'Human' in Equestria: Maverick and Hunter

A Forgotten Soul

[Chapter one of 'Human' in Equestria: Maverick and Hunter Part Two]

The sunrise on Umbra was a peaceful sight, the sun’s light piercing through the darkness of night as it slowly peaked over the planet’s horizon.

The sound of the helicopter’s blades spinning through the air filled Heather Culpepper’s ears as the metal machine carrying her and the team she was assigned to across the lively lands of Umbra. She turned her head to look out the window of the helicopter, the trees in the forest below rushing past as Heather and the personnel in the helicopter with her soared through the sky towards their destination. The sergeant stood up at the end of the helicopter and talked loudly over the blades of the helicopter as they spun around, his voice barely audible over them.

“Alright, men. As you all know, our destination is on the other side of the forest, the abandoned military base that we received a number of soldiers from about a year back. Our target is Maverick Blackburn, an Alpha unit that was scheduled to be executed back before the military base was deserted. We are also to keep a look out for his Beta unit, Hunter McNamara. We lost contact with the base about five months ago, a power failure disabling contact with the military base, not that we would get anything back in the first place. The objective is to find Blackburn and take him back to Delta base, and if we can, take back his Beta unit as well. If Blackburn shows resistance, we are permitted to fire upon him, but do not kill him, he is wanted alive. If needed, you have permission to dispose of McNamara, he is of no value to us.”

Heather turned her head to look out the window again. The base was coming up in the distance, the outline of it emerging from the dense fog on Umbra. It appeared to be just like the base she was just coming from, aside from the lack of soldiers on duty.

“Culpepper, check your equipment, we’re going to be landing soon.” The soldier next to Heather said, nudging her on the side a little. Heather looked back down at her rifle and other equipment on her hands, everything seeming to be in check. The helicopter started to slow down a little, the team inside of it arriving at their destination.

“Don’t expect immediate signs of Maverick or Hunter, they may have left the area and moved onto different parts of Umbra. Keep your eyes peeled for any signs of where they could be.” The sergeant said as the helicopter touched down. The sound of the blades spinning slowly died and the back door of the helicopter opened, a slight fog on the pavement of the landing pad.

“Pile out, soldiers. Let’s get this search underway. Bernard, MacReady, and Roy, you three are coming with me. Blake, Kessler, Ramirez, and Culpepper, you four are to search the training facilities and the Alpha and Beta unit sectors. I want all of us back at the chopper at o’ nine hundred, go that?” The sergeant said as he stood up, putting his hand on the edge of the helicopter frame. Culpepper and the rest of the team nodded and replied with a ‘yes sir’. The sergeant motioned his head out the helicopter and the team followed him out, the fog floating above the ground on the helicopter pad separating as they stepped out of the helicopter.

The military base was quiet for what it is, the sound of firearms being tested, the soldiers training, and equipment being worked on gone from the base. Though it was partially eerie, the quietness of the base brought a sense of calmness to Heather, the quiet of the base a nice break from the constant noise from the base she came from.

“Culpepper, get over here. We’re heading out.” Kessler said as he, Blake, and Ramirez started off for the training facility. Heather turned her head to get one last look at the sunrise and she caught up with the three soldiers.

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“Where are we? This place is gigantic.” Kessler said, turning his head to look out the window of the mess hall. The sun was higher in the sky, a few storm clouds beginning to move in with a few flashes of lighting every once and a while.

“If the base is any similar to Delta base, we should be just below the crew quarters and we should be above the Alpha and Beta unit training facilities.” Blake said, taking a look out the window for himself.

Heather walked away from the rest of the group, searching the rest of the mess hall for any signs of Maverick or Hunter. The base was quiet other than the occasional low rumbles of thunder in the distance and the other three soldiers talking quietly, staring out at the storm in the distance. Heather walked to the serving line of the mess hall and behind it, examining the pots and pans set out. She walked up to one of the pots and knelt down, tilting it towards her. It looked like it had been used recently, a small mixture of some type of soup swishing around at the bottom of the pot.

“Hey... I, um... found something. It might be-” Heather said as she turned around, but was cut off as the floor below her collapsed. Heather let out a small yelp and she fell into the room below, landing on a pile of the debris.

“Heather!” The three soldiers in the room above yelled, running over to the hole that she had fallen through. They stopped at the edge of the hole, turning on their flashlights on their rifles and switching the safeties on. The soldier laying in the debris slowly got up, brushing herself off and gathering her things, turning on her flashlight to illuminate the dark room.

“Are you alright? What happened?” Ramirez asked, lowering his rifle to his hip but still keeping the flashlight on Heather.

“The floor... collapsed, I guess, and... well, now I’m in here.” Heather said unsurely, scratching the back off her head and looking around the room. It looked like some sort of training area, a sign above the exit door that read ‘Alpha and Beta units’.

