Chapter 7: Sierra Zero
The sand was hot under his hooves. It wasn't usually noticeable, but this far in the desert it was. He'd been moving with conviction and vigour for a while, but now, the desert heat was taking its toll. He regretted leaving his cloak behind, but if Sierra Zero existed, it would only hinder him.
As Shadow began to ascend a large dune, he cringed. He was so tired…
"Come on Shadow," he muttered to himself, "Just one last dune."
Moving up the steep sandy formation, he pressed his fatigued legs. Slowly he moved, his aching muscles making each movement a labour intensive process. As he finally reached the top, Shadow's eyes widened; something unexpected manifested before him.
A massive complex of beige buildings surrounded by large grey walls lay below him, amidst a large square valley sheltered by four large dunes on all sides.
"Sierra Zero…"
With a deep breath, Shadow took a short leap forward, and began sliding down the side of the dune, heading directly for the grey walls. As he slid to the bottom of the dune, he flared his wings, using them to stabilize his descent and slow him down.
Stumbling to his feet at the bottom, Storm rushed to the wall, pressing up against it. Resting for a moment, Shadow secured his crossbow's sling around his chest and tightened the strap on his goggles.
With a leap, Storm swiped his wings downward, driving himself up and onto the wall. Landing with a clop on the stony surface, Shadow immediately bolted to the nearest undulation and cover. Glancing around, Shadow could now see that at least fifty guards patrolled the base below, with an additional twenty stationed on the walls. The base seemed to be divided in two sections; one section filled with temporary buildings and canopies, the other filled with bunkers and grey, sturdy looking buildings.
Unable to see the exact details of the base, Storm strained his neck to peer around the edge of the undulation, only to snap it back.
Holding his breath, Shadow steadied himself, forcing every muscle to remain motionless. Slowly, he listened as the gentle rustle of metal armour gained volume. A large figure stepped into view. Storm felt his heart skip a beat as the large shadow seemed to blot out the sun.
Then it was gone.
As quickly as the guard had moved towards him, he left, unknowing of Shadow crouched along the wall. Without wasting another second, Storm slipped off the undulation and down into the base, silencing his landing with a single wing beat before touching the ground.
Moving to hide behind a box, he watched as a patrol of guards moved down a path lazily, obviously not taking their job too seriously.
'Just keep moving, and keep your eyes open,' Shadow thought to himself.
Taking a deep breath, Shadow bolted across the path, and into the maze of tents that lay near the gate. After a quick observation, Storm deduced the place was a makeshift barracks, mostly due to the presence of used ration wrappings and sleeping guards.
Taking extra care in placing his hooves, Shadow moved silently through the maze of tents, making his way from one side to the other. As he emerged, he sighted his main goal; the large stone building in the very middle of the complex, most likely the main building.
Moving from cover to cover, Shadow slowly but surely made his way across the base. The sparse amount of crates and other obstructions made it slow going, but eventually, Storm managed to make it to the side of the main building, hiding behind a pile of odd, white-yellow bags.
Ignoring them, Storm crouched down, looking for an entry point. As he sat there, breathing softly, he spotted it: A lone air vent just below the rooftops, barely large enough to fit in.
Checking to see if the coast was clear, Storm stood up. With a leap, he took flight, hovering next the vent as fiddled with the screws. Pulling the vent cover off, Storm slipped in, crawling slowly into the dark abyss that lay before him.
As he crawled through the pipe, he exhaled strenuously. Every sound seemed to be magnified in this vent, and he seemed to be making a lot of it.
'Why do they always make these vents so big?' Shadow questioned himself as he moved.
Before he could even surmise and answer, Shadow heard a deep metallic groan, followed by a loud crash as his vision blurred. Shaking his head violently, Storm watched the world slowly come back into view. He was now sitting in the middle of a small white room, sparsely furnished aside from a few lockers and tables.
Training his eyes on the door, Storm raised an eyebrow curiously. Opposite him, was a door. Beside the door, resting a hoof on the handle, was a beige pony wearing a lab coat, staring at Shadow in surprise, confusion and shock.
"Hello," the pony said, his voice thick with a Canterlotian accent.
"Hi," Storm responded coolly.
Within seconds Shadow had crossed the room, tackling the pony. With a decisive blow to the back of the head, the pony went limp. Wiping his brow nervously, Storm dragged the unconscious pony to the corner of the room, pulling his lab coat off.
Pulling the large crossbow off his back and dropping his cloak, Shadow sighed. Sticking his hooves through the lab coat, he donned the white coat, glancing at the name tag.
"Doctor Whooves?" Storm muttered, shaking his head, "What the hay kind of name is that…"
Pulling the crossbow back over his back and stuffing his goggles in the coat's pocket, Storm slowly exited the room, attempting to remain semi-inconspicuous.
As he shut the door, Shadow found himself in a long, skinny white and grey hallway. The entire place was very sterile and quiet. Cautiously, Shadow moved down the corridor.
Coming to a bend, he stopped, peering around the corner slowly. The entire place was mazelike, and everything looked the same.
"New eh?"
Turning around, Storm forced a grin on his face, nodding nervously. He was now facing another black pony, with a bright orange and yellow mane.
Extending her hoof, the mare stated, "I'm Doctor Mane, Blazing Mane. You are?"
"Doctor Whooves," Storm returned, shaking the mare's hoof.
"Lovely to meet you, I assume you're looking for the Weapon's Division?"
It took a moment for her question to register properly with Shadow's mind.
"Oh yeah! Sorry, it's my first day," he answered, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, "Any chance you could direct me there?"
"I'll do one better, come on."
Storm watched the mare move away, and after a moment of hesitation, he followed.
As he caught up, Mane said, "I'm with Weapons Division myself, actually. I heard there was a bunch of newbies coming in. First tip, you really ought to be more careful when carrying weapons around. Don't want to get shot. Make sure you have the proper forms next time."
"Yeah, sorry."
Turning around, Blazing Mane pressed her hoof against Shadow, bringing him to a halt.
"Hey… is that the XLC-7?" she asked, peering at the crossbow on Storm's back.
"Yeah, I think. Apparently they recovered it from some shipment that got blown up on the way to Canterlot…"
"Oh, the one that Shadow guy blew up?" Mane asked, motioning for Shadow to continue as she began to walk away.
"Yeah, Shadow Storm. The Wonderbolt guy."
"It's a damn shame you know, if only he'd seen the E.S.S.'s treachery before hand," she remarked, walking around a bend.
"Wait, so the trial was a sham?"
"Oh yeah, they paid off half the witnesses and jury. It's really is too bad. If he had been acquitted, I might not be here making weapons but doing something productive, not butchering science for the sake of the E.S.S."
"So why don't you leave then?" Shadow questioned, raising his eyebrow.
With a laugh, Mane replied, "One does not simply walk out of Sierra Zero. Ah, here we are."
Opening the door for Mane, Storm grinned and stated, "After you, doctor."
As Mane moved into the room adjacent to the hall, Shadow lingered for a moment.
Muttering to himself, he stood there shaking his head, "One does not simply walk out of Sierra Zero… that's for damn sure…"
