Angels with Newfound Hope
Chapter 5: Instruments
Abandoned Medical Facility, Quartz Harbor. Onyx, Terra
March 22nd, 2016 12:32AM
A gold furred horse in advanced police armor crept up to a decrepit facility. Next to him lay another person clad in similar black armor. This was the officer's sworn enemy, a vigilante he had been trying to catch since he started on the force. The two were separated only by a few bushes. The horse's radio started crackling with light static before the message came through clearly.
"Chris, what's your status on the investigation?" A masculine voice came through. The horse, now Chris, snapped over to answer as quickly as possible.
"Just arrived at the facility. It doesn't look too heavily guarded. Then again, looks are always deceiving. I'm going to get closer and find a way in." He responded. He put up his radio and started over to the building. Just then, the vigilante's own radio went off.
"Viper. You haven't moved from that spot for a while. What's going on?" Their companion's voice came through the helmet. She seemed a bit urgent with her tone.
"Sorry Mongoose. I was about to go when our favorite officer swooped in." Viper's comment did nothing for Mongoose's irritation.
"You need to hurry. One of the captives is on the move. I estimate they'll be on the table about ten minutes from now." She barked. The black-clad figure flinched from the volume. Not like it did them any good, since the speakers were next to their ears.
"Alright. I'll be there before then." Viper closed out the call before anyone could hear him. They stood up, adjusted their gear and made a beeline for the building himself.
Getting in wasn't all that hard. There was a vent entrance on the second floor they could slip through. Hiding a small trail of bodies, however, was a different story. The predator still was in within a couple of minutes. They navigated through the vents until they exited into an open hallway. The predator dropped to the ground with a quiet 'Thud' and hid behind a gurney. Some of them had blankets draped over them, and could provide some nice cover for both them and any corpses made. Speaking of...
Three goons walked right past the vigilante and into another hallway. What was heard from their bit of conversation was the direction of the operating room. Luckily for him, they were heading right for it. The predator followed them through the musty smelling hallways until they came to an intersection. Officer Chris was just on the other side, barely tucked away in the shadows.
Viper had no choice but to follow after the cop when he started stalking the same prey. The vigilante climbed onto a nearby catwalk and crept after them. They soon came to another intersection. Another crew wheeling a whimpering box came by the group. He could pick up on some more of the conversation from his position.
"That our latest 'patient'?" One goon asked. The other two nodded.
"Oh yeah. It's not common that you find random horses wandering this side of Onyx." The one pushing commented.
"Wait, I think I know this one's mother. Shame she passed away. I was going to take her when she got back home." The first goon swiped the air for emphasis. A third next to Chris decided to pipe up.
"Wasn't that bitch with the army? I'd love to see how she'd try and fight back when she's got her hands tied." Something snapped inside Viper when he said that. They pulled out their pistol and fired at all but one. Each criminal fell lifeless as the only one left bolted. The horse caught up to him, slamming him to the ground and cuffing him as Viper dropped down.
"What the hell are you doing here?" The officer growled as the figure drew near. The whimpering grew louder as the person inside began to panic.
"Same reason you are, Chris. Now how about we get the hostages to safety before we try to kill each other?" Viper offered in his own voice. He narrowly dodged a thrown gun that clattered to the ground, with a single deafening shot ripping through the silent halls. Rapid footsteps approached as the two hid.
Several more goons stormed down the halls, rifles drawn. They yelled for everyone who was hiding to come out or be shot. The predator motioned for Chris to wait as they climbed onto the catwalk again. One guy had the displeasure of being dragged up screaming by the vigilante. He fell back to the floor on his head, crushing it into a bloody mess. His friends immediately got much jumpier than before. Viper tossed a piece of glass from a broken skylight in front of another guy. Two of his colleagues immediately peppered him with bullets.
The pair threw their weapons down and ran over to him, allowing the vigilante time enough to snap their necks. Two more guys finally caught and fired at him. Some bullets were handily blocked before Viper shot both of them in the head. The final guy tried to run, but was caught by Chris. He was cuffed and laid next to his friend.
"Now tell me. Where is the operating room?" Chris growled at the guys. The predator approached from behind with a wicked looking karambit, terrifying the two.
"I'd listen to him if I were you." Viper said quietly. They broke a little inside and spoke up.
"Down and to the right!" The original guy whimpered. "The girl is supposed to be there in a minute." The noises only heightened in pitch when the vigilante aimed for them.
"Tell me about her. There's someone specific I'm looking for, and if you sacks of shit did anything at all, you will wish I'd killed you." Viper groused in the most menacing way possible.