“Alright... uh, just find away back outside and we’ll come find you. Keep your radio handy if you happen to get lost.” Ramirez said, looking back at the door to the mess hall. Heather gave a slight nod and the three soldiers in the room above started walking towards the door of the mess hall. Although she was in an abandoned military base, a feeling of danger started to dig into Heather’s heart as if something were watching her every move. Despite her little fear, Heather walked over to the door of the training room and pushed it open slightly.

The light from the other side of the door poured into the room Heather was in and she looked through the crack in between the wall and the door. It appeared to be a wide hallway leading to another door on the other side of it, the windows on the side of the hallway revealing the Umbra landscape beyond the military base. The door on the other side of the room was open, the concrete floor in the door way destroyed.

Heather pushed the door open fully and stepped out into the wide hallway linking the two buildings together. The storm that was forming in the distance was closer now, a few drops of rain falling on the side windows of the hallway as Heather progressed to the other side of it.

As she got closer to the door, there was a sound of something scrapping against metal, along with a small sparkling noise with it. Heather grabbed onto her rifle and quietly stepped over the concrete in the doorway, turning off her flashlight and aiming the rifle down the hallway. She slowly walked towards the scrapping noise, seeming to come from the hallway to the right at the end of the hall Heather was in.

The noise grew louder as Heather continued down the hall and stopped at the corner, tightening her grip on the rifle in her hands. Heather turned the corner and she was able to pin point where the noise was coming from. The scraping noise was coming from the door at the end of the hall, a light red glow coming from the right of the room. Heather swallowed her fear and continued down the hallway, trying to walk as quietly as she could. She reached the end of the hall and stopped in front of the open door. The last test tube at the left side of the room was opened, the floor in front of it slightly wet. Heather built up her courage, turned the safety on her rifle off, and dashed into the room, aiming her rifle at the chair in the corner to her left.

“Wrong side.” A voice said behind her. Heather quickly turned around to find a man sitting by the wall, his back leaned against it. There was a large object in his lap, covered by a blanket. It was in the shape of a human, the blanket slightly moving up and down with the sound of heavy breathing. Heather recognized the man sitting against the wall from the picture she had been shown. It was Maverick, his mechanical arm glowing red along with his eyes and a knife floating in the air scraping against it, sparks coming off each time the blade ran down the metal. Maverick looked up at her, and Heather became speechless at the sight of his eyes and what he was doing. Telekinesis units did not emit any sort of aura like the one around Maverick’s arm and eyes, more or less create a small sparkling noise when it was activated.

“Are you part of the group that was sent to retrieve me?” Maverick asked. His eyes showed signs of crying, his face still a little wet from tears. Heather tried to let out a yell or call her team members, but something fought against her to do so.

“Are you or are you not?” Maverick said again, this time a little more stern. Heather stayed silent for a second, trying to find something to say.

“...Yes, we were sent here to-” Heather started to say meekly, but was cut off by Maverick.

“I know what you were sent here to do... and I’m not going with you.”

“Our... our orders were to take you back to Delta base, I intend to carry the mission out.”

Heather continued to stare at Maverick’s mechanical arm and the knife floating in the air. Maverick chuckled a little at the sight of the shocked expression on Heather’s face.

“Surprised? Yeah, so was I when I found out. It comes in handy... but not exactly in what I was looking for...” Maverick said as he dropped the knife, the glow around his arm, eyes, and the knife fading.

“Maverick... what is in your lap?” Heather asked, lowering her weapon and starting to walk towards Maverick.

“Not what I meant for it to be...” Maverick said as he took the blanket off of the object laying in his lap. Heather stopped and she tried to scream in terror, but nothing came out at how frightened she was. She covered her mouth, trying to stop the little squeaks that came out. What looked like a newly born Beta unit was laying in his lap, staring up at the ceiling with sealed shut eyelids. The skin around it neck was connected to its chest, its mouth gaping open. The creatures legs and arms were fused together, the skin tearing at a few points. Heather’s eyes started to water as she stared at the abomination in Maverick’s lap, still trying to search for any words to say.

“...His name is Hunter... my brother...” Maverick said, putting his left hand on Hunter’s head. Hunter twitched a little, but stayed still in Maverick’s lap, still breathing heavily.

“What... is that?” Heather finally managed to say, muffled through her hand. Maverick started to cry, only provoking Heather even further to reduce to tears. Maverick’s tears fell onto Hunter’s head, making a small ‘drip’ noise on the smooth skin. He covered his mouth with his mechanical hand, trying to stop the tears.

“A year... and yet I failed. One year of development wasted... all because of me. I knew I shouldn’t have left... I’m so sorry Hunter... I’m so sorry...” Maverick managed to mutter through his tears. Heather began to cry as well as she sat down on the floor, still staring at the beast in Maverick’s lap. She set her rifle down next to her and Maverick raised his arm, pointing it at Heather’s rifle. The rifle quickly floated over to Maverick’s hand and Heather watched as he aimed it at Hunter’s head.

