(Excuse any errors in this chapter, it's really late and I was half asleep while editing, oops.)
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Strife.ink is temporarily closed, sorry for any inconvenience. -
- Said the hastily made sign on the door of Strife.ink, the words scrawled out in messy cursive. Goddamnit. Did I really come all this way for nothing? A trip back to Manehatten now would be an awfully long train ride...
I cursed under my breath, knocking at the door. There was no answer. The store was dark, and so was the apartment above. So much for having a conversation with Tyra. It's pretty strange for Strife.ink to be closed at this time, the store hours schedule in the window said that it should be open. The sign doesn't look professional at all, so my guess is that she just went out to get some things. She has to come back at some point... I guess I'll just wait.
I sat down on the sidewalk, leaning up against the window and peering into the shop. My own reflection stared back at me, and I put my hoof up to the glass to stop the glare.
Beside me, a mare put two hooves up on the windowsill and did the same as me, looking a little worried.
"Are you looking for Strife too?" I asked quietly.
She nodded. "Yeah... Yeah, I have something important to tell her, but she must have already left..."
"Left? Left to go where?"
The pale blue pegasus looked over at me, pushing a strand of blonde hair out of her face. "The mall, I think. She told me that's where she was going."
"The mall...? She left her parlor unattended to go shopping?"
She grimaced, averting her gaze. "Sort of..." She raised her hoof and banged on the door a few times, then cursed quietly under her breath.
"Wait so, the Cloudsdale mall, right?"
The other pony nodded, her burgundy eyes shifting from side to side, not paying much attention to me. "Yeah. But if I were you, I wouldn't go anywhere near there."
"Huh? Why not?"
She rubbed the back of her neck and shook her head. "Just... Don't go. And tell everypony you know not to go there either."
I looked her up and down. "Tell me why."
She glanced up at me, shaking her head sadly. "I'm sorry. Just please stay away from there-"
"What's your name?" I cut in.
She paused for a moment. "... Silent Spark... I'm Silent Spark."
I narrowed my eyes, remembering back to the newspaper article. "... Silent Spark... From the CCPA. You helped manufacture that new numbing syringe..."
She gulped, nodding slightly.
I looked her over again, taking in her nervous stance and worried expression. "Well... Then I hope you know exactly what you've done..."
She blinked in surprise, a look of fear and guilt making its way into her eyes.
"I'll come back..." I hissed, taking off at a run. "I don't have time to deal with you. Right now I have to stop whatever's planned to happen at the mall from happening in the first place..."
I launched myself into the air. The mall is in the upper part of Cloudsdale, on the opposite side, too. I don't know how long ago Tyra left, but she'll definitely be there before I will. Let's just hope I'm not going to be too late...
It took me nearly 20 minutes to reach the mall, and when I finally arrived, the place was absolutely packed. I guess it's a valuable place to attack, with so many ponies around, but why? What exactly is she trying to accomplish?
I passed through the front entrance and glanced around the food court. There's so many ponies here, and on a Tuesday, too. It's kind of unusual, most ponies are usually working around this time...
I stepped to the side, out of the way of the main crowd. I hate crowds. Yuck. There's so many ponies here, how am I suppose to tell where Tyra is?
Hm... If I were her, I'd probably command over the PA, like she did in the Weather Factory... So if that's the case, then she's got to be heading for a control room somewhere.
I shifted my gaze from sign to sign, setting off through the food court. There's nothing that specifically says where the control room would be, though I suppose that would make sense considering it'd be an employees only area. That means that Tyra has to sneak in, which also means she probably has her hacker with her. I'm assuming she'll post a video on PonyTube again, so the security cameras will probably be a target.
I caught one of the cameras out of the corner of my eye and looked over at it quickly. There was a cord on it that ran along the wall just below the ceiling, and I trotted along beside it, following it to wherever it led. Finally, I stopped in front of a large door marked with an Employees only sign. I guess this must be it... Or at least it's a start.
I tried the knob. Of course, it was locked. I put my ear up to the door, trying to hear past it, but no sound came through. I'm sure the control room isn't just on the other side, there's probably a staircase that leads up to it.
I took a few steps away, looking around again. Maybe I should go up to the second level, there might be another entrance there. I'm not sure how Tyra would have gotten into this one without breaking the lock, so this couldn't have been the door she used.
