Chapter 4: Betrayal

One year later...

"Shit shit shit! I can't stop the bleeding!"

I was scrambling around for a healing potion as the CONtainment soldiers blood kept spraying all over the place, the loud noise from the clinic and the alarms blaring accompanied by the clutter and clops of ponies hoofs against the metallic floor.

"He he's go-"

Me and my partner stopped and stared at the black straining blood vessels along his neck pulsing with that vile crazy virus and ready to infect us and we both panicked

"Scratches!!"

"I know! Infected infected infected!!"

I and Prophen both stepped back shooting a dose of the Cell-224 anti virus shot into our chests and ran to the showers in the corners and stepped into it as ponies in hazmat suits stepped in taking the buck away as he screamed

"Wait no no give me the shot! It's not to late NOO!!! Oh Celestia no I don't wanna die!!"

He held onto the door frames in desperation for survival and that maybe some chance we would "cure" him I watched as he was beated with a baton and forced through the door still trying to in desperation to hold on

I sighed

"One hell of a day....right...?"

Looking up Everypony was gone, my partner was gone and it was silent. The lights flickered and some sparked.

Something pounded on the doors making me jump, I backed into the corner watching the metal doors get pryed open and the most horrible things climbed through, black rotten creatures stared at me breathing hard and chanting som thing I couldn't recognize. The lights turned off and orange emergency lights flashed around as the speakers played loudly a quarantine break protocol. I screamed in terror as hundreds crawled through the door and vents all screaming and chanting as there white blank eyes stared into my soul, leaving a black rotten substance on everything they touched Getting closer and closer.

"No!"

I sat up panting and groping my chest in my bed and calmed my self down and panted looking out the viewing platform.

"It's just a nightmare Scratch..."

Circut sat up and hugged me nuzzling my chest softly

"I know...there more....frequent now...it's scary....do you think it could mean somthing?..."

I chuckled quietly

"I was working in the clinic as a nurse or something....me...medical..hah..."

I looked down at her and she shook her head

"No silly, I get nightmares all the time too. It's just natural at one point in our lives"

She threw a really tired smile and gave me a quick peck on my lips

"Happy birthday"

I chuckled and held Circut close

"Is there ponies still trying to get you to join the armed units before your career choice?"

She just nodded

"Yeah, silly ponies...I don't know how I'm any good in fighting"

I cocked a brow and looked at her

"Okay okay I know somethings in fighting but just cant a mare enjoy what she loves"

I shrugged and fixed the covers And laid back down the blue dim light from the view platform shun on our faced gently

"I guess not...as I learned it, ponies must do what there assigned to, Containment, Security, engineers, blah blah...despite there cutie mark and talent...in Equestria I hear ponies do what ever they want..."

Closing my eyes I felt Circuts muzzle bury into my neck

"Promise us you'll take us there Scratch..."

I smiled gently and held her hoof

"Yeah...I promise..."

The bed shaked a little and before I even knew my world was shaking violently, jumping up and and looking around I noticed that Circuts wasn't here, I scrambled around trying to keep balance as the entire Fleetship shook.

"What In Celestia's name!?"

I pulled open the closet door and swung on my trench coat. My lucky trench coat, the smell of canvas and the never ending smell of the permanent cologne always helped me keep calm in situations.

I stepped out of the door frame and stumbled down the hall as everything still shook, some bucks were looking around trying to yell somthing but there voices were drowned out by the blaring alarms of the halls.

I sprinted towards the atrium and the shaking slowly stopped, I and many other ponies looked up at the chief of CONtainment standing on a platform.

"Everypony calm down the situation has been dealt with. Now the situation is that well...Hangar B has had an explosion and nopony survived...we believe that somepony set off planted explosives and got away, Security is n-"

"NOO!"

All of us looked at a mare collapsing to the floor tearing up

"My son was working in there! My only son was there! You fucking crazies....."

She sobbed on the floor as ponies that I guess was kin pretty much picked her up and dragged her off

"Everypony return to your quarters and security or CON will give out rations out no need to go to the mess halls, that is all"

A buck whispered in his ear and he nodded leaving the stand as Everypony cooperated

"Scratches I was worried you were there!"

SilverLine trotted up worried and hugged me

"No no I'm fine, have you seen Circuts?"

She shaked her head

"Not once since yesterday"

I stopped and my head started to race with several thoughts, not only Circuts was a H.U.D tech she was a engineer pony, what I she was in that hangar and was...killed.

I sprinted off towards the hangar pushing security ponies that blocked off the hangar as SilverLine tried to hold me back along with ponies.

"Oh goddess Circuts please don't be dead!"

