieved I leaned back in my seat and laughed a little bit. Refuge was not far. Unfortunately, the worst toll on our minds and bodies was yet to come. Author's Note Alright, now I feel terrible for the massive delay in getting this chapter out, but I re-wrote it a good five times before I got an idea that really stuck. So here it is, and I hope you enjoyed! My objective for this story is to really get to the realistic side of how a person(s) like the crew of Sandstorm would really react to the mental trauma of being torn from the very planet you lived on and being dropped into a place like Equestria. Even I can hardly imagine it. Also if you're wondering how a single 125mm HEAT shell was enough to take down the Crystal Empire's shield cast by Cadence, it's because I did a bit of logical thinking and thought that during the invasion of the wedding of Shining Armor and Cadence, when the shield was broken, it was because of just a lot of changelings body slamming it at once. All together that could probably be around three hundred psi (pounds per square inch). You can imagine how much force an eighteen kilogram projectile traveling at nine hundred-five meters per second could pack.
Part I--Needle in a Hay Stack *Edited*Part I--Needle in a Hay Stack *Edited* Part I--Needle in a Hay Stack ~Northeastern Sahara Desert~ ~1400 hours~ "Alright, we're moving out!" Shouted Gunnery Sergeant Eric Swanson as he swung his right hand in a circular motion while standing inside the door of his MRAP, codename Curb Stomper. Hearing him clearly I ducked back into the cabin of my trusty T-90MS main battle tank, which me and my crew had nicknamed Sandstorm. It later became it's official codename. As I climbed into my seat, I turned on the interphone system and called my crew. "Nathan, Ryan, we good to go?" I asked as I began turning on various systems in front of me. Almost simultaneously, the two screens flickered to life and the low rumble of the diesel engine starting up was audible "Screens are green, good to go." Replied Nathan, the gunner. "All systems are a go, ready to roll." Called back Ryan, the driver. I loved how the tank only needed three people to operate it. It made being commander so much easier than the time I tried commanding the Abrams tank series for example. One less person is a bigger difference than you'd think. "All units, report. We ready to go?" Eric's voice rang through my radio on my right shoulder. "Alright." I put my hand to the radio. "Sandstorm, ready to roll." "Cyclops, up and running." Said Johny Tenka, the commander of the second T-90MS which would be behind me in the convoy. "Juggernaut here, all set." Came the only female voice in the group, Kelly Nork. "All units, get in formation! Me in front, Kelly in back, Johny and Robert take middle. Let's move!" Yelled Eric as I watched his massive truck pull forward. Ryan supposedly already knew what to do because shortly after Eric started driving, we began moving forward at a slowly increasing speed. I turned around and peeked through one of the rear looking prisms, and saw Cyclops and Juggernaut following suit. I looked for a few moments before turning forward to the console and looking at the video viewing device. After about ten minutes of cruising at about forty kilometers per hour, Kelly called in over the radio. "Juggernaut to all units; be advised, the weather report just came in from Castle. We've got a nasty sandstorm heading South towards our first and second search points." I chuckled after hearing that. "How long after we reach our checkpoint will it hit us?" Asked Johny a few moments later. "Umm... We should be clear for the first, but we'll be hit just before the second if we continue at our current rate." "Roger that. Everyone, increase speed to sixty kilos per hour. I don't want this to turn into looking for a needle in a hay stack." Ordered Eric. I saw him start gaining distance from me and tapped the interphone. "You heard him, Ryan. Sixty kilos." "Okay." I heard the diesel engine rumble louder and the distance between me and Curb Stomper grow smaller by the second. I looked away from the viewing screen and instead gazed through one of the left side looking prisms at the bright blue, cloudless sky and smiled. After a minute of peaceful sky watching, I put my hand to the interphone. Without looking away I spoke. "Quite a day out, isn't it, boys?" "I'll say, just sucks that the damn Sahara chose to hit us with a storm..." Nathan said annoyingly. "True that!" Ryan added shortly after. After about another two hours and twenty minutes of driving in the same direction, Eric called in, slightly exciting me. "Alright everyone, listen up. We are about one minute from the first search site. Juggernaut, prep your guys for the search. Sandstorm and Cyclops, you two will provide close range cover just in case things get hairy. Never know who may be out here..." Informed the commander as we all slowed our speed. We were close a fourth way to the middle of the Sahara by now, and Me and Cyclops had taken defensive positions around the wreckage of a C-130. It didn't look like much, just a bunch of twisted metal and pieces of the wings littered the sand and some larger parts were partially buried by the Sahara's harsh climate. Among the cargo plane husk was the main body, which was still mainly in tact. If whatever we were looking for was here, it would be in there. The two MRAPs had parked and each one unloaded three men armed with various weaponry & gear. Two men wielded M249 LMGs (Light Machine Gun), one carried a FGM-148 Javelin on his back with a G36K assault rifle in his hands, and three carried an MK-14 MOD 1 DMR (Designated Marksmen Rifle), a SCAR-L assault rifle, and a M15A4. these man did a quick perimeter check before they all filed inside. A painfully long two minutes passed before Juggernaut called in glumly. "No good, it's empty." A sigh came in reply. "Alright. Everyone load up, we're heading to the next location!" As the scout troopers climbed back into there selected MRAPs and the heavy doors clanged shut, we all started to move back to our original formation when an explosion erupted next to Curb Stomper. Immediately, the radio was screaming. "HOSTILES RIGHT SIDE, MULTIPLE ARMORED UNITS!!" "ALL UNITS MOVE TO ENGAGE!!" Screamed Eric as his MRAPs top machine gun turret began blazing in the direction of two Type-62's and two BTR-60 L.A.V.'s, each armed with 25mm explosive ordinance. "Looks like things just got interesting. Ryan, move us right next to the wreckage with our