Grandbeach, Leonia
February 20, 2103
11:47 AM

In the town streets...

While Pinks is busy guarding the hotel, and the two pegasi are off scouting for a way out of town, the remaining half of the Squad are on foot, cautiously traversing the streets and keeping their heads on a swivel for any signs of cloneling activity.

Twilight leads the group, map in one hand. On this map, the location of a nearby police station, alongside pencil-scribbled arrows, marking their route. Right by her side is Rarity, walking with her usual confident stride. Behind the group, AJ, as neutral and as nonchalant as ever, hands down her pockets.
In appearance, they look like perfectly casual tourists... if only Grandbeach hadn't been closed to tourists for decades. Twilight hoped to make it to their target without being spotted by a 'ling or an overzealous local, nab the vehicle they need and get out as soon as possible.

All three do have a "Plan B" option - their handguns, concealed - but the purple unicorn was clear on the matter: last resort only, preferably never.

The Madame couldn't help but look around, observing the storefronts, her eye attracted by each abandoned store as it comes into view.
"What a crying shame," she sighs out. "I can only imagine how bustling this town once was. Look at these clothing stores... Oh! And this beauty salon! And this lingerie shop!"
Twilight raises an eyebrow. "You do realize we're not here for sightseeing?"
The violet-maned lady shakes her head. "Oh, no, dearie, I do realize that. I'm just saying it's shameful. These clonelings have no sense of--"

Rarity is interrupted suddenly by Twilight raising her hand, palm open, and pointed at her teammates - the close-quarters hand sign for "Stop".
The sound of an approaching engine announces a car entering their street, about forty-five yards ahead. It bore the distinctive white-and-blue livery of a Leonese police car, with the Leonese flag defaced with a black "K"; the symbol proving that the clonelings did more than just invade the lands; they replaced all law and order as well.

"Shit... Left, left, left, follow me," Twilight mutters, guiding her two squadmates through the shattered glass storefront of an abandoned clothing store. All three mares penetrate the old, compromised store, walking over old, dusty, broken glass, hiding out of view into the unlit corners, behind piles of cardboard boxes and empty racks.
The cop car passes, slowly, but silently. Neither of the two black, green-eyed bug heads seemed to notice anything.

"Whew," sighs Rarity, before turning to Twilight. "Surely there are easier ways to get to our destination..."
With a sharp tone, Twilight retorts. "Do you have a better plan?"
"Well... No, no I don't," admits Rarity, trying to hide her displeasure. "Plans are your department, after all."

AJ does not seem to care much for the bickering, but she cares even less for hiding in an old, dusty shop. She rarely utters any words, but she does tap-tap Twilight's shoulder. "Should ah check outside, see if the coast's clear?"
The squadleader nods in acknowledgment. "Look around, wait thirty seconds, then give us the signal," she recommended.
AJ nods back, straddling past the broken glass panel, navigating her tall and muscular frame back out of the store.

Rarity, still visibly miffed, speaks up again. "Twilight, dearie, I wasn't trying to criticize you, but surely we won't always have a store to hide into at every street..."
This time, it is Twilight's turn to hide her annoyance as best as she can. "Look, we went over this, many times... I'll feel less tense when we actually get out of here. But until then..." She recites the next few words through her teeth. "Stick, to, the, damn, plan..."
Before Rarity could respond, AJ lifted a thumbs up, signaling the way is clear. Mulberry and alabaster meet with gamboge once again, and the three resume their trip.

After a few minutes of silently navigating from sidewalk to sidewalk, traversing one street after another, their destination comes into view on the left side of the street: a large, dilapidated, C-shaped building with a central courtyard and a gate on the east side. Above the gate, a large black sign: SECURITY ADMINISTRATION - HIVE 50218, flanked by two more of the same K symbols as those on the cop car. Above the front door, the same sign.
The entire south side of the building features large, green-tinted windows as well as the front door - all of which are clean and undamaged, much unlike most of the others. That building is not just in use - it's used by the clonelings.