I quickly made my way to the escalator and stepped on. Who knows how long I have until she does whatever she's planning....
And that was when the escalator stopped dead. I was half way up, and it just kinda skidded to a halt, the ponies infront of me muttering with surprise and confusion.
"Did somepony pressed the emergency stop?" I heard someone say.
"Damn kids, always playing pranks."
"Ugh, forget it, I'll just fly." Beside me, a pegasus spread her wings and took off for the second level.
And then the lights cut out completely, and the mall when dark. More confused muttering erupted around me. I cursed under my breath. This better be a coincidence. I better not be out of time already...
It took a few seconds for the emergency lights to kick in, and by then, the shoppers had had enough, and began to head for the nearest exit.
"Attention shoppers!" The PA system did the screechy-microphone-feedback thing, making everypony cringe. Damnit. Damnitdamnitdamnit no I can't be out of time already, this isn't happening. I'm too late, she's already in...
"Attention shoppers!" The pony repeated when the feedback leveled out. "We are experiencing slight technical difficulties. Please stay calm and proceed with your normal business while we try to activate the backup generators. We apologize for the inconvenience."
I froze. No. No. No. She didn't just...
Across the mall, there was a scream. Then another. And then everypony was screaming from that area, and the pushing and shoving began as startled ponies who didn't know what was going on took off at a run for the nearest exit.
I launched myself into the air and headed the opposite direction that I should have... I should have run. I had tried my best, and I was too late, and now it was time to run... But I didn't. I flew straight for the area of terror without looking back.
And then another loud scream erupted from behind me. I whirled around just in time to run face first into somepony that was running the opposite way, then just about got trampled by several more. I spread my wings and took off again, trying to get a better view of what was going on. A few ponies decided that they liked my idea and flew straight up, crashing through the skylight in a frantic manor and escaping into the fresh air.
I looked frantically around as the shattered glass rained down on me, pinpointing a massive splatter of blood on one wall, and another a few feet away. A pony was lying motionless on the ground in a pool of it's own blood.
There's two? I turned around, my heart skipping a beat when I saw the second massacre, which was already nearly three ponies lying dead. Two? There's two Prototypes?! God bucking damnit... Ugh... This is a disaster, what kind of an officer am I...
Hm... Officer... An idea formed in my head, and my gaze shifted to a security pony who was running for his life. As he passed me, I ran up next to him, matching his gait. "You! What are you carrying?"
"What?!" He shouted, struggling to hear me through the chaos.
"Weapons! Do you have a weapon?!"
"Huh?!"
I growled and shoved him into a wall, stopping his getaway. "Are you carrying a weapon? Of any kind?"
He nodded frantically and drew something out of his pocket, pushing it into my chest. "It's a stun gun, but it's deactivated. Here take it, now let me go!"
"What do you mean it's deactivated?"
"We can't use it. Not unless it's an emergency! The trigger is locked and can only be unlocked by the staff upstairs, and only in complete emergencies!"
"You're insane if you don't think this is an emergency..." I muttered under my breath, ripping his radio off his belt and shoving him away. "Go. Run. Get out of here."
"You'd be smart to do the same!" He yelled, taking off towards the front entrance.
He didn't get far before he was smacked against a wall, and impaled in the chest by a hoof. I yelped, scrambling backwards as the Prototype turned and clamped it's teeth down on a mare that was running the other way, ripping apart her back and throwing her to the ground.
"ACTIVATE THE DAMN GUNS!" I yelled into the radio, setting off at a run in the opposite direction. "RIGHT NOW! THIS IS AN EMERGENCY!"
"The power surge knocked out the reactor, I'm sorry but it'll be a few minutes. We're trying our best."
"PONIES ARE DYING OUT HERE AND BLOOD IS BEING SPILLED. HURRY THE BUCK UP." I hissed, and there was several startled gasps from the other end of the line before it cut out.
I held the gun to my chest, backing against a wall. So much for playing hero... I can't save a single pony without a weapon. Ugh, I'm so useless...
Across the hall, the screaming increased, and I cringed as somepony's head got crushed under the Prototype's spiked hoof. Oh my bucking Celestia, these things are going to wipe out the entire mall if they aren't taken care of... Doesn't look like I'll be the one to take care of them. I can't even move, my legs are locked up and I'm shaking like a little filly. I'd be a lot more confident if this dumb stun gun in my hooves actually worked...