I kept pushing my way through ponies and finally stopped at a large door locked down, red emergency lights flashing as I stared at a pony chopped in half. His body was forced into two I could tell he was still alive at one point due to the trail of blood and intestines
I turned and started to vomit, feeling my stomach push out its contents, I could not get the image of the intestines out of my head. I forced my self to walk past the dead, the red rope like organ has always disgusted me. looking out the view window beside the door and looked in shock at all the lifeless ponies floating around along with debri and objects.

"Circuts!" I looked around staring at every single body hoping it wasn't Circuts

"Scratch!...."

I looked off to the side where I thought I heard her voice, I trotted down the hall and ran until I slammed into a medical pony, she gasp and landed on her flank and looked up a little angry, I just walked past her and I was suddenly hugged, it was Circuts!

I hugged back tightly and sighed in relief

"You scared me..."

"I-I-I barely made it out...I w-was going to wake you up a-and show you the new HUD I worked on secret but as soon as I got out the door just...close...And that pony...of goddess that pony was split in half!"

She just sobbed and held onto me

"It's alright...I'm here now..."

She collapsed and I felt warm blood trickle down my side my eyes widened and I noticed the large piece of metal sticking out of her stomach

"Where's the clinic?!"

TIME: 0900
Location: Medical Clinic-V

"Her hind hoof was badly scrapped by the door not only that the explosion launched a sharp metal object into her stomach!"

The doctor said as Circuts layed on a bed with a bloody bandage all the way up her hind left leg

"I didn't feel it before..."

The doctor nodded

"It was the adrenaline of the event, you probably didn't even fell it afterwards for a while"

"Get her into surgery for the removal of the debri now!"

"I can't get that...pony out of my head..."

I leaned beside her and rested my muzzle against hers gently

"Just don't focus on it, think of other things like...hmm...what was your present for me?"

She smiled tired

"It was a new HUD, it had a F-CT compressed processor so you could do more it also had a new shiny colour instead of boring blue...it was a red..."

She smiled a little sad that it was lost in the event of the explosion before wincing in pain

"It's okay, nothing is worth a silly machine..."

A medical pony put a mask over her face and let some kind of gas through

"I'm manually removing the debri, all the Emergency Surgery Docks are busy"

The nurse slowly guided me back and shut a curtain over

I sat against the wall trying to calm my self down and waited for minutes, and hours.

A security buck tapped my shoulder

I sighed and looked back cocking a brow showing how annoyed I was

"What??"

The buck kinda stuttered for a moment"

"I-oh a sorry, I was told your requested at the Security office in your sector, it's urgent"

I sighed

"What the hell could they want..."

I got up and slowly made my way over

TIME: 1400
Location: Security centre B-2

"Well I'm here?...what am I needed for?"

I walked in as a buck large buck my size stop up, he was a Royal Fleet Security Guard, at first I thought he was gonna punch me at how fast his hoof raised until I realized he was wanting to shake my hoof

"Hahah sorry there, name is John, John Guard of the RFSF special Detective unit, I've requested your help due to your....usual buffed senses of perception and your ability of fig-"

"Get to the point..."

He tilted his head as I looked at him, my own reflection stared at me. His shiny golden visor stopped me from seeing his face or eyes.

"Well...straight to the point, I need your help to solve who did this, it couldn't have been a infected no, it had to be a sane healthy but cruel pony, so...way to find out what the hell happened?"

I looked at the guard for a few moments and slowly nodded

"alright...sure lets go and see what happened"

Time: 1600 hours
Location: Fleetship Security C Head Quarters
As me and John walked through the sliding double doors a few other guards looked up from what they were doing

"hey there you are!"

Plasma spoke. She was another Security Mare who's face I couldn't see again due to there golden visors. I could see that her coat was a lime green under her neck collar.

"Yes? What's up"

John spoke up before sitting down

"the footage on the hangar cameras were actually saved. But unfortunately not on these terminals, do me a favour and go down to the Second post and check there terminals will you? I heard there systems are functioning again"

I sighed along with John and I chuckled a bit.

"I'll go"

I said as I nodded

"you guys just...do your work here and research the hangar"

I said as I left and starts my way to the next security block. It was certainly far. I had to take the Engineering rought to get to the dammed sector. Examining the halls I've noticed the emergency lighting was on for an odd reason. But the main power is online, odd...

"Hey hey whoa take it easy Elite what are you doing way out here??? Don't you know this place is under a quarantine lock down??"

A CON soldier spoke aloud behind a metal barrier with a chain gun mounted to it

"no I didn't, if this place is under quarantine where the hell is the gates??"