"There it is," mumbles Twilight, peeking from the corner of a neighboring apartment building.
"Have a plan in mind?" inquires AJ, voice just as low.
"I'm thinking..." Twilight trails off, losing herself in thought for a few seconds. "I just know one thing, we have to get in there and take it ourselves. We don't really have time for finesse either... "

AJ taps on her squadleader's shoulder. "Twilight, can I suggest somethin'?"
The purple mare turns and nods.
"Way ah see it, best solution here is to swipe a key. Dash's out with the Doc, she can't do her mechanic magic. But ah don't see a good endin' for us if we go in guns blazin'."
Twilight nods. "Right. So what do you propose?"
The Amareican mare reaches inside the back pocket of her jeans, producing her favorite metal lighter. "A flamin' distraction."

Both Twilight and Rares smile in approval, appearing to enjoy where this idea is going. The three retreat back down the street and away from the station, turning into a dirty, narrow alleyway. There, the group gathers materials for their plan: mounds of paper garbage and discarded newspapers, and a large plastic dumpster on wheels.

Just a few minutes later, the group pushes the rattling dumpster back down the street, its lid open, already belching smoke, pushing it towards the police station's courtyard entrance and causing it to hit the metal gate. The second the three mares let go of the burning dumpster is the second they run back, hiding in ambush right around the corner from the gate.

Within minutes, the dumpster is now vomiting flames and sending a huge amount of smoke into the gate's tunnel and the interior courtyard. The cloneling response doesn't take long... Two Security Administration drones run to the gate, unlocking it and chittering in panic at the sight of something that is definitely not supposed to happen.
"What the heck is that?!" chitters one.
The other hisses back. "Get a damn fire extinguisher instead of babbling about! Come on! I gotta push this thing out of the way!"

Right around the corner, just as one of the clonelings announced his intention, all three of the mares reach for a weapon; but not a firearm. AJ produces her trusty bowie knife, Twilight clicks her folding blade open, and Rarity pulles one of her boot knives out.

The 'ling passes, facial expression somewhere in between anger and frustration, without noticing the three ponies waiting in ambush, giving an opportunity for AJ to stomp behind him, left hand raised and ready to grab, right hand firmly holding the blade.

Before the chitinous creature has a chance to turn around and scream, he feels a large, meaty orange hand crush his neck, and something stab him through the right wing and the lower section of the back.
The cloneling can barely emit a couple of gargles. He struggles, but AJ's grip and the several inches of blade into him are making it hard to move. Within a few seconds, the black creature's consciousness begins fading, at which point AJ yanks the knife back out. The 'ling drops on the ground, never to get back up again.

All the while, the dumpster continues burning away in the middle of the street.
"Drag him here," orders Twilight with as low a voice as she could manage. In response, the Amareican quickly yanks her casualty off the street, bringing the body up against the wall and dropping it there, so it would not be immediately noticed and so she could search it for keys.
"Are we going in?" Asked Rarity, still clutching one of her boot knives.
Twilight responds. "Wait one."

As if on cue, the second cloneling from earlier - a shorter, female drone with green eyes - comes running with a fire extinguisher, stripping the safety and hosing it down, completely ignorant of the three armed mares behind her.
This time, Rarity takes the initiative, creeping up to the 'ling until she is within grabbing range.

All the hapless drone could think of was controlling the fire, with 100 thoughts a minute wondering how that could happen.
How could it happen, she thought. Don't we have this town under control? This is not natural, this is the work of someo--
The drone's thoughts are suddenly interrupted by two contradicting sensations: a soft, delicate hand applying entirely too much pressure over her mouth, and something cold and very sharp, cutting somewhere on her neck. She couldn't feel the gush of blood suddenly evacuating from the gash. She wonders for a brief instant what happened to her.

Thunk!

The drone's grip on the fire extinguisher loosens, causing it to drop on the asphalt noisily. Soon, the rest of the 'ling's body drops before Rarity's feet, in an undignified manner.
A mere moment after confirming that her target was indeed down, the alabaster mare wipes her blade off of the dead 'ling's clothes, as though by reflex.