I ducked around a corner and took a deep breath. I don't want to leave, but I don't want to stay. I feel like I'm the only one here that knows how to deal with these things. The stun gun is the perfect weapon against a Prototype: the shock should make the device short-circuit... But of course, it doesn't work. I may not be the only one that has a chance against them, but right now ponies are dying right in front of my face and I can't just stand by and watch.... But if I intervene without this dumb gun, I'll die for sure.
CRASH!
There was a blur of movement barely a hoof's length from the corner of the wall, and a pony was slammed onto the ground in front of me, it's neck bent at an add angle to it's body.
I screamed and scrambled backwards, raising the gun at the Prototype that emerged around the corner. Great, now it's after me. Of course it's going after me, I'm the only one dumb enough to stay behind for this long...
Behind the berserk stallion, the hallway was nearly empty, save for a few terrified ponies that rushed about, tripping over corpses every here and there.
I jammed my hoof down on the trigger, trying to force it in. Damnit... Damnit... Grrr.... Why do ponies have to be so pissy about weapon safety...
The Prototype raised its hoof and I ducked my head at the last second, the spikes crashing into the wall behind me and causing the plaster to rain down on my head.
I took the split second to shove the pony back a bit, then run farther down the passageway, which was blocked at the other end by a door. I raised the gun again, and tried the trigger, which was still as stiff as ever.
Hurry... Hurry hurry hurry...
The Prototype attempted to strike again, his hoof slamming into the wall a few centimeters from my head. I yelped in pain as he pulled it out and swung to the side, hitting me in the head and cutting a couple of deep gashes into the side of my face.
"Trigger unlocked." An automated voice message spoke over the radio, and I looked down at the gun in my hooves.
Aiming blindly, I jammed my hoof down on the trigger in a last ditch effort. This time, it worked, and there was a satisfying pop and a sizzling sound as the possessed stallion fell to the floor, motionless.
I breathed a quiet sigh of relief, watching the steam rise up from the fried pony. I steadied my breathing, approaching the Prototype and sweeping aside his hair from his neck. I glanced around, looking for anything that I could use.
My gaze fell on the pony that had been crushed at the end of the hallway that led out into the mall, and I crept up to her and began to rifle through her shopping bags. She had some purchases from a home decor store that would do perfectly. Well, maybe not perfectly, there could be better cutting choices than a fork and butter knife, but I'll take what I can get. The second Prototype didn't seem to be anywhere in sight, and the few ponies that were left alive nearby were fearfully heading towards the closest exit, whether it was the hole in the skylight, or the doors at the other end of the food court.
Guess I'm the only one dumb enough to purposely stay behind... I thought, brushing a strand of mane back from my face and looking over the spent Prototype again. I'm such a sucky 'hero', I couldn't save a single pony except for myself... Ugh, I came here to stop Tyra, and all I did was nearly get killed. I couldn't stop the deaths from happening. Judging from the bodies piled up in the hallways, there was at least 20 or 30 killed. Maybe I should have been one of them.
I felt down the Prototype's neck, finding nothing unusual. There was no raised bump where the chip had been inserted, so it must be pretty deep in there...
I brought the blunt knife down between the pony's shoulders, praying that I wouldn't hit the device. I didn't. Sticking the fork into his neck, I began to saw with the blade, like I was cutting a piece of steak. Ew. Why would I think about food at a time like this? I'll never eat steak again, with that image in my mind...
I pulled back the flap of skin, doing my best to wipe the blood away with my free hoof. That's got to be it...
The chip was barely the size of a pea, and I wouldn't have found it if it weren't for the heat radiating off the fried electronics. I severed the wires connecting it to the rest of the system and set it on the ground, wiping my hooves on my coat and trying my best to clean the piece off before slipping it into my bag. I'm at least going to come back with something useful to show for my little expedition... If I can't save lives today, I guess I'll have to settle with saving them another day. Blueprint can study this chip and build a replica, which we can use to get new information on the system. I don't know anything about how the Prototype works, so if we can get our hooves on a removable model, it would be a huge breakthrough.
I looked over at the stun gun I had placed on the floor and threw it into my saddlebag. It may be illegal for me to have it, but that security guard did hand it to me, and I did use it for self defense, so it's not completely wrong to take it, is it?