“Wait, Maverick!” Heather shouted as she got up. Maverick put his finger on the trigger as Heather started running to him.

“I’m so sorry...”

Maverick pulled the trigger and Heather slid to a stop in front of him, her arm extended out towards the rifle in Maverick’s hands. Hunter slowly stopped breathing, a bullet hole in between his eyes. Maverick’s tears started falling harder and he dropped the rifle. Heather stood in shock once again, slowly lowering her arm and letting it fall at her side. Maverick continued to quietly say ‘I’m so sorry’ to himself, covering his eyes with his mechanical hand as he sobbed. Heather fell back down, sitting up and staring at the wound Maverick had given Hunter. The beast in Maverick’s lap laid still, lifeless as it stared up at the ceiling with empty eyes.

Maverick’s tears fell from sadness and Heather’s from disbelief and fear, both of the two soldiers sobbing as they sat across from each other. Heather wiped her tears away and looked up at the Alpha unit in front of her. This one was different from the other Alpha units she had crossed paths with. Maverick showed his emotions, instead of hiding them behind a mask in fear of being judged. He wasn’t afraid of what people thought of him, and that was something that most Alpha units were conscious about. They were always worried of being judged, always wanting to be the superior ones in battle and out of it, not showing any sort of emotions as they charged through battle and killed anything in their way. Maverick was different.

Heather reached out and put her hand on Maverick’s left hand, wrapping her fingers around his. Maverick uncovered his eyes and looked up at Heather, his tears slowly stopping. Heather stared at his eyes, her vision still slightly blurry from crying. Something in her eyes brought comfort to Maverick, his grief slowly subsiding the longer he stared into Heather’s innocent stare. Despite the mutation, Heather could see the innocence that once inhabited the Alpha unit’s eyes, the tears bringing forth a part of him that was long forgotten back on earth.

Maverick shook his head and got up, Heather’s hand falling out of his.

“I’m not going back with you, they already want me dead, there’s no point in following the same people that want to kill me.” Maverick said as he walked past the soldier sitting on the floor. Heather got up and looked back at Hunter, the failed Beta unit still laying lifeless on the floor.

“What were you trying to do with... that?” Heather asked, looking back at Maverick as he gathered a few things from the table in the room. Maverick stopped and stared blankly at the table in front of him.

“...Bring back something that should have stayed rested.” Maverick said, continuing to put his things in his pockets. Realization hit Heather, and something inside of her felt sorry for the Alpha unit. He had tried so hard to bring back his so called ‘brother’, only to have to kill it out of sympathy for the suffering beast.

“But... why?” Heather asked, walking up to Maverick’s side.

“You wouldn’t understand. Now leave me be, we’re done here.” Maverick said and he started walking down the hallway.

“My orders are to take you back to Delta base, I’m not going to let you leave unless you are in the custody of the team that was sent here to search for you.” Heather said, pulling out the pistol out of its holster around her waist and aiming it at Maverick.

“Fire if you want, it makes no difference to me.”

Maverick continued down the hallway and turned into the room to the right of the hall. Heather lowered her gun and put it back in her holster, taking out her radio a second later.

“Ramirez, Blake, Kessler, I found Maverick. Something’s not quite right though, you’re going to have to take a look for yourself. I am near the Alpha and Beta enhancement and growth chambers, it looks like. Get down here, quick, I’m not sure he’s doing.” Heather said hurriedly. Ramirez replied with a ‘On it’ and Heather shut her radio, walking quickly over to the doorway Maverick had walked in.

The sound of a door opening came from back in the link, footsteps entering a second later. The three soldiers that were with Heather earlier appeared in the doorway down the hall and Heather motioned her hand for them to come to her. They walked down the hall, turning the safety on their rifles off as they stepped quietly. Heather took her pistol back out and quickly stepped into the room, aiming it at the Alpha unit standing on one knee in the middle of the dimension chamber.

“Maverick Blackburn, you will come with us back to Delta base. The sergeant is awaiting your arrival back at the helicopter outside.” Kessler said. Maverick stood up and looked up from the small metal X on the floor, a slight smirk on his face.

“Activating inter-dimensional unit prototype X, transport machine Umbra one. Extended interference shield, deploy.” Maverick said out loud.

A white orb emerged from the small machine on the floor at Maverick’s feet, the orb’s edge stopping behind the four soldiers aiming their guns at him. They looked around frantically, confused and startled at what was happening.

“Maverick! What ever you are doing, stop it and we will take you back to Delta base calmly!” Ramirez yelled, tightening his grip on the rifle in his hands and looking back towards Maverick. The smirk on Maverick’s face extended into a grin, Maverick letting out a small chuckle.

“Engage inter-dimension transport.”

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BACK TO EQUESTRIA!

[Sorry, had to put that in if some of you didn't know what that last line meant]

For those of you still here, Hunter will not be physically in the story, but he will be a main plot part in which affects Maverick drastically later (and already kind of has) in the story.

I hope you like Part Two!