"I don't know the details." The second guy piped up. "We got her in earlier today. Some horse girl we took off the streets. Black hair, brown fur." The figure snatched the guy up by his throat.
"White spot on her forehead?" The vigilante's grip tightened when he didn't give an answer immediately. "Tell me!" The guy fell limp, choked out. They picked the other guy up.
"You better tell me right now or you will be first." They barely whispered to the guy. He panicked and started flailing. It was stopped swiftly with a heavy slap.
"Ack! Okay, okay! Yes! She does... I've only seen her once outside the box though. I hope you're happy." The vigilante choked his captive out and hid them both away. Halfway through dragging them, he noticed Chris picking the lock. He went over and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Allow me." Viper crouched down by the box's only hole. "Hey in there. Keep away from the front of the box. I'm going to break the lock." With that, Viper shot the padlock, breaking it off with a clatter. The hostage timidly left her wooden prison. The vigilante's suspicions were confirmed when they saw her face. It was their late fiance's daughter. They felt like a shitty guardian for letting her walk about alone like that. Regardless of how the predator felt, they still had a job to do. Zoe made them promise to take care of her, and that was exactly what they were going to do.
"Ms. Freeman?" Macy nodded timidly. "You're free to go. Just keep close to me or Officer Greenwood and you'll be out safely." The figure motioned to Chris and himself for emphasis. As much as the officer hated it, he had to agree. The safest place in the compound was with either of them. The horse had his gun and Viper had unmatched skill in stealth. Zoe's daughter was safe in either of their hands.
"Thank you guys. I'll keep with you for now." The young mare stepped next to Viper after hugging them both. The figure nodded and climbed back up to the catwalk, hoisting their new companion up.
"Keep her out of enemy sightlines. If we lose a single person, you will not make it out of here alive. Do you understand?" Chris called up to them. Viper made an 'okay' symbol with their fingers and continued on.
"How are you holding up, Macy?" The vigilante whispered back to Zoe's daughter. She looked like she'd collapse at any moment. Adrenaline must've been killing her. Being honest, it was killing them too. They weren't sure if she was already 'operated' on.
"As good as I'll ever be. Who sent you anyway?" Macy asked him in as low a voice as she could muster. The vigilante was far more than grateful the voice modulator kept their identity safe.
"Your mother, before she passed away, asked me to keep an eye on you whenever you're out. They didn't do anything, did they?" The figure whispered back. It was only now that they realized she was dressed only in a tee shirt and sweatpants. This pissed them off beyond simple passive hatred. Now they were hellbent on murdering every last one of those sick fucks.
"No. If you're wondering, I was dressed like this before they kidnapped me. Just don't let my 'dad' know. He'd be so mad I went out like this." Macy chuckled lightly. Viper shushed her right before a guard walked by. He shot him in the back of the head, crumpling him to the floor in an unmoving heap. Mongoose decided to buzz in at that point.
"Viper. The captive just hit the OR. Why aren't you there?" Mongoose decided it best to chime in. The vigilante sped up their pace, just in case somebody else was intended. They no longer cared about being heard. Anyone who found them would be gunned down anyway.
"Chris and I intercepted one of them. I'll be dropping her off at her father's house after this is over." The black-clad figure stated a little louder than they preferred. The two hooked a right and hit a steel door. The predator melted the lock out with a disposable pick, letting them in. As soon as they looked over the rail, they saw red. Chris had been tranquilized and set on the table. The 'doctor' was preparing a breathing tube for him. That was enough. The pistol was switched in favor of a bullpup rifle. Its firing mode was switched over to full auto, and the safety finally switched off.
"Wait here." Viper handed Macy the pistol with a spare clip before jumping down. He fired wildly as soon as he hit the ground. Three guys were gunned down before a thing could be done. The doctor, who he now recognized as a forensics guy, chucked a scalpel his way. The vigilante blocked it with their gun and fired. Several bullets buried themselves in the traitor's chest and shoulders. More guards came in firing at anything that moved. They were gunned down one by one.
It was like shooting fish in a barrel for the predator. The more guys who came in, the more who got shot. Bodies started piling up at the door whilst they made their way over to the traitor. They were a few steps away when a sharp pain stabbed into their back. The figure yanked out a scalpel that was lodged in there. That was it for them. They caught another that was thrown and shot the doctor in the head.
Viper's gauntlet and wound began to glow as his regen kicked on. Once that was done, they hoisted Chris off the table and signaled to Macy. She met them right outside the door with the pistol still full. They both shared a sigh of relief before calling the chief of police...