Dropping the bloody fork and knife on the floor beside the corpse, I crept to the end of the hallway and peeked around the corner.
There was a strange grinding sound from down the hall and the second Prototype stepped out from behind the opposite side. I ducked back into the hallway that I was in and closed my eyes, trying to control my erratic breathing.
The metallic clanking of the pony's footsteps echoed through the empty halls. I drew out the stun gun and peered around the corner again. It didn't seem to take notice of me.
Looking from side to side, I weighed my options. I could go through the roof, or I could make a run for the exit. Going through the skylight would require me to run towards the Prototype... But those things are fast, and if I ran the opposite direction then it would probably be able to catch me in a matter of seconds.
I'm a little iffy about whether I should kill it or not... Maybe when the police get here, they'll be able to find a way to deactivate it. The only problem is, I'm going to need to get past it to get out, and I can't stay until the police arrive. I'm sure to get arrested if I stick around. I'm carrying an weapon now that I'm not exactly suppose to have, not to mention that they're sure to be suspicious on why I stayed behind for so long...
Hmph... Do I risk my life for the good of police investigation and book it, risk my life to kill the thing and get the buck out, or stick around until they arrive and risk getting my ass busted? Getting listed as a suspect for the case I'm trying to investigate certainly isn't going to do any good for my already terrible reputation with the police...
The Prototype turned its head in my direction, and I ducked back behind the corner, fumbling to get the stun gun out of my bag and holding it tightly to my chest. If it comes for me before I can make a decision, I'm going to have no choice but to kill it...
I glanced from the skylight, to the doors at the other end of the food court, and slowly stepped out from my hiding place, getting a better view of the possessed victim. It doesn't have wings... I thought silently. Looks like a unicorn. I glanced back at the other stallion I had taken down before. That one was a pegasus. I'm lucky that I was able to kill the more dangerous of the two... That means that if I can get out through the skylight and onto the roof, it won't be able to follow me...
The Prototype turned it's head in my direction, and I took off at a run towards it. It's a little too cramped in the hallway for a good flying space, but once I get under the skylight, I'll have adequate room. The Prototype is just a little past there... I should be able to take off without a problem...
As the gap began to close between us, the possessed pony looked me over, then took off at a run in my direction. My heart skipped a beat as the distance between us closed, and I readied myself to spread my wings.
"Self Destruct."
I screamed as the command came over the PA and skidded to a stop, scrambling backwards and diving to the floor.
BANG.
I threw my hooves over my head as warm liquid rained down on my back, followed by a storm of shattered glass. I shut my eyes tightly, tears streaming down my cheeks. I'm such an idiot, I should have known that was coming... I completely forgot about that second command...
Sirens wailed outside the mall entrance and I quickly got to my feet. I need to go. The Prototype was gone, only a large circle of blood and chucks of flesh hinting that it had ever even been there. I gritted my teeth and took off for the skylight, landing on the roof away from the glass and crouching down.
A few meters away, a filly lay, looking up at me with a fearful look.
"It's okay..." I breathed, wiping the mix of sweat, tears, and blood from my eyes. "The police are here. The ponies downstairs... I think they're all gone."
"Mommy...?"
My eyes widened, and I glanced over at the skylight again. "They'll... They'll find your mommy... I'm sure..." Dead or alive...
The filly looked down at the ground fearfully.
"Go... Go see the police. That way." I gestured in the direction of the bright red and blue lights. "They'll find her. Just... Don't mention me. They'll find her."
She whimpered and took off in the direction I had pointed. I'm a shitty officer... I was suppose to stop all this from happening... Now all I did was make it worse, didn't I? Well, maybe not worse, but I certainly didn't make it any better... I couldn't save a single pony...
I cursed under my breath and made a run for the opposite side of the roof, taking off and diving for the ground where I would be less likely to be seen. I need to wash myself off. I look horrible, and the back end of my coat is completely covered in blood from the explosion.
I ducked into an alleyway, doing my best to brush off my bloodstained fur. Yeah. No. This isn't going to work. I grimaced and ran deeper into the alleyway, pulling the Cloudsdale map out of my bag. This mall looks fairly close to where the old Weather Factory used to be... Which means it's also close to the lake...