Twilight remains tense, as their job wasn't quite done yet, but she flashes a thumbs-up to her fellow unicorn. Rarity then lifts the body up, gathering as much strength as she could to throw it into the dumpster, following that with the fire extinguisher. Only after that does she return against the wall, in ambush.

Twilight raises an eyebrow. "Why'd you do that?"
"What, wiping my blade?" Sly grin on the fancier mare's face. "Knives can get so messy sometimes."
The purple one remains unamused.
Rarity shrugs. "I'm kidding. I thought it would be better than leaving it on the street."
"Not like it's gonna matter," notes Twilight, dismissing the subject. "The gate's open, let's go."
Before they could go, AJ again taps her squadleader's shoulder with one hand, dangling a set of car keys with the other. "Hold on, Twah. Maybe you want this, first?"
The purple unicorn flashes a rare smile, taking possession of the keys. "I like when a plan comes together," she opines with a smile.

Time is now of the essence; the alarm may not have been raised, but they need to locate their target vehicle. The courtyard is full of old squad cars, some looking less functional than others. The southeast corner had seemingly been transformed into a makeshift chop shop, with one half-disassembled car surrounded with parts and tools.

Twilight glances around and up. Windows on every wall, at all levels. One access by hoof on the south side, and one on the north side. The mare's internal thoughts are focused on not getting caught. If even a single cloneling is peering down the window, they'll notice us, and this escape will be anything but a smooth one...
Fortunately, there was one silver lining: two lined-up Leader vans, both with regular white paint, sliding side doors, and no markings, all the way in the back of the courtyard. All they have to do is walk up to them, try the keys, and get in.

"Okay, girls," she starts. "Act casual. Don't run, don't rush, just walk in there, follow me, we're going to take this van like it's the most normal thing in the world. You girls ready?"
Both of her teammates nod in response.

All three mares penetrate into the police station's courtyard. Walking, but at a brisk pace. The tension is high, and the silence is deafening. Every hoofstep feels as though it might alert the whole neighborhood. For a moment, it felt like the longest, tensest 60 feet the three mares ever had to endure.

But to their surprise, nothing. No alert. No running army of clonelings. They just walked right up to the parked vans, and the set of keys AJ found was the right one.
Twilight opens the front left door, installing herself into the driver's seat, before opening the other side for her teammates to get in. Fortunately, this was the type of van with three seats in the cabin. AJ takes up the center spot, and the Madame scoots herself into the right side, closing the door.

Once seated, Twi takes a moment to breathe, audibly exhaling. "I can't believe that worked as easily as it did."
"Well, come on, then," goads Rarity, a hint of stress in her voice. "Start the engine and drive us out!"
Twi nods in agreement. "Yes, let's get the hell out," she responds while inserting the key. The three-liter diesel engine comes alive, and the big police van slowly leaves its parking spot, exiting the courtyard.

Right as Twilight turns the first corner on her way back to the Big Blue Hotel, she hears Dash's voice in her earpiece.
"This is Mech Dash. Twi, uh... I got good news and I got bad news, over."
Both AJ and Rares turn their heads to their team leader, watching her reach for her walkie to respond, all while listening to the conversation through their own earpieces.
"Twilight here. Speak."

12:01 PM
On the roof of the Big Blue...

Without a single soul in sight on the streets below, the main emotion dominating Pinks' mind was boredom... at least, until the conversation between Mech Dash and Twilight suddenly occurs over the comms.

She speaks up, even though her hands are nowhere near her talkie, as though she is talking to herself or an imaginary friend. "They're coming! Oh oh oh, they're coming!" A gasp of realization. "But it sounds like they're in trouble! Oh no, no no no, we can't be in trouble now, can we? Impossible. My Pinkth Sense says we're fine!"

No response, aside from the distant mewing of a seagull colony in the sky. Pinks looks up. "Well, ha-ha-ha to you too!"

The one-sided conversation with the seagulls is interrupted by her hearing the sound of an engine. At first, the Pinkest one smiles - surely this is Twilight returning to pick her up and everyone's stuff!
But the vehicle that soon comes into view and drives up the U-shaped road is not what she expects. It's a police car. A police car driving awfully slowly, with two cloneling drones on board.

