The Division-Cold Horse

As the Agent's Blackhawk flew through Manhattan, Twilight looked down at the streets, and tried to imagine them full of people and lively activity, and not of death and devastation.

"Agents, this is Lau. Rhodes says we've got a blizzard incoming. Neutralize the LMB, and get back here as soon as you can." came the radio's voice.
"And don't dawdle." Rhodes said.

"We never do." Nick said.

"Glad to hear it. Lau out."

As Twilight loaded her W1200, she saw several buildings jutting into the sky from inside the Dark Zone wall.

"Nick?" Twilight asked.

"What?"

"Have you ever been inside the Dark Zone?"

"Yeah, a few times." Nick replied.

"What happened?"

"We went in there to find a transponder from a JTF patrol. We got pinned down by Rikers instead. We made it out, but we were several hundred rounds less and wounded in at least a few places. The Medical Techs said that if we had stayed there any longer, there wouldn't be anything left to patch up." Nick said.

Twilight nodded and looked over at Kestrel, who was tapping buttons on a tablet.

"What's that for?" Twilight asked.

Kestrel smiled and took a small drone out of his backpack.

"This." he said, and the drone came to life, flying inside the Helicopter cabin. Twilight could see a Sentry Turret similar to the Standard Division turret mounted on the underside.

"This is WARD." Kestrel said. "Winged Aviated Recon Drone. Mounted with a turret and a battery life of an hour, this thing may be a little hard to handle, but it does the job it does nicely."

"Sounds nice." Twilight said.

"I thought combat drones were discontinued." Harper said.

"For the Second Wave." Kestrel said. "First Wave tech was a bit more advanced. Optic Camo, the Roundhouse Turret, and my personal favorite…"

Kestrel took out a Sticky launcher, and took out the cartridge. Inside were two large, thick discs connected by a cable.

"The Garotte Launcher. The discs are primed with a stun charge that lets loose with around the same voltage as a tazer. Only, there's two of them. It's mainly used as a noncombatant weapon, only it can kill." Kestrel said.

"Impressive." Logan said.

"LZ in t-minus twenty seconds!" The pilot said.

As the agents geared themselves, they set down in a park. As the agents disembarked, the helicopter took off back to the post office.

"Let's get going." Nick said. The agents moved towards the Hotel where the LMB were camped out, and Twilight noticed the air was starting to get very cold.

"Blizzard, remember?" Anubis said.

"Right. How much time till it hits?" Twilight asked.

"ISAC?" Nick said.

"Current estimation to Blizzard impact is TWENTY minutes." ISAC replied.

"Then let's pick up the pace." Kestrel said. As the agents approached the hotel, Nick triggered a Pulse Scan, and several LMB riflemen appeared, marked by the Agent's Shade Tech.

"I count seven." Nick said.

"Mostly Riflemen." Kestrel said. "There's probably more in the hotel."

"Right." Nick said. "We'll need a distraction."

"WARNING! BLIZZARD APPROACHING. QUICKLY" ISAC said. "NEW ESTIMATE-FIVE MINUTES."

"FUCK!" Nick swore.

"Agents, the Blizzard's here! Mission is postponed. Get back to the Post Office now!" Lau said.

"We're too far from the LZ!" Nick replied. "We'll have to wait it out!"

"That garage!" Twilight said, as the wind started to blow fiercely.

"Go!" Nick said. As the LMB infantry rushed inside the hotel, the snowstorm hit. Soon, Twilight's eyes were filled with frost, and the snow blinded her. As she was pulled along by Nick, they reached the Garage. Opening the door just enough for everyone to slide under it, Nick and the agents piled in and Nick let the door close.

"That's good enough for now." Nick said, bringing over an oil drum. "Let's get a fire going."

As the agents searched for fuel, Twilight looked around in the back room. She walked into the garage lobby and saw a bright orange jumpsuit. As she jumped behind the corner, she gasped. Then, she saw the blood coming from his shoulder. Twilight saw the Riker collapse, and she walked over. She pulled off his mask to see a man of about twenty-two, with a rough-shaven face. Twilight pulled him over onto his side and applied healing magic to his shoulder wound. Then, she felt something grab her own shoulder. She saw the Riker's hand touch hers gently.

"Thank...you…" he whispered, coughing up some saliva.

"No problem. Let's get you warm." Twilight said, hoisting him up and onto his feet. As she carried him into the garage area, upon seeing the two of them, nearly every agent in the room went for their weapons.

"Don't!" Twilight said. "He's hurt!"

"He's a Riker." Logan said.

"He's still human!" Twilight pleaded.

"Nick? You're squad leader. What's the call?" Harper said.

"How bad is it?" Nick said.

"Bad." Twilight replied, motioning to his wounded shoulder.

"Let him stay for a bit." Nick said. As Twilight set the Riker down, he sighed.

"Thanks." he said again.

"What's your name?" Kestrel said.

"Thomas Morgan. You guys JTF?"

"Yeah. Well, sort of." Twilight said. "How'd you get shot?"

"Well, I was running with my crew, when I found two JTF cops hiding behind a dumpster. I recognized one of them as a close friend. I...was ordered to kill them. And...I...let them go. The boss shot me, and left me to die. I…" Thomas said.

"It's alright." Nick said, placing his hand on Thomas's good shoulder. "You're safe now. Let's take a look at that arm."

Nick took out a small green syringe and injected a clear fluid into the wound. Before their eyes, the wound began to foam and close.

"What the hell was that?" Thomas said.

"Stimpack." Nick said. "Get some rest."

As Thomas took off his jacket and used it as a pillow, he was soon asleep.

"I'm not exactly sure we made a good decision." Logan said. "But for all it's worth, Twilight, you made the right one."

"Thanks." Twilight said. "How's the blizzard?"

"Estimates show the Blizzard will continue for the next Three hours." ISAC replied. "Take shelter and distribute supplies."

"Confirmed." Nick replied. "We're safe in here for now. The blizzard's killed all of the comms, so we're dark for now."

"Wanna tell stories to pass the time?" Twilight said.

"Stories, huh?" Nick said. "Been awhile since I heard a good one."

"I'll make sure to make them good, then." Twilight said. "How bout I tell you about the time Erin slash Rarity was used as a cake shield?..."