I set off in that direction, doing my best to stay out of sight. It's pretty hard not to attract suspicion when you're covered in a suspicious warm, wet and sticky substance that very much resembles pony innards. I didn't escape from the cops just to have them called on me again.
When I reached the edge of Cloudsdale, I flew down to the lakeside, which was no longer blocked off. The old Factory had been completely demolished since the incident, and the familiar shadow that once loomed over the lake was no longer present.
I waded into the water, which was somewhat refreshing in the summer heat. Throwing my bloody saddlebag onto the shoreline, I submerged my head in the water, combing my hooves through my mane to try and remove the scarlet colour and terrible stench. All these years and I still haven't quite gotten used to that disgusting smell...
I shook myself, my wet mane sticking to my face. Damnit, it's going to be poofy again. It always gets poofy when it dries, especially considering my lack of a hair brush.
Wading deeper into the lake, I began to clean my wings and backside, the clear blue of the water turning bright red as I did so. My cutiemark wasn't even visible underneath the layers of yuck.
It took forever to get the stains out of my fur, but finally, half an hour later, I emerged from the water relatively clean. I dumped the contents of my saddlebag onto the beach, quickly washing it too. Those stains wouldn't come out completely. Guess I'll have to buy a new one.
I stretched my wings, shaking myself off. It was only then that the several cuts I had received began to sting. It was nothing serious, just a few scrapes, but damn, I'm going to get my ass beat when I get back home. Especially for the gashes on my face. Ugh.
I didn't exactly plan to come here and nearly get killed. I planned to come and interrogate Tyra, that's all. I don't know if it's a good idea to go see her now, chances are that she caught me on the security cameras. I might even be in the video... To go see her so soon after is a little too suspicious. If she knows that I know what she's up to, I'll be a target.
And then I remembered Spark. Shit. Buck. I'm already going to be a target. If Spark is working for Tyra, she's going to tell her I stopped by the shop, then left in a hurry for the mall. Ugh, I can't go back now...
Muttering more curses under my breath, I got up and threw my saddlebag over my shoulder, beginning to make my way towards the train station. I don't know when the next train leaves for Manehatten, but I guess my only choice now is to go back. I mean, what else can I do?
I don't quite know I'm ready to face Glaze after the little stunt I pulled... He's going to be mad. Really mad. I promised I'd tell him next time... Well, technically I did tell him, but not until after I left. And he's going to be hella pissed that I took his phone again. I didn't even use it this time around. I keep forgetting that I have it, honestly. If I had remembered to record the whole Prototype incident, I would have.
I shivered, the slight breeze ruffling my wet fur. A few ponies looked at me strangely as I passed them on the street; I guess it's not usual to be walking around while soaking wet. I wonder if anypony recognizes me...
When I reached the train station, I found that the evening train didn't leave for another hour. Just my luck. Ah well, I guess I can at least sit and dry off... I thought. It'll look less strange when I get on the train.
I was completely dry and half decent looking by the time the train pulled up at Manehatten Station. Good thing too, cause my dumb luck decided to run me into somepony I knew.
"Myst? What are you doing here?"
I turned, tilting my head at the gray and black mare. "Jace! Uhm... Hi. I was just... Visiting some family in Cloudsdale."
"Oh, really? That's where I'm going. My parents are both taking a week off work so that we can spend some time together before the summer's over and have to go back to college."
I paused, wide-eyed, and pinned her against the train station wall. "No! I mean, uhm... No... Don't go to Cloudsdale, please."
She gave me a strange look. "I told you about this weeks ago, Mystery. You know I go home every summer."
"But uh..." I racked my head for some reason, any reason, then sighed, deciding to just spill the truth. "I was just there. And I got attacked. At the mall."
"The mall? Who in their right mind would attack you there?"
"It wasn't just me... I was the lucky one. It probably hasn't hit the news here yet, but it looked like almost 30 were killed... There was another attack, a few days ago at the Weather Factory. It's like they're completely random, and I don't want you to get caught up in one..."
Jace stared at me. "But... What about my parents? They live there..."
"Then I suggest you call them and tell them to stay at home. Please don't go, Jace. I couldn't save anypony during the attack, and I'm sure as hell not losing you too..."
"What are the chances of me getting attacked out of everyone in the city?"
