Portmaster

The cart stopped at a disused station next to a cargo lift. Corridors and catwalks crisscrossed in the shaft above us, where the open sky loomed through bars of a grid floor. Then I heard the police siren approaching quickly above.

"Run!" I shouted, and dashed into the nearest doorway leading into the network of corridor. Portmaster limped after me as I stopped at a crossing of two corridors. "Celestia damn it, how long will your legs take to heal yet?"

"They'd have healed long ago if I wasn't thrown around all the time!"

"There are two amplifier stations in the hub. If we manage to break both, they'll have to seek us with hounds. Let's head to the first one." I turned into one of the corridors, waiting for Portmaster to catch up. "This way."

"And where's the other one?"

"That way." I pointed in the opposite direction. "Why?"

"If we split up, we'll stand a better chance of taking them out."

Fuck. He was right. Reaching the second one once we're done with the first would be almost impossible.

I stopped, then extended my cable and plugged it into the socket behind his ear. I began uploading the plans.

"Do not, I repeat it, you fucking twit, do not get caught. Don't fucking hope that if you're out of the picture I will run away alone and live free. I fucking swear, if they lock you up in the Sun, I'll go there and try to set you free, and if they kill you I'll kill as many as I can before they take me down. Is that clear?"

He nodded.

"I'm marking viable rendez-vous points, numbering them by priority. Disable the amplifier, smash it good so they can't just switch it back on, then head to point 1. If you can't reach it for any reason, head to point 2, and so on. Hide and wait. I'll find you there and we'll pick it up from there."

"You don't get caught. I'm safe as long as I don't run into cops. You disabled my comms, remember? It's you shining like a nuclear beacon on their sensors. You stand a better chance going fast, I'll pick a slower, silent approach."

Not as stupid as I thought. Yes, without him hindering my speed I had a better chance, and he could hide without me right now. For a second I thought that if I surrender, he'd stand a good chance of running alone. Then I dismissed the thought; the fool would assault Canterlot to set me free or avenge me if I got caught.

I heard clang of multiple hooves in the distance.

I ran.

Shortly, Spike's codes got quite helpful. I passed a heavyweight gate, then locked it behind me, using the master code to change the unlock code. Pounding and curses on the other side meant I got the upper hoof. I got a minute - they'd have to go around while I made a beeline for another gate through the network of tunnels and rails. I hitched a ride on a train of cargo containers, then left it when it began heading for the surface. I slid through some air vents, timed my jump through a ion propeller that would zap me like a fly, but thanks to the schematics I knew the moment it was powered down. I disabled power in a power substation, running between contacts that would scorch me otherwise, skirted the edge of a turret detection zone...

I stopped at the end of a narrow access tunnel, entrance to a warehouse a few meters above the floor, with containers stacked everywhere in a way that could be described as organized chaos. There were workers in there, and the exit on the other side was exposed. I planned my route, jumps over the containers to get there as fast as possible.

Then the ceiling exploded. Ponies in golden battle armor of Celestia's guard descended on wings and jetpacks from above.

I turned back, without much hope. With jetpacks it would be over in a minute, and my gun against their battle armors would be entirely useless.

And yet, something clanged loudly behind me. I turned my head. A container landed across the entrance, blocking it off. Barked orders, arguing, noises, metal groaning as it ground against the wall.

I checked the plans and found a tunnel running under the floor of the warehouse. There was an access hatch locked with a code in the floor, leading down to that tunnel. One of Spike's codes matched the hatch!

I unlocked it, descended a short way down the ladder, then began re-locking it.

A container whizzed past my hooves. Not good, the tunnel was in active use and sized for the containers with no clearance. Still, seconds after the lock re-engaged I heard pounding of hooves on the other side. I dropped down into the dark tunnel and ran, following the rail roughly towards my destination.

I galloped for a minute or so, looking for any exits and bypassing ceiling hatches that were too high for me to jump. The plans indicated a service station six hundred meters ahead.

Then I heard loud buzz of the hover-rails activating. Lights of a container lit up the tunnel, approaching rapidly from behind. Shit! Shit! Shit! I braced myself for the impact, not that I hoped to survive it.

Then the buzz changed pitch, brakes groaned against the walls. The container stopped just behind me.