"These are the gates"

oh Sweet Celestia that's not a gate that's a nervouse stallion with a chain gun.

"alright. Look I'm here under the order of Security B"

I said. The pony in thick armour unfolded his helmet and nodded with his head nervously

"Alright...your okay to go...just don't try anything"

I rolled my eyes a little and walks forward Into the hall. Getting there I noticed there was debri all over.power lines were cut off and there was Plasmatic Rifle Cartridges everywhere. Along with blood stains. walking forward I noticed a CON mare in a beat up looking white Armoured radiation suit. As soon as she seen me the little mare jumped and even yellped as I raised a eyebrow

"oh sorry you startled me...are you from B?"

The mare tired her head looking up

"yes I am, where is the Security C quarters"

I replied
"Oh it's just down this hall"

she said

"by the way...what happened here"

immediately the mares ears folded back and smiled nervously

"o-oh well that virus that broke out in the food supply once again broke out...over half of this block went crazy....we lost a huge number of security and soldiers..but we mostly captured and killed those horrible ponies, they kinda...ate each other......"

The mare nodded

"I didn't tell you anything okay?"

She said and I nodded before walking down to the security HQ. The "Second Post" was a nicknamed CONtainment and security HQ in sector C,trotting in a found big pile of body bags and frowned as I looked around. The stench..of ponies rotting as flesh. A security stallion popped up and looked at me and smiled

"oh well hey there Scratch..YA here f-f-for te tapes?...."

I frowned a little at his speech stuttering and noticed his eyes a bit wider and his pupils small. Also he looked pale, too pale

"yes..I am...do you have them?...and..are you alright"

He smiled stupidly

"o-oh yes yes I'm alright I've just been up for a while working heh....right as rain healthy as a horse!"

He got up stumbling for the consoles and ejected a few memory tapes and stopped for a moment coughing

"h-here you g-go.."

he walked up to me and starts to float the tapes to me as I held my hoof out. Stopping he stared at my hoof for a few moments

"are...you al-"

and with that the guard lunged forward grabbing ahold of me or trying to as he bit through the flesh of my hoof

"gah! Dammit what's wrong with you!?"

My magic grabbed his baton and pulled, but it was stuck on his belt, I pulled harder and grunted pulling pulling pulling and finally the socket that held the baton snapped and broke I flipped the switch on the side of the weapon and it sparked up to life buzzing energy, the guard chuckled and looked up at me still nawing at my forehoof

He muffled somthing but I didn't care, he was a infected. That means I could hit him right?...I yelled and slammed the baton onto his face. The shock got him, it also traveled through him and got to me and we both flew away from each other, the baton flying away a few feet

"ah dammit you bit my hoof!"

I yelled as I got up recovering from the shock and seeing him get up, those grey eyes narrowing towards me, I scanned the area quickly and limped backwards to a desk and quickly yanked the drawers out, finding a EMTF Plasmatic Bolt Magnum. Loading the weapon with a left over Cartridge I held it up with my magic and aimed for his head. He lunged forward and I fired, missing he tackled me and tried to bite my face but I held him back.

I couldn't kill a pony...I couldn't, he's infected but this pony had a life. I don't want to take that life from him. He's still present...just insane. But somthing wanted me to pull the trigger, somthing wanted me to blast him and see his blood splatter. I stared at him trying to bite my muzzle, my magic gripped the gun harder and I lifted it to his head and growled

"Son of a bitch!"

with a loud bang the Part Metal and plasma turned his head into a red spray and his limp body jumped through the air and hit the ground heavily beside me. I panted hearing the bells ring as I shook my head and dropped the gun rolled over on my stomach and my hoofs pushed me slowly off the ground shocked at what just happened

"I-...I just killed...a pony...."

I talked to my self an tried to calm my self, that instant the rest of the guards ram through looking at me then the body.

"What happened!?"

One yelled

"h-he just tried to fucking eat me!"

I yelled as I pointed with my bitten up hoof

"shit, get the dam medical mare and make sure to his this body in a bag"

one of the guards spoke as I grabbed the memory tapes.
After a few minutes a small brown mare trotted in quickly with a mane a few shades darker than her coat, she looked around and spotted me sitting down before rushing pulling out equipment I don't even now

"now just stay still...this is the fourth dam time I had to treat a bite..."

She sighed but starts to clean and after a few checks she injected a needle an started her suprisely fast stitching fluent work

she was certainly more attractive than other mares for some reason..maybe it was the lack of muscle than most mares have on this ship...? I questioned my self in my head and before I knew it she was done.