"What are the chances of me getting attacked out of everypony in the city? It happened to me, so it could happen to you. And I don't know about you, but I'm thinking you wouldn't be able to protect yourself as well as I did. No offense."
She narrowed her eyes. "Well, you are one to go running into trouble."
Am I really that easy to see through? "Jace, come on. So maybe it wasn't a complete coincidence that I was there at the time, but it doesn't lower your chances."
She sighed. "I'll call my parents and talk to them. You go home, you look terrible. We'll reach some sort of a compromise, I promise."
I nodded slowly. "... Please stay safe..."
She nodded back, fishing her phone out from her saddlebag and waving me off. I glanced back at her again before making my way out of the station and into the bright sun.
It was actually quite a beautiful day, with not a cloud in the shining blue sky. Ponies bustled around with the normal business of the city, carriages and hooves making the familiar sounds of movement as they passed. I don't really like the city, but it's kinda calming every once in a while. Days like this, where the weather is nice and the streets aren't hugely busy are my favourite days.
Too lazy to walk, I hopped on the city bus and got off a block away from my house resided. I hope everypony got home okay. By the lights in the window, they must have.
Having left the key with Glaze when he went back, I was forced to knock on the door, which wasn't exactly my favourite approach. Now I have to face them directly. Nice.
It opened a second later, two faces appearing and a third peeking out from a back room.
"I'm back." I muttered, waving lazily with one hoof.
"Myst!" Amber trotted over and hugged me, and I sighed, patting her on the head. I don't really like hugs, but if it makes her happy, then so be it.
I looked up at Glaze, who was standing in the doorway with his eyes narrowed. I rolled my eyes and fished his phone out of my bag, tossing it to him.
He caught it in one hoof and set in on the table just inside the house, gesturing for me to get my ass inside. "What happened to your mane?"
I scowled and tried to flatten down the front. "Long story. I ended up taking a dip in the lake."
"You went swimming? You left us to go swimming."
"Oh please, you know I can't swim. I went to interrogate Tyra."
"And?" He looked me over, noting the several scratches that adorned my body.
"...nearly got killed," I muttered, and he sighed like he was completely used to it.
"What did I say about telling me these things beforehoof?"
"We all know you wouldn't have let me go if I had."
He rolled his eyes and sat down on the couch, leaning back against the cushions. "Yeah, well Cheery called four billion times while you were gone. You better have a good explanation for not being at work. She's gotten worried. I almost debated telling her you went off to get yourself killed. Guess it wouldn't be too big of a lie."
"Ha, ha, very funny." I snorted. "I'll call her later. Guess I have no excuse to be gone tomorrow, huh?"
He shook his head. "Better not. If you leave for some random city again I'm not going to let you back in the house wen you return."
"Bitch, this is my house."
"Not anymore if you go off again..." He tossed the key into the air and caught it again, tucking it behind his wing. I made a mental note to steal it back from him later.
"So... How'd it happen this time?" He nodded at my injuries, and I grunted, not really in the mood to explain.
"Got caught up in a Prototype attack."
"A what?!"
I turned my bag upside down and emptied the contents of my bag onto the table.
"Hey Blue c'mere!" Amber called to the other room. The colt's head appeared at the door.
I nodded down at the supplies on the table. "Stun gun. Used for self protection. I killed one of the Prototypes with it. Chances are it'll get locked up again in the next few hours and will be unusable. Mall protocol apparently."
I picked up the chip which was still caked with blood, and beckoned Blueprint over. "I cut this out of the Prototype I killed. Do you think you can duplicate it? If we have a functional chip it would help us figure out a lot about the device."
Blueprint nodded. "I'll clean it off and see what I can do. I'll need to buy supplies though, and I don't have much money..."
"I'll give you money," I said. "I don't have that much, but it'll be enough for something I'm sure. I'll get payed for tomorrow too."
"Yeah, if you even go to work..." Glaze muttered under his breath.
I shot him a glare. "Okay, you shush."
"I need an incubator. From past experience, I'm pretty sure the chip only grows when exposed to the conditions of the pony body... It'll need to be the right temperature and humidity."
"And just how much will that cost?"
He shrugged. "Depends." He turned the chip over in his hooves, holding it up to the light to get a better view. "I'll have to take a good look at it. If I start now, I might be finished by tonight."
"Tonight? You can really do it that fast?"
"It's not certain... But maybe. If I work quickly."