The pink earth mare winces at herself, feeling responsible "Oh no..."

The car stops, practically in front of the condemned entrance. "Oh no no no."
Pinks's mind enters overdrive.
What if they peek inside and see our stuff? What if they see or hear me on the roof? What if I've been spotted already?!
All of these questions swirl into her mind as she sits on the roof, frozen, peeking down at the car and wondering why they just stopped and why they're not going away.

Pinks takes a deep breath, inhaling, then exhaling. Her normally expressive face gradually neutralizes into a stone-faced look, mildly frowning at best. She then gets up, eyes scanning for something on the rooftop, until locating a broken cinder block. The now mean-looking pink mare lifts it, gauging its weight, finding it to be satisfactorily heavy, then carrying it all the way back to her next, next to her bag and her rifle.

The sniper mare sits back down, clicking the walkie on and speaking with a noticeably lower, flatter tone.
"Twilight, this is Diane, come in."
The response arrives in her earpiece quickly. "Twilight here. What's the matter?"
Diane peeks over the roof, taking a moment to check the car before responding. No movement. They haven't gotten out, as if just sitting there. "Two limas in a cruiser in front of the door. How close are you?"
"Shit. Five minutes away. Are you spotted?" The purple mare's displeasure is palpable. Today really isn't a good day.
"Don't think so. Need orders."
"Stay out of trouble. Keep an eye on, advise if they do anything suspicious or if they leave. We're on our way, will deal with it when we arrive. Stay frosty, Diane. Out."
Diane takes another deep breath.

A few stories below, the front passenger door opens at last. Out of it comes a cloneling drone wearing the Security Administration officer uniform. Diane overhears him speak as he gets out.
"... just need to take a leak, okay? Don't drive off!"

Said drone walks towards the door, falling out of Diane's view. Now the situation becomes very tense for her. There's a very real possibility that he'll peek in and notice for sure the Squad's gear in the hotel's lobby. She glances at the broken chunk of cinder block... Wondering if maybe she tosses it just right onto the engine, they won't be able to get away...

Much to her displeasure, the streets are so dead-silent she can even hear him relieving himself on the door.
"Ugh, come on," she muttered to herself. "Pee and go already..."

After an interminable 20 seconds, the distinctive noise stops. Then the 'ling speaks up. "Hey. 161? 161, come take a look!"
Driver door opens. The driver, a female drone, hisses a response. "What?"
"It's funny, there's still a whole bunch of travel suitcases in there!"
The female drone responds. "What are you talking about? That hotel's been deserted decades ago. There's nothing in there, come on..."
But the male drone insists. "I'm serious! Do you think there's stuff we can take? Hey, maybe the officers will give us a reward if we secure this!"
His colleague gets out of the car and out of Diane's view. Now the earth mare is sure of it - she is in the shit.
"What the hell, 138," the female drone lashes. "There must be ponies hiding inside, that is definitely not supposed to be there! I'm calling the station. They've got to know about--"

CRASH

A piece of cinder block falls directly onto the police car's hood, digging a huge dent into it. Immediately, the female drone screams an order to her colleague. "138, CALL THE STATION RIGHT NOW! I'M GETTING HIS ASS!"

Diane clicks on her walkie. "This is Diane, I'm in the shit, I'm in the shit!"
No response.

Before the clonelings get the time to react, another engine is heard approaching. This time, it's the stolen van, with Twilight, Rares, and AJ on board.
The female drone, 161, hails them, believing the van to be friendly. "HEY! A LITTLE HELP OVER HERE? THERE'S A DEVIANT ON THE--"

The cop drone could not finish her sentence, interrupted by three gunshots. Twilight had opened her window, drawing her pistol and opening fire. Quickly, her colleague, 138, returns fire, dumping five shots haphazardly into the van, shattering the glass on the front left headlight, putting a hole in the windshield, another into the left rear-view mirror - shattering it too - and three into the front-left fender.
Unfettered, Twilight takes aim and fires five more times. Both drones appear to be down. The purple squadleader immediately barks orders.