There, on its carrier platform, was a camera wired to some modules. A jury-rigged obstruction detection system. Something designed to save lives of replicants.

The little part of me that loved that fucking idiot tingled warmly.

A hatch in the ceiling a short way down the tunnel opened, light flooding in.

Without a second of thought I jumped onto the side of the container, grabbing little protrusions. The engines came to life and it sped down the tunnel.

Armored head peered down from the opening in the ceiling, then ducked out of the way, cursing, as the container sped past.

I held tight, letting the container speed past the technical station, opting to disembark on the next one, a short way past my destination. And good that I did, as my welcome committee was already entering the first station as the container sped by.

As lights of the second station came into view, hanging for dear life by two hooves I used my magic to turn the jury-rigged camera sideways. As soon as it caught the wall in its view the brakes engaged and I got thrown off the container. I rolled on the floor for a moment, earning some bruises and scratches, but still mostly uninjured I managed to scramble for the nearby platform.

And there I was, on the platform, which was silent for now.

Something changed. No, not around me. Dozens of my comms went silent. One of the two amplifiers just got switched off. I smiled and dashed up a staircase, towards my destination. One generator room, one gate with code, and I'd be at the amplifier station!

The hum of the huge generators was nearly deafening, but I passed them undisturbed. I ran down the corridor to the code gate, pulling up the code from the list.

And then I skidded to a stop.

Some wires were hanging from the place where the control panel should be.

I looked at them. Maybe I can just short a pair?

Then I saw the actuator of the gate missing too.

I pushed the door, trying to pry it open. Didn't even budge.

Resigned, I turned to try another way...

...and there they were. Two Solar Guards, in armor of golden hard light, approaching me in a calm, confident stride. Pegasi, real ponies. Battle-saddles with plasma rifles hung across their backs.

I pushed the door again, desperately. They didn't even budge.

I considered trying to break past the two. I saw the royal pegasi in action in the past. I'd never make it to the end of the corridor.

I would fight. One on two, maybe my servo-joints would give me some advantage. Yes, lie to yourself more, Baton. These rifles will turn you into a puddle.

The two stopped. The one on the left made eye contact with me.

"Operator," he said, "I have no visual."

A second of silence.

"I repeat, no visual. Just empty corridor with broken, locked gate."

Another few seconds of silence.

The guardspony walked up closer to me. He knocked on the floor with his hooves. "Solid floor, no hatches, no access panels, no hiding spots. The ceiling seems to be panels though. Permission for blind fire?"

A breath later he pointed his gun at the ceiling and shot it. The ball of plasma exploded on impact. Sparks rained from damaged panels, a huge hole gaped exposing the solid concrete above a maintenance duct. "Negative, operator. Yes, all right."

He flapped his wings, rising to the hole in the ceiling. He stuck his head in, looking both ways. "Negative, the duct is empty. No apparent hiding spots. Give me the Z coord again."

...

"That's the main floor level, and it's empty. I'm just a grunt but I'd say they hacked the system to simulate phantoms to send us on a wild goose chase, while they hunkered down somewhere else."

...

"As you say."

He took a few steps towards me - actually into me, simply bumping me with his chest and pushing me as if I was not there. "In position."

I looked at his face. He made a sudden gesture with his muzzle - like a rapid nod, "down". He stepped towards me again. I got the hint and lay down. He stepped over me with his front hooves smoothly.

"In position. Just plain floor. No traces, no tracks, shifting through spectra now... entirely nothing out of ordinary. EMI near top of the scale but that comes from the amplifier, right behind the door."

A few seconds of break. Then the other guard spoke.

"Confirming. No visual. Gamma is standing right at the spot and there's nothing there. Damn cunning, if you want my opinion. Complete set of comms right out of thin air."

A second of pause.

"Acknowledged."

The two turned around and walked away, then took off at the end of the corridor, flying up the way they came from.

I just lay there, my mind boggling over what just happened.

Shit.

I turned around and began walking, still stunned by the event.

I desperately craved logic now.

Still numb, I made my way to the rendez-vous point#1, not really paying much attention to the buzz of the hub. The chase was gone. Nopony hunted me.

I found the location, a locker under some stairs.

Portmaster was not there, but there was a note on the floor.