"That's great. If you can get it done by tonight, we can start analyzing it tomorrow." I nodded in satisfaction.
"Now, that's great and all, but you still never explained what happened with you and this robot thing." Cut in Glaze.
I rolled my eyes and spilled the whole story. From my first meeting with Silent Spark, to my run-in with Jace. Amber looked a little bewildered during the whole thing, and Glaze just looked hella tired of my shit. I don't think Blueprint was even listening, he was fiddling with the chip the entire time and was completely silent.
"Do... You think she's going to attack somewhere else? Maybe we can predict her next move..." Suggested Amber.
I thought for a moment. "Well, the first attack was on the Weather Factory... My guess is that she would have attacked it again if it hadn't been evacuated for investigation. Instead she went with the mall... That one's drawing a blank. I'm not sure what reason she'd have to attack there."
Blueprint gritted his teeth. "I don't understand why she's doing this, are you absolutely sure it's her?"
"Her assistant pretty much confirmed it." I shrugged. "Spark seemed really surprised, and a little scared when she found out that I knew. I mean, I could be wrong, but I'd say that's a pretty good indication that our suspicious were correct."
He bit his lip. "I can't believe this..."
"Well, she's made a quite a scene of attacking large groups so far..." Noted Glaze. "I'd assume that the first attack was kind of a test run, but it attracted a lot of ponies. She probably went to the mall next because it was a busy place. I'm not quite sure what she was trying to do there, but she did kill a lot of ponies. I'm going to guess that her next target will do the same."
I nodded, spreading out the map of Cloudsdale across the table. "Hm... I'd say the mall is the busiest place in the city. Maybe the next down would be the sports arena? That would get pretty busy during a game... Or maybe the park, during a special event? Amber, is there anything important coming up?"
The filly paused, thinking. "Well... Actually, I think there's a baseball game at the stadium this weekend..."
"Do you think that's the plan?"
Glaze shrugged. "I guess it would make sense, but I'm still so confused about why. Is she just killing for fun now? What's her goal?"
"And even if we can predict where she's going next... What do we do about it? Take it from me, we can't just go barging in like I did. I escaped by dumb luck."
"Yeah." He glared at me. "How'd you even get that gun?"
"A security guard gave it to me, then fled. Some brave soul he is."
"Some idiot you were to stick around." He rolled his eyes. "Stop trying to play the hero."
"Look, ponies were dying, I had no choice. If not me, then who?"
"Nopony. Just let natural selection take it's pick. It's horrible, yes, but you don't stand a chance against a Prototype."
"Oh, look who's taking. You bucking wrestled Flare to the ground before murdering him cold-bloodedly."
"Cold-bloodedly? Bitch, I saved your life. Are we going over this whole cold-blooded killer thing again? Is that all you ever think I am?"
I growled under my breath. "If that's what I thought, then I wouldn't be sitting in the same room as you, would I?"
"Will you two shut up? Work out your differences afterwards, we're still trying to figure this out," said Amber sternly.
I closed my eyes, clearly frustrated. "Okay, so Tyra attacks the stadium, what then? She'll probably hack the PA again, so it's not like she'll even be there to confront."
"Do you have a screwdriver?" Interrupted Blueprint quietly.
"There should be a toolbox in the garage," I said, gesturing to the door. He nodded and left.
"Mystery, going back to Cloudsdale is a death wish for you, you know that? You already said you'd be a target. Unless Tyra doesn't care about the secrecy of her plan, that is... I say, instead of going back there, you should just call the police and get them to arrest her before it all happens."
"Yeah... Yeah, okay. That's a good idea. It'll get me points, right? I'll bet they haven't figured out a thing... I'll be a prime source of information for them."
"It's probably the only way to stop her before more ponies get killed."
"Okay..." I nodded and went up to my room, picking up the landline beside my bed. Here goes nothing...
~~~
There was a loud popping noise, and the Prototype stallion fell to the floor. Tyra Strife narrowed her eyes at the screen.
"Code? How many chips have been inserted?"
"123," the gray-green pony replied. "At least, that's how many have been picked up in Cloudsdale." He shifted the laptop from side to side. "There may be more in other cities, chances are we got a few tourists into the mix, but the signal isn't strong enough to reach that far."