front lined up with that tank! Nathan, load SABOT and hit the treads on the left tank!" I shouted as my heart started racing from just the awesome rush of being in combat. As our tank took cover behind some pieces and the turret took aim, I caught a glimpse of Cyclops doing the same on the other side of the husk. "These guys are old timers! Sandy, we got this!" Cheered Johny as his tank fired an incendiary shell, turning the right BTR into a slow rolling fireball. A moment later, Nathan called out. "Firing SABOT on your mark!" "Mark!" I immedeatly replied. A puff of smoke emitted from the front of one of the T-62s and hit the side of the turret, moving it a little to the right and knocking the camera out of focus. Not a second later the IRNV viewing screen was clouded by a brief smoke screen as the ultra-high velocity, non-explosive shell effectively destroyed the right tread on the left tank, as well as the wheel behind it. "Juggernaut, Curb, take cover from those T-62s! We don't want to risk any heavy hits." I ordered. "Copy that." "Copy!" "Good hit on target. Load armor-piercing and aim for the base of the turret! Like threading a needle, buddy!" I yelled in an excited voice. "Roger that, boss... AP loaded, on your mark!" "Fire!" I responded. After another second I saw the turret make a jut backwards, signaling it had been knocked literally out of its socket by the accurate hit. Another few seconds later the right tank's side exploded from a high-explosive shell by Cyclops, and it stopped moving completely. A moment later the right BTR floored it in reverse and took cover behind the nearest tank remains, before turning around and retreating into the desert. "Nice shot, Johny." I breathed as my heart rate slowed. "Everyone, we're clear. Let's get a move on." "Roger that. Everyone move back into formation, only this time I want Juggernaut and me in the middle. Another ambush like that is the last thing we need." Said Eric as we started moving in our original direction. After a couple of minutes we were in our designated positions moving at full speed. \_____/\/\/\/\/\_____/ The tank jutted to a sudden halt, nearly making me head on the console in front of me. Not expecting it, I took a moment before putting my hand on the radio on my shoulder and calling the MRAP behind my tank. "What's the hold up?" I asked as I peeked through the rear looking prism. "I don't know, Curb Stomper just shorted out." Replied Ryan. Through the thick dust and blowing sand I was able to barely see a few people by the back of the truck, slowly moving towards the front of it. Thick black smoke billowed from the front which was quickly blown away by the intense winds of the sandstorm which had hit them about an hour and a half after there last departure. "Captain, our engine just busted. We're checking it out now, give us a minute." Replied Eric in a loud voice, the intense winds putting a lot of static through the microphone. I sighed as I thought of what could've caused an engine failure; a rouge shell? No, it would've had an immediate effect. Deciding against further pondering, I just turned to the interphone. "Ryan, how we doing?" "All good, sir. If we end up having to tow Curb Stomper, we'd be okay to without any problems." Came the voice of the skilled driver. I nodded at him and looked up at the round door before tugging on the handle. The hatch flew open and hit the top of the hank with a loud clank. Shielding my eyes with my arm from the harsh gusts of sand, I slowly climbed out and hopped to the ground. As he made his way over to the front of the truck, Eric walked over to meet him. "What's going on with the engine?" I asked loudly, still covering the side of my face. Eric shrugged. "I have no idea, the guys are checking it out now though." "Eric! We found the problem!" Called one of the soldiers as he waved the two over. Me and Eric jogged over to the opened front of the MRAP. "What's the deal?" Asked Eric as he leaned over the engine, which was smoking a little less now. The soldier dug into his pocket and dug out a very old looking piece of flat metal with a few holes in it. "The deal is this thing somehow passed off as a head gasket during inspection. They must've missed it somehow. But right now the engine is warped and well... Curb Stomper needs a new engine." The man said in a sunken tone, tossing the head gasket to the sandy ground. It took more time than we wanted to spend, but we finally got the totaled APC hooked up to the back of Cyclops. After some situational planning, it was decided that I would lead the group the rest of the way to the checkpoint, followed by Juggernaut, and Cyclops with Curb Stomper in tow, in that order. "Alright, everyone follow my lead. We're gonna be moving a little slower with the extra weight on ol' Cyclops, so it's going to be a long drive. Close to four hours." I announced. "Are you fucking serious?" Groaned Kelly. "Yep, sorry for the inconvenience." I replied as the tank started picking up a steady pace. When we maxed out at thirty kilometers per hour I called through the interphone. "How's everybody doing?" I asked, hoping to lighten the mood a bit. "I'm fine." Replied Ryan. "All good here." Chortled Nathan. "Man, I would kill for some music right now..." "I hear ya, bud. It's so god damn boring out here." I chuckled at the musical desire. "Hey Rob," Said Nathan. "Yeah?" I asked, raising an eyebrow slightly and a smile coming to my face again. "You're phone still got any battery?" I rummaged through my right pocket and took out my iPhone 5. Tapping the home button I saw I still had nearly half charge. "Yeah, why?" I asked, but an idea was already forming in my head. "Wait, you guys want to listen to some music from my phone, don't ya?" I laughed. Ryan started laughing as well as Nathan. "Yep, you got us!" Said Ryan. "What song you thinkin' of, Nathan?" I went into my music app and started scanning through some good road songs. My eyes fell across one and I tapped it. "Trust me guys, I'ma play one you all know." I put my hand to my radio and turned it back on. "Hey, who's up for some tunes?" I asked cheerfully. Multiple answers of approval came instantly. Setting my phone to full volume and holding it by my mouth piece (which was linked to the radio and the interphone if they were both on) and the perfect road song began. Instantly there were laughs and comments of approval and I smiled to myself. Maybe this trip wouldn't be too bad. Author's Note Okay, the start of another hopefully great HiE! Hope you all enjoyed.