Baton,

You should have disabled the amplifier by now. Since you didn't, I'm going to find you and disable the amplifier myself. If you couldn't, but still found this note, find me at #3. I'll be there at 3:30.

I checked the time. 2:25. I cursed quietly and lay down. I could get to #3 in ten minutes, but now, that the fool was on the move, I didn't want to attract attention to that point by loitering there for an hour. Shit. Don't get caught, you fuckwit! Surely now as you disabled the first, they will guard the second one.

Right. And he'll get caught. And it's up to me to save his stupid ass.

I ran back towards the amplifier.

...and then I skidded to a stop.

Black coats. Big guns. Dark glasses. Spiky wings of hard light, stylized to look like blades.

One Earth pony, two unicorns. The Earth pony in the center was tall, dark grey, the transparent artificial horn on his head glowed with energy. One unicorn was dark blue, the other - lemon yellow.

The trio stood across my way.

"Here's our first ten million." The Earth pony raised his gun, aiming at me. "Try to keep the corpse identifiable."

Then the yellow unicorn knocked the Earth pony's gun up with his own. "Where's the other?"

"Oh, I see..." the Earth pony leered. "Surely she knows and we can make her talk. And even if she doesn't, we can make sure he knows we have her, and make him come to us."

He turned his head to his dark blue companion. "Tie her up, Ceres."

Bang-bang-bang.

Three broken guns clattered to the floor.

Fucking amateurs. If you hold an armed pony at gunpoint, keep your gun poised at them at least until you disarm them.

The three looked at each other in panic. They looked at my gun pointed at them.

"Scram, you scum," I said.

The three turned and ran.

Only when their hoofbeat died down in the distance I wiped sweat off my eyebrows and holstered my gun. Bounty hunters. Amateurs... but after amateurs pros would surely come.

I picked up my pace. A system broadcast message flashed in my awareness. "Remaining amplifier in the transport hub area is taken offline for maintenance due to security concerns. Please use peer-to-peer communication. We apologize for the inconvenience."

And then the comms went dark.

Shit. That was not the Portmaster's doing. I sped up.

Some turns, some climbing, a code door, and I was getting close. I picked a stealthy approach through an airduct for the last leg of my travel. And there was the room, with some screen projectors and the white tower of the amplifier in the middle.

Dozens of replicants were milling around, but one unicorn mare in a white coat in the middle, bossing over them, was definitely a real pony, and pissed.

"Search every nook and cranny, check every connection, and verify every single file! We must find that bug! We need to know how they managed to simulate a full set of replicant comms! This is a critical security failure!" she shouted.

As always. Technology took the blame while the pony factor was at fault.

No sign of Portmaster. Shit.

I retreated back into the duct and made my way to rendez-vous point#3, a small space under the platform of the technical station of the container railway which I had crossed while riding a container already.

One turn more and I'd be there... then I heard known voices. The trio of assholes!

"You hold him, Stardust, and I'll try to stab him!"

"Fuck you, he bites!"

"Ten million bits, you idiot! Think of it!"

I ran.

And right on time. The three were piled on top of Portmaster, fighting viciously, trying to find an opening in the casts and shields of hard light protecting his injuries. My three speedy kicks sent them flying off the platform onto the rails. My love got a few more bruises but nothing worse. And my rush of anger at him subsided when he stood up and brushed my braided mane gently with his hoof.

"It's her! Both are here!" I heard.

"I'll zap them with..."

but we never found out what the wannabe bounty hunter would zap us with. Three thuds sounded like one. The container was just a blur, carrying screams of pain and terror away from the station.

"I thought you equipped them with a system that stops them if there's a pony on tracks?" I asked.

"Well..." He rubbed his neck. "That was still a work in progress. I got the system installed on maybe a third of the carriers so far... and it wasn't even very reliable in the first place..."

Loud noise of crash came from depths of the tunnel.

"So, any bright ideas how we get out of the city?"

He grinned. "Actually, yes. We will need to get access the shipment manifests."

I plugged the wire from my fetlock into the socket behind his ear. I brushed his mane gently with my hoof too.

"Like this one?" I asked, sending the file Spike gave me.

"Precisely!" he brightened.

"And how are we going to escape?"

"On a bed of flowers!"