"123? Hmph, alright, that'll have to do." She grimaced, watching the black and purple pegasus slice into the neck of the corpse with her insufficient butter knife. "Pack up the computers. We're leaving."
"Leaving?" Both Spark and Code looked up from their work, a little bit startled.
Tyra nodded. "Thanks to you, Spark, we've been discovered. We have to cut the time frame a little. I was hoping to do a little more digging to make sure those workers are killed beforehoof, but we're going to have to be a little messy and finish up with Cloudsdale before the police come to arrest us. We'll deploy the mass activation tomorrow and wipe out the city. Any of the remaining Factory workers should be caught up in the mix. After that, we're off to Canterlot with all of the Prototypes that survive the mass attack, which should be most of them."
"A...and during the attack?"
"We'll relocate to another location in Cloudsdale and command from there. We can't stay at Strife.ink, or we'll be caught."
"But... What about our families? What about your brother? What's he going to think when he comes back to find no city left?"
Tyra shrugged. "You can call your families and evacuate them tonight, but don't tell them anything about the plan. As for Blueprint, he'll be fine as long as he's out of the city when the attack starts. I'll send him word after it's over that he can come to Canterlot and live in luxury with me." She grinned. "He'll have everything he ever wanted, I'm sure he'll forgive me for what I've done."
Spark gave her an unconvinced look. "You think he's going to forgive you for murdering thousands? You think ponies are going to follow you as a ruler knowing that you've murdered thousands?"
Tyra shrugged. "I know Equestria will forgive me, cause they've done it before." She tapped the computer screen. "The one that discovered us. Moonlight Mystery. She was the one who brought down the Factory. She murdered hundreds while she was there, and she's been forgiven."
"I wouldn't say she's been completely forgiven-"
"That's not important right now. Ponies will learn to forgive and forget. For now, let's focus on taking our current city. I'm going to warn you now, the attack will last 7 days, one full week. Crash Code, I'll need you to hack every available broadcasting source in town, and after the mass activation, you'll need to hack every available video camera as well. Spark, I'll need you to start building the PDVII from the second set of blueprints, as the clones will be released on the very last day to wipe out any remaining survivors. Right after releasing them, we're off to Canterlot."
"But I-"
"Don't you dare use the 'I'm a chemical engineer' excuse on me. If you can build the Prototype chips, you can build the PDVII."
Spark lowered her head, muttering something indecipherable under her breath.
"That's not even the biggest problem..." Said Code quietly. "We'll need more computers than just this one laptop to hack every device in Cloudsdale and keep a track on all the Prototypes at the same time. This one isn't powerful enough to support it all..."
"Hm... I'll see what I can do. I probably have enough money saved up for a decent desktop computer. Tomorrow, once we've relocated, you can have your pick. As long as you can get the broadcasting devices done with that one, you should be alright. After the activation, we can simply steal any extra supplies in the chaos."
"And what's keeping them from killing us?"
Tyra shrugged. "They won't attack you two, since you're implanted. As for me, I have the list of commands. I can gain control over the ones that get in my way."
She glanced over at the computer screen. "Alright Code. Upload the video to PonyTube."
"You don't want me to cut out the footage of the black pony?"
Tyra paused, then shook her head. "No, just the voice commands. Now that I think about it, it's actually a good thing she did what she did. She's giving them hope... Hope means more ponies will try to fight back... I mean, she did it, so why shouldn't they?"
"You want them to fight back?" Spark looked up.
"A smart pony wouldn't." Tyra frowned. "There's only a few types who I'd assume to fight back. Mystery is trained in combat... Which I think is why she reacted in the way that she did. Combat training makes ponies more confident than they should be. However, since most combat is illegal in one form or another, the only ponies in Cloudsdale to receive that kind of thing would have to have some kind of connection to the Rainbow Factory. The plan is, they fight back, they die, and my mission is accomplished."
"You're crazy..." Spark breathed, turning back to her work.
Code just shrugged and went back to editing. "When do we leave?"
"Middle of the night, through the back exit. Only bring what you need to, you can always come back for other things once the attack begins. For now, we just have to get off the police's trail. I'm almost certain that Mystery will rat me out, but by the time they get here, we'll be long gone."
~~~
As I'm sure you can tell, shit's about to go down in the next chapter. I believe that the calm half of the book has come to a close. Time for some beautiful chaos :')