"Rares, get out and check the bodies! AJ, with me, you're helping me haul our shit into the van!"
While running out of the vehicle, Twilight turns her talkie on. "Diane, you okay?!"
"I'm fine," responds the pink mare, flatly. "They spotted our stuff, they were about to call for backup but you were right on time."
"We raised enough hell in town for today! Get down and help us haul our gear into the van!"

The Madame quickly checks the two cop drones to make sure they're down, but Twilight's aim had been true - the male drone took four to the chest and one through the neck, while the female drone took all three to the chest.
Within minutes, the four mares meet up, making a few haphazard trips through the hotel and the garage, hauling travel case after travel case.

After loading the vehicle up, Twilight returns to the driver's seat. AJ and Rares retake their spots in front, and Pinks takes one of the four seats in the back.
"What do we do about the bodies?" asked Rares.
"No time," said Twilight, audibly tense. "Leave 'em. We have to haul ass, pick Dash and Flutters up, then out we go before the whole town knows we're here."
The van practically blows out of the street, with no regard for any kind of speed limit.

12:24 PM
Grocery Road, at the southeastern edge of Grandbeach

Mech Dash stands before her handiwork: five dead clonelings, piled up like sacks of potatoes in the bathtub. She had taken care of stripping the bodies from their weapons and magazines, scoring five old 9mm semi-automatics and fifteen spare magazines in total, all but one of which are full. The only one that wasn't full was short five rounds - the bullets that missed her earlier. Despite that, it represented 220 rounds of ammunition.

The guns and magazines aren't light, taking up a significant amount of space in her bag. Put all together, the extra guns made up about 21 pounds of metal, and she could feel the difference.

Dash calls out to her colleague, who had taken up refuge upstairs. "Oi, Flutterbutter? I'm all done 'ere! Ya see anythin'?"
The medic mare responds, her voice muffled by the house walls. "Don't yell so much! I don't see anything... We aren't being abandoned, are we?"
Dash seems amused at the thought. "Naaah, no way in hell."

A radio call from Twilight comes through in their earpieces. "Twilight here. Vehicle secured, gear's in the back, we're almost to your street. Any more limas on your side?"
Doc responds. "This is Doc Flutters. No, Twilight, we-- uh, we're all clear here."
"Got it," the squadlead responds, finally sounding a little more relieved. "We don't have time to dawdle, so make yourselves visible; we'll pick you up. Keep your eyes out for a white van with sirens off, that will be us. Twi out."

The Trottish mare grins. "Aw, finally. I've been itchin' to drive something for days now."
Doc Flutters comes down to meet her colleague in the kitchen, looking a bit wobbly. "Finally... Oh, gosh. I'm still shaking."
"It'll pass," Dash replies nonchalantly. "You get used to it."
"I don't think I ever want to get used to ending lives," frets Doc. "That goes against everything I was taught."
Dash gives her comrade a few pats on the back, complete with a confident grin. "Yer savin' lives, hen. Besides, it ain't like cloneling lives really count. They're just scabby little bugs."
Flutters does not look convinced, but she doesn't want to ruin Dash's good mood; it's not often she smiles like that.

The two pegasi find themselves outside once again, not having to wait more than three minutes before the van shows up, parking it in a hurry. Twilight hops out of the driver's seat, while Rarity comes out of the passenger door.

"Dash, take the wheel," orders Twilight. "I'm going passenger next to AJ. Rarity, Flutters, in the back with Diane."

The rainbow-maned mare throws her bag at Flutters, freeing her back to take her spot into the driver's seat.
After taking their rightful spots in the vehicle, the six mares are now reunited.

Dash looks ecstatic. "Oh, fukken A. Been waiting for this a looong time. Where to, Big Purple?"
"Straight ahead," states Twilight. "Follow the dirt path, I'll give you directions."

The van departs, disappearing into the countryside, the team finally on the move.

Author's Note

If you are unsure, "Lima" is the radio phonetic code for the letter L - for 'ling, of course.

Next episode: The countryside!