"Alright, your done now go and do your duty"

she said as she quickly packed her stuff and left. I left to, on my way back to Security B.

Time: 1800 hours, Loacation, Fleetship Sector B Halls
"So..you..killed a pony?.."

John asked in a curious way as we walked down the halls back to Security HQ B

"I had no choice to...plus...it was just somthing that urged me to ..shoot..."

I replied to his question

"it's okay, ponies go wonky like that al the time. You get used to it kinda?"

He tilted his head

"I know by personal experience...what it like to mow down ponies infected, not fun I can tell you that"

arriving to the HQ I walked into the room unlocking the doors,plasma looked up from his terminal, still not taking that dammed helmet off like John I could tell she was smiling though

"first kill huh? Almost everypony gets at least a kill in there life" she chuckled.

"Shut up and take the tapes"

growled and tossed them to her she shrugged and shaked her head

"not my fault the pony went bonkers"

She said as she looked around

"No more Plasma"

John ordered and looked at me giving a smile

" I appreciate your help we were all busy. Since you did get the tapes you can go and rest it's starting to get late, I'll call you in the morning and let's take a look at those tapes yeah?"

I nodded and left kind of ticked off at Plasma's behaviour, before I got a chance to leave out the door the same medical mare walked in, she didn have her uniform but her bag and she lightened up

"there you are I forgot to give you these"

She said giving me a hoof full of needles

"what for?"

I asked

"that shot I gave you will cause some pain...heh..."

Even though Johns visors covered a small part of his cheek if you can see through the side it's hard but it's possible at the right angle

"who's this?"

the medical mare asked me pointing to John, once again I could tell...was he blushing?...I smiled a little knowing that he was blushing

"uh...I'm Im John, John Guard"

he took the helmet off revealing his faded blue mane and grey coat Along with his Bright green eyes..almost like, oh what's Her face...applejack that's what it reminds me of anyways

"oh well nice to meet you John Im Syringe"

she smiled and walked up to him shaking his hoof. I nearly laughed seeing his red cheeks so dam red.

"Oh well that's a pretty name"

he smiled

"I'll heh...I'll leave to two alone"

I said walking out of the quarters and headed back to my living quarters

Time: 1100 hours
Location: Scratches Living Quarters.

Laying in my bed looking up at my ceiling I sighed and activate my HUD. The fuzzy blue hollow gram screen appeared and I started to fiddle with the radio suddenly the commander of the Fleetship spoke up

"good evening ponies, today has been horrible for Sector B and C Secotor B hangar was destroyed due to a malfunctioning missile...every pony in the hangar died to the lack of air...an Sector C was infected with that mysterious Virus or disease in the food supply, story comes from the Security HQ in Sector C is that Scratches Elite 005 was down there in after math. The security team have told us that a infected pony attacked him and he repelled by shooting it in the head....I hope you are alright Five. And that's all I have for tonight. Rest well Fleetship, may Celestia rest those poor souls lost today. And now for High Strings newly released song! It's violin Solo... I give you...Cottage of the Rising Sun..."

I sighed and turned the radio off as the Hollowgram dissapeared not in the mood for a song. I moved around and noticed I still had my saddlebags on.

"Oh dammit silly me"

I got up and unbuckled the to me comlicated straps and tossed the bags aside. With a thud a extra memory tape fell out

"huh?...must've forgot about it..."

I got up and turned on my desk lamp for enough light and picked the heavy little Metal rectangle. I could see the input on the rectangle metal case.

"well I am helping after all..."

I said before grabbing it with my magic. Just hope that it ends before waking hours or what ever.

I Layed down and floated to my HUD
activated it, connecting it flashed onto my hologram. seeing through a camera lense as the head swivels side to side watching everything going on near the Transportation ships, watching ponies do there work is...boring honestly. After a few minutes a pony in a guards uniform walks around Mostly examining the transportation ship my camera was closest to....is that?....John?...hearing him walk past a few engineers as he looks around and quickly steps into a transport ship and into the cock pit for a few moments before jumping out and running off ' no he did not!?!' My head yelled. Did he just arm the missiles?!. It was his armour I seen his ID number on his chest...no he wouldn't do tha- my thoughts were cut off seeing a few missiles from the wings of the transportation ship fire and fly hitting extra explosives as the entire hangar went dark.

Time: 0500 hours
Location: you know where dummy

Turning off the tape I jumped up looked down at the tape and panted before picking up the tape with a hoof

"why would John do that..."

He wouldn't do anything like that... It's easy but I know innocence and bad behaviour when I see it.

"Sweet Celestia...."

I sigh and slowly got out of my bed and quickly make the bed before looking around and placing the tape in my saddlebag

"okay...my job is to....show this to Security...but...John is Security..."

I told my self

"well..maybe maybe I can go see the Fleetship Commander! Yeah thats it!"

I said before fixing my mane to its proper spiky form and opened my door up and started heading to the Bridge.

Time: 0600 hours
Location: Fleetdship Bridge(near)

On my way for an odd reason all the types of ponies came to thought in my head...there's the CON soldiers that have the duties of Containing deadly creatures or viruses or just being there to fight, then there's your typical Fleet Security guard, the ponies that are supposed to stop violence when it happens quuckly, they do there job decently but lots of bad things are start to happen and I just have a feeling the guards aren't goingto be able to be much help, then there's the engineering pony, there all over the place making sure this Fleetship is alright and is in order, there's all kinds too..there's the HUD tech pony then the rare Elite Sword crafter or just known as the Sword engineer. And did I mention the new type of soldier? Not new just new to me They call it a diamond dog warrior...uses all kinds of fancy equipment. That thing..heard it's gonna be usedfor special stealth missions in the future im Equestria. There's also the Very rare Elite pony...a special pony that's designed to be a super soldier. A pony that's stronger and faster than most...a perfect soldier...and appearently I am one it seems like I'm the only one...not a good one though.
Walking up to steps I by pass a few guards and opens the door to the bridge. I've never seen the bridge, Oddly he was alone and he looked different from other ponies, his coat was a silky looking silver coat that seemed to glimmer at the time and his dark grey mane that was neatly done up, his cutie mark was three large silver bullets

"Five? Is that you? My goodness come here I haven't seen you for months now"

I frowned a little as I walked up

"uh...sir there's no time for that stuff right now....I have evidence to the 'malfunctioning' missile in B hangar"

I replied to him as he frowned and walked up to me holding the memory tape

"I thought those go to the security guards"

I stopped blushing as if Just stole it, did I?

"no no sir it's all a funny story heh...I was the one to retrieve these from sector C and well I forgot this one in my saddlebags"

he examined the tape

"so why didn't you take it to security?..."

I sighed

"because...one of the Security guards is the one who set the Missile in the hangar..."

He stood there a little hesitant before snatching the tape and quickly trotting to his room

"I'm sorry Five I need to check this out..."

And with that he disappeared behind the Fleetship halls .

Time: 0800 hours
Location: Fleetship Masters Bridge
The masters bridge was the most fanciest,lots of dark polished wood by the looks. Silver bullet walked out as he sighed and looked up

"it is Security....Unit 77...my own hoof picked RFSF...l

He said as I stared at him

"well what are we doing about it!?"

I yelled

"I'm sending CONsoldiers after John.. putting him into a cryo chamber"

he looked up

"well what are you waiting for lets go"

I replied To him as he grabbed his key card

"I'm seeing this guard myself cmon five"

he said as followed the commander off bridge.

Time: 0930 hours
Location: Stallion Security Living Quarters
As we walked down the hall the sight of the commander caused ponies to stop and stand on the side, went into there rooms or moved aside as the big CON soldiers move to Johns door and starting bypassing the panel. A few moments later and the door opened up the doors over lapping sliding away from each other, the stallion quickly got up along with Stringe who was sitting beside him.

"Unit 77! You are under arrest for the destruction to the Fleetship and the death of several engineering ponies and three foals!"

SilverBullet yelled as the soldiers run up to him there horns glowing

"what the hell are you talking about!?"

He yelled as he turned and bucked one of the CON soldiers, despite the thick armor and the motion assisted servos and stabilizers he had sent him flying across the room and he grabbed his baton, Activating the piece of metal the baton sparked and slammed it several times against the other CONs helmet breaking the visor eyes, he continued to beat the soldier's helmet as she was stunned grunting inside the suit.

BANG

John hit the metal floor hard missing his left hoof as Syringe tried to get to him

"John!"

Syringe tackled the commander before getting pulled off by the guards in the hall. I just stood there....watching at I had just seen.

"you bastard!"

The mare scrambled in the guards grip as she was dragged away, the commander getting up and sheathing his magnum

"clean this dam mess"

he dusted him self off and angrily left the room as two more guards and dragged the bodies out.
After that...I don't know..I didn't know how to react to that...how they acted.....perhaps John didnt activate that 'malfunctioning' missile...

"Scratch dear son please head back to your quarters quick quick"

one of the old guards said in a discrete tone and with that I took off running back to the medical centre that Circuts was in.

Footnote: Level up. Iron grip magic. your magic's grip is strong and deals 20% more damage with MeleeHello